Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1917 — HOSPITAL ALONG NEW LINES [ARTICLE]

HOSPITAL ALONG NEW LINES

New York Institution That Will Be Devoted Exclusively to Cases Calling for Diagnosis. There is soon to be established in New York the first diagnostic hospital In this country, which will perform in the highly specialized medicine of ten day the function of the old family physician of 50 years ago, says the New York Times. It will look over a patient suffering from an unidentified ailment, find out what is the matter with him and direct him to a specialist if he can afford it. If not, he will be sent back to the general practitioner under whose care he has been, with a complete diagnosis of his disease, a plan for treating it suggested by competent specialists, and references to recent literature on the subject. The officers of the New York Diagnostic society, which is planning the new institution, are Dr. M. Joseph Mandelbaum, president; Dr. De Witt StetTon, first vice president; Dr. Otto Heflsel, second vice president; Dr. Julius Auerbach, treasurer; Dr. Monroe Kunstler, secretary. There are about 300 physicians and surgeons among the associate members. About SIOO,OOO has already been raised by the building fund committee, of which David Frankel is chairman, and only $50,000 is still required to complete the sum needed for buildings and grounds, which will be in a central part of Manhattan. It is hoped that the institution will he self-supporting, and Doctor Mandelbaum has worked out a plan of installment payments which he thinks will bring about the result. “I know this will appear startling." he said, “to those who are not in the habit of Looking at these matters from the standpoint of doHars and cents. But this is a prac-lcal plan and therefore must be considered from the most easjly applied financial .basis. This methbd of (payment will be especially for those who

are wage earners, whereby If their application for diagnostic services is approved by’ their employers or others equally responsible, a method of small periodic payments will secure for them the very best diagnostic skill.” The need for such an institution was first pointed out by Dr. Charles H. Mayo in an address before the Catholic, Hospital association of Milwaukee. Doctor Mayo expressed the opinion that the one great present day need in the direction of hospital advancement was a hospital devoted exclusively to diagnosis.