Conference of Officers in Charge of Government Hospitals Serving Veterans of the World War
History
Conference of Officers in Charge of Government Hospitals Serving Veterans of the World War
Medicine, Military; Military hospitals; World War, 1914-1918 -- Veterans -- Medical care -- United States
COL. FORBES: asked Captain Blackwood if everyone in his hospital had a
disability.
CAPT. BLACKWOOD: answered in the negative; and added that at his hospital
they got diagnosis varying anywhere from baldness to flat feet; that the
man claims the disability, and when the hospital cannot find it, the man
is discharged. He cited one instance where a man came to the hospital
claiming that he was suffering from “Compensation”.
COL. FORBES: called upon Captain Dunbar, U.S.N.
CAPTAIN DUNBAR: said that he came prepared to offer statistics on the League
Island Hospital, and added that he thought that that hospital had been
doing as much work for the Veterans’ Bureau as any of the naval
hospitals; that out of so many sick days, one third of them had been
devoted to the patients of the Veterans’ Bureau. Remarked that during
the past year it had not been necessary to discharge a patient for
disciplinary action, but that so far this year two had been discharged
for peddling drugs. He also brought up the subject of treating patients
for disabilities other than those mentioned in the diagnoses upon
admission to the hospital, and gave as example a case diagnosed as
“chronic gastric catarrh”, but found to be an “ulcer” case. He said that
in emergency cases they went ahead and operated.
COL. FORBES: instructed him to go right ahead and operate completely.
SURGEON COBB: stated that he did not think that any of the gentlemen present
were aware of any General Order allowing the payment of transportation
after disciplinary discharge.
DR. LLOYD: gave information to the effect that that General Order was just
being printed.
COL. FORBES: stated that he would see that the proper authorization was
given, and that the travel blanks were placed right in the hospitals.
SURGEON COOK (Houston): asked if such transportation would take the man to
his home or to place of hospitalization.
COL. FORBES: replied that transportation would be to the legal residence or
to place hospitalized.
COL. FORBES: called upon Dr. Guthrie to inform the doctors present
concerning the difficulties in the Veterans’ Bureau.
DR. GUTHRIE: said he had been inclined to listen because he felt that the
reactions from the field had been more than the Bureau’s. He informed
the doctors that Col. Patterson had deemed it necessary to place a
Bureau representative in each hospital—the larger ones—in order to take
care of the very things that the doctors had been bringing up in the
conference. He added that many such matters would be discussed later in
the conference in addresses.
SURGEON KOLB (Waukesha): suggested that a hospital to take care of less than
100 patients be established, preferably on an island, for the care of
drug addicts and pronounced psychopaths.
COL. FORBES: suggested that Surgeon Kolb present that as a resolution a
little later when such were in order.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account