Evening star., 1937-11-28

linger Municipal Hospital, physicians
associated with the institution feel
that sensationalized reports Of its
problems may confuse and injure the
INDECENT sick, who have sought and
received excellent medical care at
Gallinger.
The following letters. received by
The Star. are typical Of efforts OF the
doctors to clarity the situation:
To the Editor Of The Star:
II heartily agree with some Of the
statements that have appeared re-
Gently in the newspapers concerning
Gallinger Municipal Hospital. The
superintendent and the executive staff
Of that institution have realized for
years that personnel, space, apparatus
and instruments have been woefully
inadequate. A strong appeal has been
made each year to Congress for suf-
fcient appropriation to remedy these
shortcomings, brought about largely by
the rapid growth of the hospital.
Cites Good Features.
I'm order that the public should not
be misled. however, it might be we'll
to at least mention some of the good
features of the conditions prevailing
at the hospital. Having been cog
nizant Of the state of the hospital from
close personal contact since 1919,
can state without fear of contradic-
ton that the quality (not the guam
tity) of nursing care, the type of ply
sical equipment and the standard of
medical care have constantly been
improved, and especially under the
able administration of DR.. Bocock, to
the point where they rank with those
OF the best hospitals of the District
Of Columbia, and l believe in some
respects even higher. Most people 90
not know that the visiting staff of the
hospital is composed OF some 1875 prac-
tlcing physicians of Washington, many
OF them eminent members of the
medical profession and all members
Of the faculties of medicine Of George
town and George Washington Univer-
sites. who serve the hospital without
monetary remuneration, even for
transportation expenses. During the
month of October. 1887, the visiting
physicians made 293 visits to the hos
pital in the departments of general
medicine. surgery. obstetrics and
gynecology alone, each visit involving
period of service of from one to six
hours. The physicians work accord
ing to schedule and sign the roster
at each visit. There was not a single
failure to make the required visits 10
the hospital during that month, and
such perfect records are not unusual
Besides the full-time special medi-
cal staff in psychiatry, the laboratory
and the X-ray department there are
approximately so full-time internes
and residents, many of whom are men
serving their second. third and fourth
years of hospital residency after grad
uation from medical school. These
internes and residents are all selected
with great care and on the whole con-
stitute as fine group of young medi-
cal men and women as may be found
In one institution anywhere in the
world. Recent attacks regarding their
conduct are wholly unjustified
Sees Blow at Socialized Medicine.
Recent propaganda for socialized
medicine should receive a severe set
back if all of the criticisms of CAL
linger Municipal Hospital regarding
shortcomings due to lack Of funds are
true. especially when one remembers
that those funds do not include pay
ment for most of the professional serv-
ices rendered. If the Government can
not do better job of caring for the
medically INDECENT sick, who all agree
are wards of the state, what may be
expected if the Government should
undertake to care for all of the sick?
In spite of such shortcomings as
were admitted in the beginning of
this communication, I personally
should not hesitate to become a pa
tient in the Gallinger Municipal Hos
pital under the care of the present
underpaid resident and the wholly
unpaid visiting staff.
(Signed)
WALLACE M. YATER,
"A B., M. D.. NJ. S.. F.. A. c. P;
Professor of Medicine, George
town University School of Medicine;
physician in chief. Georgetown Uni
versity and Gallinger Municipal
Hospitals"
Regrets Attacks on Hospital.
To the Editor of The Star:
"As longtime member of the
visiting staff at Gallinger Hospital, I
greatly regret the attacks on that in
stitution now appearing in the public
press of this city. 1t is to be sup
posed that we who have given so freely
OF our time and energy toward the
building up and carrying on of that
institution would know its shortcom-
ings as we'll as does the casual OBJ
server. We do know that much re-
mains to be done, but we have seen
Gallinger Hospital develop from the
Washington Asylum Hospital to one
OF the better municipal hospitals of
this country. And then to see it
wantonly attacked, for mere sensa-
tionalism, arouses all the resentment
in ones makeup.
integrity of the resident staff said to
be in one Of the papers Friday. If
what hear of that attack under
stand 1t is quoted from some report
is approximately correct. it is grossly
unfair, and even its repetition is grossly
unfair, to those young men.
MANY of the young men on the
resident staff are former Students nj
mine. and know them we'll know
that there is no group of young men
Of higher moral standing, in the medi-
cal profession or in any other walk
of life, than are the members of the
resident staff of Gallinger Hospital
mo good can come from such mud
singing and undertaking; and the
1ndigent sick, who have come to
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