Evening star., 1936-02-17

welfare service. the chief clerk.
messenger. and three secretaries. The
laboratory of the Health Department
remains completely inadequate in
personnel, equipment and space. to
adequately carry on its functions that
vitally and personally affect the
health of every citizen of the city.
Cites Lack of Nurses.
I'm the face of the fact that the
development and maintenance of an
adequate public health nursing service
is the only way to make the work of
a health department effective, and
that a minimum standard would
require the employment of at least
250 nurses in the District of Columbia,
there are at present employed only
lis nurses. of whom 54 are employees
of the Health Department, the
services of the remainder being con-
tributed by the Instructive Visiting
Nurse Society, inadequately supported
by funds of the Community Chest,
derived from private philanthropy.
Provisions for the care of venereal
disease at the municipal clinics are
totally and hopelessly inadequate to
even make an impression in the
attack on this menace, which probably
is greater than that of tuberculosis.
Accepted hospital standards re-
quire the employment of l graduate
nurse to each 10 patients, l pupil
nurse to each patients, and total
hospital personnel of l employe per
patient. At Gallinger Municipal Hos
pital there is l graduate nurse for
20 patients, l pupil nurse for 8
patients, and only employe per 2
patients. At the Childrens Tubercu-
losis Sanatorium, at Glenn Dale, 20
nurses are provided to care for 300
children.
"Dr. Herman Biggs, former health
officer of the State of New York and
an outstanding authority, said: Pub
lie health is purchasable. Within GER
tain material limitations any COM
munity can determine its own death
rate Let this serve as text for the
following statistics, all from the latest
Q934) report of the United States
Bureau of the Census:
US. DC.
General death rate per
1000 population lilo 16,7
Infant mortality per
1000 living births 500 65.3
tuberculosis (all forms)
per ,000-------- 56.6 1880
"Only one other community, among
the country's cities with a population
of 100000 or more, has greater NOR
tality rate from tuberculosis.
Ranking With Cities.
"Washington's infant mortality rate
is greater than Is that of New York,
Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Phila-
delphia, Cleveland, Boston, st. Louis,
Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Mil
waukee, Minneapolis or Cincinnati.
In view of the considerations set
forth in the foregoing statement. be it
resolved by the citizens of the District
of Columbia in mass meeting assem-
bled: That the Commissioners of the
District of Columbia are respectfully
but urgently petitioned to declare that
the public health situation in the Dis
trict of Columbia, as affected by the
curtailment in the budgets for the
Health Department and the Board of
Public Welfare for the fiscal year
1936-37, constitutes a grave emer-
gency;
And be it further resolved, That
they be urged to prepare Immediately,
and submit to the Federal Bureau of
the Budget additional estimates to
restore the budget at least to the fig
ures originally submitted by them;
And be it further resolved, That
since we are of the opinion that even
the original estimates of. the Com
missioners are obviously inadequate
to correct the deplorable situation
evidenced by the foregoing statement,
we, therefore, urge material increases
in the estimates for these services at
the earliest possible moment;
Permanent Group Provided.
And be 1t still further resolved,
That the persons named below. rep
resenting the organizations indicated.
be requested to constitute themselves
q committee, under the chairmanship
OF the president Of the Medical So
ciety Of the District Of ColuRhia, to