IV. HOSPITAL CARE 



The hospital cases of this entire group of 150 children in- 

 clude 128 orthopedic cases which have received free care in the 

 Robert W. Long Hospital since its opening. This number of 

 children is not quite 3 per cent of the total admissions to the 

 hospital since its opening over four years ago. The small per- 

 centage of orthopedic cases indicated is not a true reflection 

 of the number of cases seeking admission to the hospital. This 

 fact is not surprising, however, when it is considered that the 

 Long Hospital is very small at present with a capacity of 

 only 88 free beds, and also that it is a general teaching hos- 

 pital, where varieties of cases are sought, and consequently 

 where orthopedic cases requiring long tedious convalescence 

 are not so willingly admitted. The objection to orthopedic 

 cases in a general hospital on the ground of their long stay is 

 illustrated by the statistical estimate of the total number of 

 days spent in the hospital by the 128 cases included in this 

 study. Estimating from the dates of admission and dis- 

 charge of all the cases, the total number of days was found to 

 be 17,572, which time when reduced to over 48 years seems 

 a startling fact! From these figures it is deduced that the 

 average time spent in the hospital by each patient was 137 

 days, but as a matter of fact the length of time spent by indi- 

 vidual cases varied all the way from the minimum, 1 day, to 

 the maximum, 1,137 days. 



Case J. A. 2,955. This case (see Illustration I)^ is the 

 little boy with Pott's Disease who remained in the hospital 

 1,137 days, the longest time spent in the hospital by any of 

 the 150 children. This little lad's condition was so alarming 

 when he first entered that it took many months to start him 

 on the road to recovery ; and, when finally started, it was im- 

 possible to send him as a convalescent to a neglected home 

 where a drunken father and several rowdy sisters and broth- 

 ers would soon undo all the good work that had been accom- 

 plished in the hospital. So this boy was an exceptional case 

 and was kept under careful observation and treatment until 

 his condition was considered safe. He received only the nor- 

 mal convalescent care which should be given to every ortho- 



^See p. 17. I 



(35) 



