Evening star., 1946-04-16
Letters to The Star
Readers Comment on Editorial
About Hospital Conditions

ADOut 1lOSpildI AO1ultlOnS
To the Editor Of The Star:
In the editorial captioned Words and
Dying Babies" The Star promptly de-
plores the lack of aggressive candor
and emphasis by responsible hospital
oficials making budget requests of Con-
gress and concludes that there is need
OF greater display of righteous indigna-
tion on the part Of responsible officials.
There will be little disagreement with
this sensible conclusion by the organized
medical profession because the incident
Is illustrative of two of the basic reasons
why doctors are skeptical of the pro-
fessed merits Of the proposed Murray
Wagner-Dingell national health bill, to-
wit, the miserable failure of the Federal
Government satisfactorily to solve COM
munity health problems already their
sovereign responsibility and the effect
of the Federal purse upon the crusading
aggressiveness of its salaried servants
who have to put their own Job security
above the health security of their
patients.
Here in this Nations voteless Capital
the Federal Government exercises die
tatorial and paramount powers over the
appropriation and administration of our
tax monies In the matter of providing
for the general health security. Instead
OF our health setup being a model of
efficiency enjoying public confidence, 1t
borders on the scandalous and the dis
graceful. At the very time that the
administration is soliciting public sup
port for its national health bill and
mental health bill, it is nullifying its
appeal by disgraceful performance In
meeting community health problems
whose conscientious liquidation would be
most convincing proof that Federal
responsibilities should be enlarged. The
hospital situation here is a veritable
nightmare for both suffering patients
and desperate doctors. Whether 1t is
ruptured appendix, coronary occlu.
sion or the urgent needs Of a mother in
labor, 1t is the same tragic story-no
vacant beds. We are told that there is q
waiting list of over 200 victims of
tuberculosis whose adequate treatment
and isolation cannot begin until there
are beds available In the meantime
they continue to expose the susceptible
to dangerous, virulent but avoidable
contagion. Psychiatric wards OF GAL
linger Hospital are a bedlam Of over
crowding, frantieally operated by an
overworked, underpaid and numerically
inadequate staff. The remedy cynically
is matter Of money and that matter
is the exclusive responsibility Of an ad-
ministration crying for an enlarged
Jurisdiction in the very field in which
1t has proven itself to be so inhumanlv
delinquent.
But the failure Of paid public servants
Indignantly to fight for social justice for
thelr helpless. trusting charges only
proves the power of the public purse
over the professional conscience, When
doctor becomes a salaried servant NJ
the Government. there is an unfortunate
tendency to let the conscience of those
Who control the moneybags become his
conscience. He soon learns not only the
impotence OF righteous protest but the
seriousness OF the economic sanctions
vengeful politician who regards his
protest either as contumacious or per-
sonally repugnant may invoke The
human tendency Is for the salaried doc
tor to put his own economic interest
nrst, 50 that his objective is to insure the
appropriation for his own Job. In eyerv
neld where the public looks to the
legislator for intelligent, unselfish
leadership and nonpartisan initiative
ne finds nothing but politics and log
rolling as usual. Only in voteless Wash
ington, D. c. the proof is more con.
vlncingly adduced and white-washinp or
indignant denial is not as easy as m
the hustings.
THOMAS E. MArr1NGLY, MD.
To the Editor of The star:
Ihls latest scandal about GalIinrer
hospital makes me curious as to how the
deaths OF the babies were accounted for
on the death certificates; what explana.
tions were given the parents: who. II
ANYBODY, will pay damages and whv
nothlng was said or done by the
responsible people at Gallineer when
the hrst baby died Looks like It will
be the usual buck passing and whitewasb
WILLIAM PLAMPIN.