The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-09-28
Letter from DR.. Rodgers.

..E .. -
To tie Editor ofhe Pacyic Commercial Advertiser 4:
A letter from DR.. L. S. Thompson, of KOhala,
which appeared in the last number Of your journal.
raises a question Of fact which I propose to settle at
once.
In an article 1 published in the ADVERTISER Of
August 3lst, under the title Of " THE MEDICAL AND
SURGICAL MONOPOLY AT THE QUEENS HOSPITAL, No.
o. 1 made, in referring to DIR. Thompson, the fol-
lowing statement: Z" That gentleman has written a
letter on the subject which 1 believe is now in the
possession Of the secretary of the Hospital. ! should
very much like 10 see it published" This state
ment, DIR. Thompson has seen ct in last Saturdays
ADVERTISER to explicitly deny in the following
words 81 do not know what letter Of mine can
be in the hands Of the secretary, as I have written
but one on the subject. and that to DIR. Rodgers
Immediately after the meeting Of the Board Of
Trustees in March last, n gentleman who was pres
ent at the meeting informed me that q letter from
DR.. Thompson had been read on that occasion and
stated to me in substance, q part at least Of its con-
tents. Under these circumstances l was OF course
greatly surprised to read DIR. Thompson's positive
denial Of the authorship and existence Of any such
letter. I Immediately made It my business to inves-
tigate the matter and as the result Of such investiga-
ton l find the facts to be precisely as I first stated
them. DIR. Thompson did write a letter on the sub
ject, besides the one be wrote me. That letter was
dated Kohala, January 23d, 1878. The Special
Committee having the matter in charge appended
the letter to their report and presented il to the
Board of Trustees as part of the testimony they had
received on the subject. The letter was read at the
next meeting Of the Board, and it, together with the
report Of the Committee and the other documents
pertaining TO the matter, is now in the hands OF
Mr.. F.. A. Schasfer, the Secretary Of the Hospital.
Iregret exceedingly that DIR. ThOmpson's treach-
erous memory, should have betrayed him into deny
ing the existence of a letter he wrote only q few
months ago and which is now on file among the
attempting to put me in the position Of having
publicly stated what was not true. be has rendered
it necessary for me to write and publish this cOmmu-
nication, and thus prove the correctness Of my
former assertion.
DR.. Thompson goes on to say q should the gentle
man have such an epistle, I would be most happy to
have it published, if any point can be gained there
by" This is certainly a very cheap piece of bun
combe.' The letter in question was not addressed to
melt is not in my possession or in any way under
my control. have already said should like to see
it published, and now repeat it. If DIR. Thompson.
who wrote the letter, ana Or. MchioDin, Tor
whose benefit it was written, see ft to publish il,
there is nothing whatever TO prevent them from
doing so. The doctor having forgotten that be ever
wrote such a letter, has Of course no recollection Of
its contents. would suggest, therefore, that he had
better apply to the Secretary 0: the Hospital. who
will be happy no doubt TO furnish him with a copy,
and then if we do not have the pleasure Of seeing it
in print, the public will understand that il is because
Drs. Thompson and MeKibbin fail to see that " any
point is to be gained thereby for themselves.
The reasons. if such they can be called, which
DR.. Thompson assigns for his support Of the present
monopoly have no particular bearing upon any
thing / have ever published on the subject, and
therefore do not seem to me 10 call for any reply
at my hands.
CHARLES T. RoDoERs, NJ. D..
Honolulu, September 23d, 1878.