Evening star., 1935-06-16
A Fair Exchange.

Congress authorized the CommiS-
sioners to borrow 100000 from the
Public Works Administration for con-
struction OF a new heating plant at
Children's Hospital. The Commits
sioners have decided, after consulta-
ton with DR.. Rutland, to seek the
loan. And OF all the loans for the
District, proposed or sought, none
commends itself more To the Sympa-
thetic support of the community.
Tho terms of the loan-as between
the municipal government and the
hospital-are unique. If the District
viii build the heating plant, replacing
the plant which is inadequate and
has been condemned. the hospital
will furnish clinical and diagnostic
examination Of children threatened
with tuberculosis. That is a more
than reasonable exchange. 1t is a
form of health insurance that costs
little and the returns are beyond
measurement.
But there is more to the story than
that. For years the Children's Hos
pital, working hand in hand with the
Child Welfare Society and the Mary
GVynn Clinic, has been doing an ex-
ceedingly valuable work in safeguard
ing the health of children of the
community-especially the children
whose parents are unable to pay the
cost of examination, diagnosis and
treatment. Some years ago the wards
of the hospital we're filled with chill
dren who suffered the ravages of
rickets. Today there are hardly enough
cases to afford clinical demonstra-
ton Of ricketts,.
That is one small indication of the
preventive work possible through or
ganized facilities which have been
made available by the hospital and
the Child Welfare Society.
Today the hospital carries on its
clinical and examination work in quar-
ters so crowded that parents and their
little children are often forced to
stand for long periods awaiting ex-
animation. These parents are entire
ly dependent upon the voluntary serv-
ices of the hospital and clinic. They
pay a nominal charge when they can;
otherwise they pay nothing, and the
Community Chest makes up the def
cit. The hospital receives no contri-
buttons of any kind from Congress or
the municipality.
The present heating plant and laun-
dry occupy valuable space in the CEN
ter of the building which could easily
be converted into additional clinics.
The new heating plant would be
housed in a separate building, the
upper floor of which would be used as
q laundry. The floor space for clinics
would be practically doubled. The
work there could be increased in
some proportion to the demand.
1t is unnecessary to discuss the ad-
vantages of the systematic health ex-
aminations of children, which would
reveal the presence of tuberculosis and
other infections. Every intelligent
person realizes the benefits of pre-
ventive treatment following early ex-
animation and diagnosis. The en-
larged program which would be pos
sible at Children's Hospital would be
directly in line with DIR. Ruhland's
campaign, which, in the face Of
financial odds, he is trying to start.
There are now at Childrens Hos
pital the case records of some $4,000
Washington children under fourteen
years Of age. The hospital has the ex-
perience. the contacts and the repu-
tation which furnish the necessary
foundation for any enlarged program
If given the assistance it now seeks 1t
would increase its service to the COM
munity. And that is more than
worth the relatively small amount
asked of the community.