It looked as if everybody wanted to go to the hospital at once. In New York City, Dr. J. B. Stiefel, medical director of the Associated Hospital Service, complained that people were taking to hospital beds for colds, ingrown toenails, or simply to get a good night's sleep. Most of the 6,511 U.S. hospitals (not counting Army, Navy and Veterans Administration hospitals) had waiting lists.
Surveying 18 cities, the Modern Hospital reported overcrowding so bad that "beds scarcely have time to cool off between patients."
But last week harassed hospital staffs had good news: President Truman signed a bill committing the Government to...
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