Evening star., 1952-06-25
More Hospital Beds
Included in Program
Discussed at Meeting
By Wallace {. CIoyton

to wipe out tuberculosis in Wash
ington, possibly within 20 years
was advocated yesterday, as repre-
sentativeS of District health and
civic agencies met to map out a
"do it now" campaign against the
highly communicable disease.
The theme of the meeting was
set by DR.. Daniel L. Seckinger,
District health officer, who told
the so persons attending:
"We're here to try to establish
something to knock out tuber-
culosis in the District within a
reasonable time-I'd say within a
generation"
Principal need, as listed by DR..
Seckinger and other tuberculosis
experts on the program, is for ad-
dititonal hospital beds to care for
active tuberculosis cases discovered
every year.
DR.. Howard M. Payne, chief Of
the Freedmen's Hospital tuber-
culosiS service, called for 1000 new
hospital beds for tuberculosis pa
tientS.
Detection Emphasized.
Health officials emphasized that
q stepped-up detection program Of
chest X-rays was equally impor-
tant.
Other necessary and costly
measures requested were a wide
spread research program, and an
improved educational program.
Although most of the experts
at the meeting in the District
Medical Society headquarters
conceded the immediate program
necessary would be costly, they
let these figures, as presented by
Edward K. Funkhouser, execu-
tive secretary of the District
tuberculosis Association, illustrate
their point of long-range saw
ings:
/. The expenditure for tubercu-
1osis prevention in the District
last year was $297 ,955. This in
cluded the upkeep cost Of the
Health Departments Bureau for
tuberculosis; the expense of main
tanning the Freedmen's Hospital
clinic, and the budget of the vol
untary District tuberculosis As
sociation.
2. The cost of finding new cases
was $523,505.
8. The medical care bill, in
cluding expenses at Health De-
partment- administered hospitals,
st. Elizabeths Hospital and Vet
erans' Administration medical
bills, was $4,277,484.39.
Expenses in Rehabilitation.
4. Rehabilitation and compen-
sation expenses were $861, ,293.
Mr.. Funkhouser pointed out
that this better than IS million
yearly cash outlay did not in
clude the loss to the community
in production and wages.
It was stressed that, although
the disease is comfortable, the
death rate in the District from
tuberculosis is second among cities
Of comparable size.
Committee Of 4 Named.
Members of the conference
voted to appoint the following
four-man committee to discuss
with the Commissioners the press
ing need for a greatly enlarged
anti-tuberculosis program here:
DIR. Seckinger, DR.. A. C. Christie
Mr.. Fuhkhouser and Benjamin M
McKelway. editor of The Star, who
presided at the meeting.
The vital points in the District
tuberculosis picture, as brought
out by the various speakers. were
DIR. Christie, chairman of thu
Radiology Committee of the Ma.
tional Research Council.
The 1948 District tuberculosi.
detection program turned up 4,7O(
cases of tuberculosis. Only 663 o1
these cases were previously knowr
to the Health Department. If il
hadn't been for the survey, 4,03'
undetected and possibly highly in
fectious cases would have re.
NAMED untreated.
Estimates indicate that As pei
cent of the tuberculosis cases ir
the District today are unknown Il
the Health Department.
DIR. Payne.
There were 300 tuberculosi.
deaths preventable deaths - ir
the District in 1851. The tubercu.
losis death rate in 1949 was 2(
times the death rate of the over
all population.
There are $3.50 known cases o1
tuberculosis in the District. Only
1888 Of these are now hospital.
lied.
We have no adequate bacteri.
ologic diagnostic facilities by to.
days standards.
We have but IS public health
nurses to carry on the follow-ur
and observation program for tn.
$3.50 known cases.
Much Of our public health pro-
gram is a patch work Of ex
pediency forced on us by limita'
ton of funds.
DR.. Vernon M. Padgett, Directol
Of the Health Departments
Bureau for tuberculosis.
Two-thirds Of those who diet
from tuberculosis in 1851 wer
not brought in for treatment unit
the terminal phase Of their illness
Chest X-ray screening program
among population groups with
known high incidence Of tubercu
losis, and In institutions wher
such surveys could be made, ar
Inadequate. For example. only l
per cent Of patients at genera
hospitals and adults visiting Boar
Of Public Welfare agencies ar
avauoined and less than IN ne