Evening star., 1947-11-17

fThts is the FIRST OF t1Do urttcles.)
"The greatest inequalities are evident in
Washington's concern for the health of its
residents"
This indictment Of racial practices in District
health services by the Presidents Committee
on Civil Rights last month raises the question
of how citys concern" In matters of health
may best be measured.
Is 1t measured by the distribution of public
health funds? Health Department figures for
the fiscal year 1947 show 68 per cent of the
money spent here went for the care and treat
ment Of colored patients.
To this end, the department paid 100000
for care of INDECENT Negro patients at Freed
mems. OF the patients at Gallinger, to whom
free medical care was provided 10 per cent
were Negroes; of those in Glenn Dale's tuber-
culosis wards, so per cent, and patients treated
at other hospitals under District contract, 10
per cent The total expenditure from public
funds for health OF Negro citizens was set at
SIS, ,262 '739.
There were se,sl1 Health Department clinic
visits in 1916 by colored patients, and 81 1886 by
white patients
| Is concern" for health demonstrated by the
results of health work in the past decade?
These tables show the recent trend:
Tuberculosis Mortality Rates
deaths per 900 populaton)
Colored. White.
1886 1865 sos
1916 1853 289
Reduction 45.2 pct. 429 pct.
Infant Mortality
deaths per thousand live brthD
1896 1877 Az
1916 536 1913
Reduction 552 pct. 4O4 pct
Maternal Mortality Rates
deaths per thousand from childbirth)
1886 105 AS
1946 33 0.5
Reduction 686 pct. 88.9 pct.
Thus Negro mortality rates have dropped
somewhat more rapidly here than those of the
white population but are still far in excess Of
the white level This reduction parallels the
experience in all parts Of the country From
1888 to 1910, infant mortality in the whole
United States was 66 per cent higher for
Negroes than for whites, while maternal NOR
tality was 23 times as high. Since 1886, the
average annual decline in infant mortality for
Negroes has been 3.8 per cent; for whites, As
Maternal mortality has been dropping TO per
cent for Negroes and 9.5 per cent for white
mothers.
Other Methods of Measurement.
The Presidents Committee on Civil Rights
has used other criteria evaluating Washing
tons health efforts. Specifically, the civil rights
investigators declared that colored citizens here
have 'far fewer hospital beds in proportion to
population" than white residents, and that the
beds which are available to them are located in
segregated wards of generally inferior quality.
There are 312 general hospital beds now open
at Freedmen's and about 742 at Gallinger for
colored patients. both adults and children. The
Gallinger figure is constantly changing, since
the beds allotted to Negro patients may be in
creased or decreased according to the demand
for them.
In the city's IL private general hospitals,
there are 353 beds at present assigned to Negro
patients Hospital officials report so at Casualty,
rs at Children's, 20 at Columbia, 40 at Emer-
gency, 20 at Episcopal, SO at Garfield, A at
Georgetown and IS at Providence.
Four private ospitals-Doctors, Homeo-
pathic, Sbley and George Washington-admit
no Negroes at ALL The latter, however plans to
provide space for an undetermined number
when its new hospital opens next year.