Evening star., 1936-11-29
BOARD MAPS FIGHT
ON TUBERCULOSIS
Long-Range Program Is Be-
ing Developed Medical
Leaders to Confer.

Seeking to make the most effective
use of the Districts enlarged sana-
torium facilities, the Board of Public
Welfare is developing a long-range
program for treatment and hospital
ization of tuberculosis patients, We'll
fare Director Elwood Street announced
yesterday.
Eleven private medical leaders have
been called into consultation with the
Medical Service Committee of the
Welfare Board and the deans of
George Washington, Georgetown and
Howard University medical schools
have been asked to aid in the PLAN
ming.
Aside from planning for the bes:
ALLEGATION of patients among the en-
larged hospital facilities, and the best
division of types of cases, it Is hoped
to promote development of tubercu-
losis treatment, Street said.
Facilities to Be Enlarged.
The studies are being made now
because the available District hospital
facilities will be greatly enlarged next
Spring when the new adult tubercu-
losis sanatorium is opened at Glenn
Dale, Md. That institution will 2To-
vide 400 additional beds.
Probably within the next year the
Districts total tuberculosis bed capac-
ity will be raised to $50, officials said.
The old tuberculosis Hospital at Four
teenth and Upshur streets, where ap-
proximately 225 patients are under
care, is to be closed with the open
ing of the new adult building. The
Children's tuberculosis Sanatorium at
Glenn Dale has 300 beds.
Reconditional anneXes at Gallinger
Municipal Hospital, built through the
Works Progress program, now pro-
vide ITS tuberculosis beds. DR.. Edgar
A. Bocock, superintendent, hopes to
continue this program until there
are facilities for $50 beds there.
Members of the Medical Service
Committee of the Welfare Board. who
are in charge of the long-range pro-
gram, are DR.. Henry J. Crosson.
chairman; DIR. Worth B. Daniels,
Judge M. M. Doyle and Frederick w.
McReynolds, chairman of the Well
fare Board. The Committee of Con-
sultants includes Health Officer
George c. Ruhland, DR.. A. Barklie
Coulter, director of the District Tuber-
cuiosis Division; DR.. William Charles
White, president of the District Tuber-
culosis Association; DR.. Charles s.
White of the Gallinger staff, DR.. Wall
lis Yater, DR.. Charles P. Cake, DR..
William Tewksbury, DR.. Bocock, DR..
Joseph Winthrop Peabody. general
superintendent of District tuberculosis
hospitals; DR.. Daniel Leo Finucane,
superintendent Of the Children's Tu-
berculosis Sanatorium, and DR.. Ed
mund Horgan.
recommendations are to be SUBJ
mitted to this group by subcom-
mittee, including Drs. William Charles
White, Yater, Coulter and Peaboey.
May Condition Free Care.
A number of hospital officials al
ready have suggested that tubercu-
Iosis patients be not accepted for free
care unless they will agree to stay
under hospital care until discharged
by officials. This plan may be included
in the report of the consultants.
Welfare Board officials report that
between September l, 1885, and Sep
tember / of this year there were 273
discharges, exclusive Of deaths, from
the tuberculosis division of Gallinger.
In more than 10 per cent of these
cases the patient left on their own
advice, officials said.
"The most serious problem Of GAL
linger Hospital in connection with its
tuberculosis work." the Welfare Board
was told, 'is inadequacy of personnel.
principally as to trained resident
physicians and laboratory help.
THE poor results occurring from
treatment of patients are not, in the
main, due so much to the shortcom-
ings there, however. as to late discov-
cry and delayed admission Of persons
with this illness, who in large per-
centage Of cases are so far advanced
upon arrival as to nullify absolutely
the possibility Of favorable results,
no matter what form of treatment Is
applied