Evening star., 1934-02-22
MEDICAL SOCIETY
To SEEK BUILDING
.FORTUBERCULOS|S
Committee, Following Sur
vey, Urges Abandonment
of Old Edifice.
CHILDREN'S INSTITUTION
IN MARYLAND SOUGHT
Existing Conditions Here Scored
by Membership as Woefully
Inadequate.
Abandonment of the present hos

Abandonment of the present hos
pital for care Of tuberculosis pa
tients, which. it has been charged
is inadequate for present needs. and
the erection of a new adult hospital
as we'll as a new unit for advanced
stage" cases were urged in a report
of a subcommittee following an ex-
tensive survey, which was made last
night at a meeting of the Medical
Society of the District Of Columbia.
The report was adopted in full by
the society.
Charges that methods for the dis
covery, control and treatment of
tuberculosis are woefully inadequate"
in the District of Columbia were made
by the subcommittee.
Plan Children's Sanitarium.
Recommendations that members Of
the society back a plan for estab-
lishment Of new adult tubercular
hospital, to be located at the site
of the new children's sanitarium on
the Defense Highway so that "our
adult tuberculosis may have a chance
for restoration of health which they
now lack" were adopted by the So
ciety.
The subcommittee also recommend
ed that "aS soon as possible the pres
ent hospital be abandoned as made
quate and not suited for its purpose" "
A unit for late-Stage cases TO be con-
structed at Gallinger Municipal Hos
pital as distinct from the sanitarium
for hopeful cases also was urged in
the report.
The Washington tuberculosis Soci-
ETY., volunteer organization, has re-
quested the Public Works Admins
tration to allot S2,50O.0 900 for a new
hospital to be erected on Defense
one urged by the Medical Society.
The volunteer organization empha1
sizes that plans for the building have
been drawn and land is available.
Lack of coordination among the
city's various agencies for combating
tuberculosis was charged in the re-
port, and coordination of all organi-
cations. hospitals and committees in
bringing about a more efficient care
and treatment for tuberculosis pa
tients was asked.
Professional work of the sanitaria
and clinics devoted to tubercular
eradication in Washington should be
supervised by governing board ap-
pointed from the membership of the
Medical Society in cooperation with
the Board of Public Welfare. the SUBJ
suggested that all work concerning
tuberculosis in this city be placed in
charge of a full time officer of the
Health Department.
Requested by Fowler.
DR.. William c. Fowler, District
health officer, said this morning that
he had requested On several occasions
that similar work be done, and had
urged adoption Of plan for full
time health officer to be In charge OF
tuberculosis work, but that District
officials had assured him funds were
not available for such work.
THE present hospital probably Is
Inadequate" he said, but there is nc
way to rectify the present condition
unless money is appropriated to erect
new buildings and pay for staffs to
operate them"
In commenting on the high death
rate in the District from tuberculosis
DR.. Fowler said it might partially be
attributed to the large number Of
patients who were brought here te
Government hospitals for treatment.
The Health Office is confronted
with a situation in which it does not
know what to do and any assistance
this organization can give will be well
coined" he told the Medical Society
meeting last night at the conclusion
of the subcommittee report.