Newspaper Page Text
SATURDAY, FUR. 27, I960
set moorsesestaewritr
Medicine’s Black Slum
^a-3vjuj iag
By FRANKLIN C. McLEAN
An Associated Negro Press
Feature
Ever since I became a trustee of
the Julius Rosenwnld Fund, in
1928, I have maintained a continu¬
ing interest in the problems impos¬
ed upon the Negro physician and
the Negro patient because of their
rice, end I have done what I could
to contribute to the solution of
these problems.
Recently a joint committee of
the Chicago Medical society and
the institute of Medicine, under
the leadership of Dr. Edward A.
I'isczcrek and of Dr. Edwin F.
Kitsch, has inquired into the prob¬
lem of integration of Negro phy¬
sicians into the medical staffs of
the hospitals of Chicago, and has
made proposals for impiovement
of practices in this connection.
In addition, other public, semi-
public, and private agencies have
been active in an effort, to elim¬
inate discrimination on the part
of hospitals against both the Negro
physician and the Negro patient.
These activities .indicate that the
medical profession and the lay pub-
I c have been aware of an unsatis¬
factory situat'on in Chicago, as
well as elsewhere, and that they
have not been idle. Much, however,
! remains to be done,
I may say, however, that for the
country at laige, anti,for Chicago
as well, there has been great prog¬
ress in certain respects, particular¬
ly with respect to the education,
status, and acceptqpce of the Ne¬
gro physician.
This progress dates roughly
from World War II, and it may
now be stated categorically that the
barriers to the entrance of the
Negro into medicine have been lift¬
ed progressively from the level of
the medical student, to the level of
the internship, and to the level of
graduate training in the special¬
ties in preparation for board certi¬
fication.
At all of these levels there are
more opportunities for the Negro
candidate than there are qualified
candidates to take advantage of
them.
These opportunities are in large
part afforded on a ron-segregated
basis in institutions that twenty
years ago would have been closed
to the Negro. While there are of
course instances of discrimination,
and too’imany of them, this is in
part offset by a lively competition
for the qualifeid candidates who
aie available.
The overall situation is that no
qualified Negro needs to be the
victim of racial discrimination up
to the point of certification by the
specialty boards. I like to think
that an organization with which I
am intimately connected—National
Medital Fellowships, Inc.—which
has $cen in existence since 104(1,
has played a significant part in
bringing about this improvement
in the educational opportunities
open to the Negro medical .student
and physician.
Beyond this point, however, and
in spite of import a.n t break¬
throughs, the problems of the Ne¬
gro physician begir^tp multiply,
and here Chicago has little to be
proud of.
While it is true that the Negro
physician is freely accepted by the
Chicago Medical Society, by the
Institute of Medicine, an^iy many
of the societies representing the
medical and surgical specialties,
toe shares with the Negro patient
jthe effects of racial discrimination
Toy a large majority of the volun¬
tary hornitals in Chicago.
There are, of course, notable ex¬
ceptions, and the six Chicago hos¬
pitals that are making outstanding
contributions to either physician or
patient integration, or both, belong
on an honor roll—Children’s Me¬
morial, Michael Reese, Mount
Sinai, Alexian Brothers, Lewis
Memorial Maternity, and Univer¬
sity of Chicago clinics.
It is still true, however, that of
approximately 220 Negro (physici¬
ans in Chicago, only 19, as of the
last count, have staff privileges,
courtesy or otherwise, In predom¬
inantly white voluntary hospitals
in Chicago, and thstf aYLof these
accounted for by 10 out of 60 or
more such hospitals. Of (these 19
physicians, only 4 hold the rank
of attending physician. This is not
an impressive record for a north¬
ern city.
Of fourteen selected communities
in the United States, Chicago ranks
9th with respect to the percent¬
age of Negro physicians affiliated
with predominantly white hos¬
pitals; the only cities ranking low¬
er are Kansas City, Mo.; Washing¬
ton, D. C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Nashville,
Tenn.; and New Orleans, La., the
last three named having no Negro
physicians in this category.
To pul the figures in another
way, and to include public hos¬
pitals, 12.3 per cent of the hos¬
pitals in Chicago have Negro phy¬
sicians on their staffs, Rnd Chicago
ranks lith out of 14. The oniy
American cities on the list that
rank lower are Atlanta, Nashville,
and New Orleans.
When we turn to the plight of
the Negro patient, with respect
to hospital care, Chicago again has
not a record to be proud of. r l here
are no statistics available on hos¬
pital admission by race.
However, the race of babies born
in hospitals and of patients who
die in hospitals, is reported, and
these figures give an indication of
the acceptance of Negro patients
by the reporting hospitals. An
analysis of birth statistics for 1955
was made by the Chicago Commis¬
sion on Human Relations, with the
following results:
‘■1. Cook County hospital deliv¬
ered 60 per cent of all Negro babies
born in hospitals. All other hos¬
pitals, including Provident hospital
—virtually all-Negro — accounted
for the remaining 40 per cent.
“2. Comparisons between 1954
and 1955 indicate that of an in¬
crease of 1,732 Negro births in
Chicago, Cook County hospital ac¬
counted for 85 per cent, while re¬
ligious and other non-profit vol¬
untary hospitals delivered 1 per
cent less in 1955 than they did in
1954.”
It is by now a notorious fact
that the extensive Use of Cook
County hospital by Negro patients
is due to discriminatory practices
on the part of voluntary hospitals
rather than to the inability of Ne¬
groes to pay for hospital care. The
report of the Chicago—Cook Coun¬
ty Health Survey in 1949 included
a statement concerning this. In
discussing prepaid medical care
plans, the report said:
“A serious problem faced by the
Blue Cross Plan for Hospital Caie
: n this area is its inability to ful¬
fill its obligations to the 50,000
Negro subscribers, since they are
not accepted by all the member
hospitals. Many of the Negro sub¬
scribers who require hospitaliza¬
tion must he admitted to Cook
County hospital under the guise of
emergencies to secure the needed
hospital care. In such cases this
tax-supported institution is reinv
birsed by the plan. When admit¬
ted to voluntary hospitals, the Ne¬
gro frequently is not permitted to
be attended by his physician, since
Negro physicians have staff ap¬
pointments to only two of the vol¬
untary hospitals in the area.”
The situation has improved only
slightly since the report of 1949.
A study by the Health Division of
the Welfare. Council of Metropoli¬
tan Chicago in 1954 arrived at the
following conclusions:
“Regarding lack of availability
of beds to Negro patients:
(a) Voluntary hospitals and
their medical staffs would need to
remove intake limitations based on
race, where such limitations exist,
to relieve Cook County hospital of
its large load of patients (prin¬
cipally Negro) who are not medi¬
cally indigent. Relaxation of limi¬
tations based on race would enable
voluntary hospitals to use their
beds more fully for the medically
indigent in the event that addi¬
tional funds from public or private
sources are made available for this
purpose.
(b) Although approximately 20
per cent of births in Cook county
are Negro, maternity beds are vir¬
tually unavailable for Negroes in
two out of every three hospitals.”
A report by the Packinghouse
Workers’ Civic and Community
Committee, District One UPWA-
CIO, dated July 7, 1955, includes
the following statement:
“The argument often presented
that Negroes go to Cook County
hospital because they cannot pay
for private medical care is refuted
by the fact that approximately 75,-
000 Negro wage-earners in Chicago
are covered by hospitalization in¬
surance.
“Cook County hospital reports
that of the paying patients given
treatment there, Negroes consti¬
tute the. vast majority.
“Our Union has struggled and
won hospital benefits for all our
members, but the great number of
UPAW r -CIO members who are Ne¬
groes are being cheated out of
these benefits.
“For example, one of our largest
Chicago local unions of 4,800 mem¬
bers, of whom 80 % are Negro
workers, reported that out of 946
members requiring hospitalization
between December 1953 and No¬
vember 1954, 23 per cent were
treated at Cook County Hospital.
“Thus 23 per cent of these pati¬
ents did not receive the benefits
of private medical care to which
their hospitalization insurance en-
titled them.”
To this may be added a further
paragraph from the report of the
Chicago Commission on Human
Relations, to which I have already
referred:
“It should be noted that births
in Cook County hospital a>e not
to indigent patients alone. In 1955
Cook County Hospital received,
through claims, insurance and per¬
sonal remittances, $1,174,505.87 in
pat’ent payment for all services.”
There are many more data to
the same effect that might he cited.
The above, however, should suf¬
fice to establish the fact that the
Cook County hospital is being used
to absorb a large number of Ne¬
gro patients unwanted by the vol¬
untary hospitals, oven though they
may be able and willing to pay for
their medical caie, through insur¬
ance or otherwise.
The situation has been made
more acute in recent years by the
removal of the Chicago Memorial
hospital and St. .Luke’s hospital
from the South Side, with nothing
to replaee them.
I submit that the Chicago public,
to say nothing of the medical pro¬
fession, would not tolerate this
misuse of a tax-supported hospital,
if it were carried on for an equival¬
ent number of non-Negro patients.
It amounts to an invasion of the
private practice of medicine and
of the operation of the voluntary
hospitals that should, on its face,
be anathema to the medical pro
fession when considered in the
light of the medical resistance to
any form of state or socialized
medicine.
It is my considered opinion that
this whole story chapter is the
equivalent of sweeping the whole
problem of the medical care of Ne¬
groes under rug.
I am sure that most of us like
to think of Chicago as an enlight¬
ened community, where segrega¬
tion and racial discrimination are
.’legal, as well as morally iriaccept-
able. I could cite many examples
to the contrary, but I will limit
myself to saying that the Trum*-
bull Park affair and the very re¬
cent Deerfield episode gave us no
reason for complacency.
And while I do not propose to
explore the situation in the South,
I do want to point out that in
1955-56 the University of Arkan¬
sas, located in Little Rock, which
we have learned to regard as the
hotbed of segregationism, had
seven Negro medical students, and
ranked ninth in this respect in the
list of predominantly white medi¬
cal schools in the United States.
For the same year, the total
number of Negro students regist¬
ered in all five of the medical
only 16, and in only one of these
five schools were there more Ne¬
gro medical students than in the
University of Arkansas.
I would like to close on an opti¬
mistic note. Powerful forces are
at work in an attempt to correct
some of the conditions I have de¬
scribed.
All of these organizations have
the welfare of the Negro patient
and the status of the Negro phy¬
sician very much at heart, and
pome of them were brought into
being solely for the purpose of
dealing with the conditions that
still remain. They have already
registered gains, and we may con¬
fidently expect more.
So far as we, as physicians, are
concerned, we should put our faith
in the Joint Committee of the Chi¬
cago Medical Society and the In¬
stitute of Medicine of Chicago, and
give our support to the work and
objectives of this committee.
The committee represents the
first unified attempt, on the part
of the medical profession of Chi¬
cago, to promote the integration
of Negro physicians into the medi¬
cal staffs of the voluntary hos¬
pitals of Chicago, and since staff
appointments are largely under the
control of physicians, much can be
hoped for.
The committee, led by Drs.
Piszczek and Hirsch, has offered to
serve as a medium of communica¬
tion for hospitals and their medical
staffs in Chicago, emphasizing a
positive attitude to an obviously
complex community problem. The
committee points out that a sound
constructive approach can be de¬
stroyed by impatience, and that
progress requires time.
If during the next few years,
real progress can be made in the
matter of staff appointments for
Negro physicians, we may expect
similar progress in provision for
the care of Negro patients, since
these two problems are closely in¬
terrelated.
We collectively, as the Institute
of Medicine of Chicago, which con¬
stitutes an influential force in
medical affairs in Chicago, can
put our influence to work for a
THU SAVANNAH TRIBUNE, SAVANNAH. GEORGIA
Many Questions Answered About
Tbc 1 louse of Prayer
This is tli" First In a series (if
articles on The Hons ■ of Pravo
For Ail p’opfe, answering the
many ouesUotls put forth bv the
uni Pc since the passing of Bfclvv
C. At, (Paddy) Grace on Janu¬
ary 12, 1965.
Bv Elder James I ong
Secretary of Th" General Co-.;net!
House of Prayer
Since the passing of Bishop C
M. (Daddy) Grace in Los Angelo
California on January 12, many
mestions have been asked by out
dders who had varied and often
a’roneou.s opinions about out
Church. One of (ho out landing
mestions is: What will happen to
(he approximately e’ghty million
’ollars in real estate and cash?
This question has already lx-or
Partially answered, however, it
will be answered in full in these
uticles. Other questions are: Who
will lead the Church now that
Bishop Grace is no longer with us?
This was answered qirt.e recently
CENSUS 1960 READY FOR
ACTION—Miss Susie L. Wright,
computer operator on the Reming¬
ton Itand Univac 1105 electronic,
data processing system, explains to
Census Director Robert W. Bur¬
gess (seated) at the console of the
computer how the facts and fig¬
ures complied in the 1960 Census
will be processed. The consoles of
the two Univac 1105 systems, lo¬
continued improvement, which may
well begin by putting the medical
house in order.
Although the Joint Committal
points out that progress requires
patience and time, there is consid¬
erable urgency in the need for re¬
lief from the present situation. The
Negro population in Chicago i
expanding rapidly—almost c -plo
sively—and the need grows daily.
This is most evident on the far
South Side, where new industry,
including that resulting from the
opening of the St. Lawrence Sea¬
way, is absorbing large number
of Negro workers, and where, fa¬
cilities for their medical care are
virtually non-existent.
Although I agree that impa(i-
ence may destroy a sound con¬
structive approach, I feel that, in
the words of the Supreme Court,
we must move forward with alj
deliberate speed.
WHO IS DR McLEAN
At 71, Dr. McLean is emerftu;
professor, Department of Physiol¬
ogy, Univerity of Chicago, chair-
man of the committee on medical
services for minority groups of
the Institute of Medicine and di¬
rector and secretary-treasurer of
National Medical Fellowship ,
which is devoted to furtherance of
opportunities for Negroes in modi
cine. He is a former trustee of
the Julius Rosenwald fund, of Fi '■
university and of Chicago’s Provi-
dent hospital.
His interest in the welfare of
Negroes in the field of medicine
date back more than 30 years.
v 1 > ' cl i Hon of Elder Walter
' T s'. ’ h, , hub man of the
■•tm l (> ' t ' ■ the House
P ■er tc the po il 'on of Bishop.
McCullough takes the
1 C'> Church with a rich
rkgroumi of thirty three years
•>n cl V- in the denomination,
ii elect'.-n was unanimous. And,
’’*s. t'vi, prove- something. The
Vvh and bn iiess-like election
" k 'dec by over 1900 delegates
< moves the ideas of our being a
■•'id demmi’nat'on bordering on an
rnl'miul cult. We arc indeed as
uneh a business I ke God led
’hurch ns any in the world.
Before any single point is de-
loped too far, let us look at
ooi e of the pressing questions
'bout the c’uvrch! Why has the
member: hip of the House of Pray-
'(■ doubled .-dnee the Bishop’s pass¬
ing in January? What are the
■omparativc chances for ambitious
young men in the House of l’ray-
cated at the Bureau of the Cen-
! xus headquarters at Suitland,
| Maryland, control the computer as
it processes tin- data fed to it. from
magnetic tape. This information
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er? How do we account for so
many young people taking part in
0U r church activities? What are
omo of the church’s business anil
manufacturing activities which
helps th make us an independent
organization? Why do we strong¬
ly object to being called a “cult?"
There are so very many inter-
ding, unknown things about the
House of Prayer which are not
known, and there has been a tre-
mendous amount of interest in us
ince Bishop Grace's body was fol¬
lowed by newsmen from California
to Charlotte, N. C., then to New-
poit News, Washington, Philadel¬
phia, Newark and finally to New
Bedford. In death, Bishop brought
far more world-wide attention to
the House of Prayer than he did
in life.
Next week this article will tell
precisely, what will happen to the
millions in cash and real estate
of the House of Prayer.
gathered by the 160,000 Census
Enumerators beginning April 1,
will chronicle the growth and life
of the United States.......(ANP Pho¬
to).
^AfA
WITH BILLY GRAHAM ID AFRICA
by TOM McMAHiN, Religion Editor, The State, Colembi*, S. G.
IBADAN, NIGERIA — The king
of the talking drums stood in the
midst of the mud compounds where
his ancestors have ruled for a
century and a half and mused
“This is where Jesus Christ found
me fifty-one years ago.”
The drums, which talk ns clear¬
ly as Morse Code key, had an¬
nounced the presence of visitors;
among them a camera crew film¬
ing pictures of the TiMi of Ede in
a documentary movie on Billy Gra¬
ham's African tour.
The TiMi was patient and gra¬
cious during the hour long film¬
ing, allowing photographers to di¬
rect Ids sitting down and stand¬
ing up. His umbrella holder fol¬
lowed him about.
“Some day I hope to lay my
crown at Jesus’ feet.” said the
TiMi who received his first edu
cation from Anglicans and is now
a staunch Baptist. Traditional
head of the Slmngo Religion, with
its worship of Hern, God of Thun¬
der, the TiMi now refuses to take
part in the pagan rites but ap¬
points an underling to conduct
them.
Sixty miles from Ede, in this
sprawling capital city of Nigeria's
western region, Billy Graham ad
dressed great crowds Which re¬
minded one of the crowd Ids Mas¬
ter fed with a few small loaves
and fishes.
Held. 1 the Ibadan throngs were
enough , 'id vendors to feed n
great part, of the multitude. On
their head-borne trays were bread,
smoked meats, sweets and tobacco.
I Across the way at the horse stalls
j of the huge race course a gamb¬
ling game was in full swing and
men’s voices were being raised in
anger even as loudspeakers car¬
ried Graham’s words concerning a
green lull far away where men
once cast lots over the seamless
robe while others chided the dy¬
ing One with, “If Thou he the
Christ come down from the Gross.”
A Moslem youth who had never
heard that Christ died for his sins
was among nine hundred who stay¬
ed behind after 19,000 others left
the race course. There he register¬
ed his decision to receive Jesus
as his Lord and Savior and said
that lie was planning to join the
Christian church.
The next day as Graham pre¬
pared to board the plane a high
uriport official remarked, “You
changed my life.” This man ex¬
plained how he had found for¬
giveness and peace as a result of
Graham’s preaching.
The hig meetings had their
lighter moments. A certain Angli¬
can Bishop unconsciously hummed
into the mike as Cliff Barrows
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PAGE
was directing an all-girl choir. His
voice was almost as loud ks th*
singers. A small naked toy. was
sitting on his mother’s lap in th*
front row. Graham, who had beefl
introduced in Yoruba language,
had to be coached with h«n4
motions to know it was lime to
preach.
More significant than the mas*
meeting, was Graham’s evening
with a thousand University stu¬
dents. They gave some of their
fellows on the program a good-
natured razzing but cheered Gra¬
ham and listened with rapt atten¬
tion ns he proclaimed Christ, th*
only answer tp mankind’s deepest
problems.
About one-fourth of the students
stayed for an after meeting and
150 of them stood quietly as ohe
by one each affirmed, “I accept
Jesus Christ ns Lord and Savior."
An African University Profes-
or commented that Africa's youth
were confused and in need of di¬
rection. “They are all dressed up
and know not where to go,” h*
said.
“The learning of Western Uni¬
versities is breaking down old
fears in African hearts," said the
professor, “But unless the Spirit
of Cod replaces paganism, Africa
will he like the man in Jesus’
parable whose last state was worn*
than his first, because his soul
had been left empty after the devil
had been east out, whyreupo*
seven worse devils eamq Uj.”
Much the same appraisal was
given by the Premier of the We*t-
ern Region, Chief Akintoja, Wh*
welcomed Graham with this ob¬
servation. “Political and economi*
growth without Spiritual regenera¬
tion will serve no useful purpose,"
Ibgdan is n vast sprawling mar¬
ket place in which half a million
people inhabit closely packed
houses with corrugated iron roof*.
It is probably the world’s largest
city populated almost wholly by
Africans.
The progressive regional'govern¬
ment Is pacing Nigeria’s two other
regions in health and ’education
measures. West Africa’s only tele¬
vision station is located her*.
Some sets placed in the villag*
school attract 150 viewers. Plan*
have just been announced for a
five million dollar shopping cen¬
ter dominated by a twenty-fiv*
Tory office building, the highest
in West Africa.
Graham’s Ibadan meetings dos¬
ed the third week of hk^Afrien#
tour of nine countries. Tnua fa*
he and his associates have preaeh-
cd to n quarter of a million peo¬
ple and over ten thousand:of them
have registered their decisions f*t
Christ.
THREE #i*V‘