Evening star., 1941-10-12

be placed on more adequate nursing
and medical care.
Precautions Found Vital.
After studying a number of out
breaks, two New York doctors, col
laborating with the Bureau of Pre-
ventable Diseases there, stated:
I'VE are convinced that in lying
in institutions, where early and
complete precautions are taken,
morbidity and mortality from the
disease are lowest. We are OF
the opinion that efficient and work
able measures can be taken that
would prevent such epidemicS."
The designated spokesman for
Sibley Hospital declined to discuss
nursery technique with the reporter
but in all other Washington hos
pitals covered by The Star survey
it was indicated that, at least as far
as the rules of the hospitals were
concerned, the babies were guarded
zealously from contacts which might
carry or spread the infection.
At most hospitals, not even pedi-
africans are allowed to enter the
nurseries. Babies are brought to an
adjoining room to be examined and
the examining doctors are required
to follow the same precautions, with
the exception of surgical gloves, that
they would before performing an
operation.
Most hospitals also adhere to
strict visitors rules. Georgetown
provides clothes poles in the rooms
and obstetrical wards. where Wis
itors must hang their coats and
other outside clothing and visitors
are not allowed to sit on beds.
Two Rooms at Gallinger.
Gallinger Hospital operates two
separate formula rooms-one for its
we'll babies the other for its pre-
mature and sick babies Each in
fant has its own set of supplies for
all things that might otherwise be
a method of transmitting infection.
At Homeopathic Hospital. the
only visitor who ever sees the infant
before it leaves the hospital is the
father and he glimpses it only once.
Child visitors are not allowed in
the hospital and. as in most of the
hospitals, the floor is cleared Of all
visitors when the infants are brought
to their mothers.
At Georgetown, nurses who come
in contact with the babies are in
spected weekly by the pathological
department. Columbia makes a bac-
terial count on its formulas at ran
dom often enough to be sure every
thing is going all right. Garfield
takes every nursery out Of service
at least once year to be fumigated
and repainted.
George Washington University
Hospital nurses drape the mothers
bed with sheet before her baby
is brought to her. Also at this hos
hospital, when nursery equipment
returns from the laundry it is re-
steriliZed. All these are merely
items in the routine of care
Action Follows Discovery.
Even a few cases of diarrhea of
the newborn at most hospitals have
been followed by the most drastic
measures At Columbia Hospital,
infants showing suspicious signs are
Immediately isolated. Three years
ago, an infant did show signs and
was taken out of the nursery. The
next day, a pair of twins was
stricken and that nursery was
closed
AS far as the nursing official who
was on duty at the time remembers,
only one other child became i'll of
the disease. The nursery STAYED
closed until every infant in it had
been sent home. Then everything
in that nursery that could be
painted was painted and everything
that couldn't was doused with anti
septic and put out in the sun. Ac-
cording to the hospital, there have
been no cases since.
That nursing official said that if a
nurse is on the alert she can often
recognize the symptoms in the first
few hours from the limp, lifeless look
of the baby; that once a nurse sees
it, she should be able to recognize
it again.
When diarrhea of the newborn
attacked Georgetown Hospital
nursery in 1888, the entire obsterical
department was closed as soon as
the pediatricians were certain of
the outbreak, the second or third
day. No new babies were admitted
and after those who had occupied
the nursery cribs we're discharged,
everything that had to do with
mothers or babies in the hospital
was thoroughly painted, disinfected
and renovated.
Hunt Cause of Disease.
They didn't stop at that, however.
They hunted for the cause of the
disease. 1t had stricken ward babies
and private cases, infants receiving
(See HOSPITALS. Page A-I5)