Evening star., 1943-10-13


Gallinger Municipal Hospital is
poorly prepared, served in an unap-
petizing manner and is often cold
when served.
The presence of dirt and filth
generally through the hospital seems
definitely established Your COM
mittee personally investigated some
of the wards of the hospital and the
kitchen in which the food for the
patients is prepared We found the
kitchen filthy The floor in the
kitchen, which was of concrete, is
cracked, broken and uneven. 1t was
Shiny and in the depressions pools
of dirty water stood.
Kitchen Too Small.
The cook stove was caked on TOP
with the exception of the lids, with
q heavy coating of old black grease.
The warming oven above the
stove was dirty, caked with grease
and what appeared to be blackened
particles of food
The work tables We're greasy and
dirty. CockroacheS were seen on the
WORK tables and in various other
parts of the kitchen.
The kitchen was constructed
about 1929 for the service of some
300 or 400 patients, and is too small
10 accommodate the present patient
population in the hospital.
The food kettles in which food is
prepared and cooked were messy.
caked with grease, open to the flies
III the room and completely revolt
ing. One kettle had strings of spa
ghetti or macaroni hanging over the
upper rim and down the outside.
Another kettle had several inches of
brown, greasy looking liquid that
appeared to have been gravy, with
out cover and open to the flies.
which appeared to be numerous in
that ROOM
Senator'S Bushficld and Buck said
that the charge Of l49 patients of
the tuberculosis ward that the food
served them was unappetiZlng and
not properly prepared had been "ap-
parcntly borne out by evidence sub
mltted to the subcommittee during
its hearings
The report said further:
Toilets. both in or near the kitch-
en-. and IN the wards were unclean
and in some instances filthy, unfit
for human use. Wash basins were
black with CRIME and appeared to
have been long unCleaned
In the tubercular ward, the win
doWs, the ceilings, the walls were
dirty and unWashed In this ward in
particular there was a general ap-
pearance of untidiness.
Window Screens Broken.
Testimony substantially estab-
liShcd the fact that sputum cups in
this ward were Carelessly handled
and left uncovered. There we're also
broken and open screens in this
ward permitting the inereSs and
egrcss of flies without hindrance.
The building in which garbage is
kept is unSanitary, because the doors
of the building are left open and
the covers of the garbage cans are
not kept tightly fastened on the
cans. Garbage from the tubercular
and communicable disease wards of
the hospital is all dumped together
with ether garbage.
Until just recently this mixture
Of garbage from these various wards
was fed TO hogs raised on the prem
iseS. These hogs were then butchered
and the meat fed to the patients At
Gallinger. This practice was con-
demned bv food inspectors of the
District Of Columbia and was or
dered discontinued just recently by
the Commissioners. The practice
however. has continued for l3 years.
"Solled linen from the various
wards. including the tubercular and
communicable disease ward is
dumped. without segrega ton, upon
the floor of the laundry and is left
open to contact with flies.
The laundry is not large enough
to handle the present patient popu-
lation of Gallinger and is being
worked in three shifts to take care
Of the overload now placed upon
them.
The employees in the laundry are
accustomed to eating their lunches
in their room without properly
washing their hands. and in close
association with the SOiled linen
from the various wards"
The report further says that bed
bugs and cockroaches are rampant
n the tubercular ward.
Personnel Is Assailed.
With respect to the hospital per-
sonnel the report declared:
"A callous indifference pervades
the attendants employed there sc
! that lack of attention needed by
patients is quite evident in many
cases, Apparently this lack of atten-
ton and solicita ton for the welfare
Of the patients is exhibited usually
in the absence of those in authority
but the supervisors and physicians
should oe able to check that condi-
ton if sufficient attention were given
, by them to that attitude of the
attendants.
IN the maternity and children's
ward. nurses fail to give proper at
tention to cleanliness in not wash
ing their hands, going from one