National Republican., 1880-12-30
THE HOSPITAL ROW.
suRGEoN-oENERAL BARNES REPLY.
IIo Denies Charges Made Against Him and the Man
asement OF the Providence Hospital-The
Sister Superior Uses Some Precise
and Emphatic Language.

In connection with the visit of o committee of
citizens to the White House, who presented petit
tion to the President cfiticiang the management of
Providence Hospital of this city and praying for
the abrog0tlon of the contract existing between
the United States and that institution, THE REPUB
LIcAN yesterday called upon surgeon-General J.
X Barnes 70 inquire what action had been taken
In the premises
General Barnes stated that the "appeal," or peti.
tion, had been referred to him for his considera.
tion, and that he had forwarded his report on tho
same to the President In further conversation
he said that while he of course felt no special In.
terest in the controversy beyond the correcting of
several misstatements made in the "appcal," ho
could see nothing to be derived from agiatng
question Of this character; that the information of
the petitioners was either very limited or that In
their efforts to make q good case they had over.
looked many fncts which would have materially
bruadened their views on this subject.
For instance, in the tenth charge of the "appeal"
the TACT had been overlooked that II is frequently
the case that there are ~ the hospital from two to
roll than is provided for IN the appropriation; that
for the month ending November 30. 1880, there
were ninety.twO pnuper patients on the Govern.
ment roll, or seventeen more than the appropra-
tlon provided for. For further information THE
REPUBLICAN was referred to
THE suRGEoN-GESERALs REPORT
to the President, which Is as follows
SURGEON GENERALS OFFICE Dec. 90, 1880
"TO ne President.
IL have the honor to state that the act of Con.
gross authorizing contract for tho care, support
pnupcrs, as we'll us the contract made with the
Providence Hospital arc correctly stated in the
,appeal T referred , Tor consid,ention and remark
Suryeon-Gcncrars Office by fully competent
clerk in addition to his other duties No orders
are ever issued in blank. Applicants for orders
OF admission, III nCrSOn by friends rpupr-
nlly reported sick by the physician III charge of
their cases, either BY note or sometimes by the
physictnn calling in persons to obtain the order
| The Sister superior Is herself allowed TO admit
patients upon mn emergency, requiring immediate
treatment and reports all such admissions monthly
"a medical certificate in each case has not been
| required as II would cause delay, expense, and
insupcrablc obstacles, and defeat the charitable
end In view An improper admission would be
detected upon the first examination by one of the
medical staff who diagnosed the diseases or In
jury, directs treatment, and rcGtes any erroneous
admission. The medical STAFF of the hospital Is
most excellent including some of the lending
members of the profession, and Is decidedly non.
| sectarian. Patients are not retained any longer
than Is absolutely necessary for cure Incurablcs
and cases of contagious diseases are not admitted
Beyond the satisfactory fulillment of the contract
| Il was never contemplated that the Surgeon. Gen.
eral was empowered to take control of the hospital
| or Its management until now For period ex.
tending over many years this contract with the
Government has worked benchciaily, and Of the
thousands admitted not one has made complaint
to me of illtrcatment cruelty or neglect or inter
tion was created by the religious order having
charge of It, and will compare hivorably with sim.
liar sectarian hospitals. Its rules are no more
less excellent, and Its good results rs great.
Frequently the number of free patients borne oil
the Government roll and under treatment is In OK.
cess of the number appropriated for and 1t is but
justice TO the management of this institution to
say that under all circumstances they have cheer
fully cXertcd themselves to meet the necessities oi
the poor and suffering. There Is no other hospital
in this city suitable for transient paupcr patients
no other Propositions to contract for their medical
gress or to myself that option was left in this
Selection, and although it does not so appear in
the appeal II is well known that this annual
appropriation is requested and urged By the rep
reSenntives of this Institution. To annul the ex
isting contract at any time without other provision
for the transient pauper sick would be to infici
much suffering, but 10 do 1t at the most inclement
season OF the year would be far worse ; while tC
tuition would deprive this unfortunately large
class of the paupcr population of any means of re
lief in sickness. Very respectfully, your obedien
servant, j. X. BARNES,
"Surgcon.Gcnoral U S. A."
A further examination developed the fact that
the medical staff Of Providence Hospital for the
ton Taylor, Leiberman, Flodoardo Howard, n. s
Lincoln, Johnson Elliott, J. Ford Thompson, G. NJ
Ford. orCapitol Hill p. 4. Hagner, Charles Hag
ner, A. +. A. King, DIV. preniss, and j. $. Beall.
The last.named physician resides on Capitol
Hill, is In telephone communication with the in
stitution and there Is an explicit understanding
ence may be necessary.
WHAT SISTER BEATRICE SAID
Sister Beatrice the drectress of Providence Hos
pital, was also called upon by representative o
| THE REPrBILcAN. She pronounced the charge,
embodied in the appeal" to be false in every par
ticular, Referring to the first, charge, she exhib
tied copy Of the voucher for the month Of Noyel.
Der, the original of which had been forwarded Il
the Surgcon.Gcnerul and by him 70 the Treasir,
Department. This voucher contained tho name,
of iifty.lwO Patterns admitted to the hospital dur
| Ing tho month of November: of that number
twenty-One were discharged and two died. She
also stated that these vouchers are copied In q
record book and are open at all times to the i'll
spcctiOn Of those Interested.
To the second charge she stated that n man
| named ltea called at the hospital few days sine,
and was received and treated with every respect
and his questions fully answered In response Il
the reasons adduced In the appeal" why no new
contract should be made with Providence HOSpita
she expressed herself as follows:
| The religious views OF persons admitted are
not interfered with. The reason that there is NJ
resident physician on the premises Is because tn,
hospital Is IN telephone communication with tht
physicians who attend patients, and they can b,
summoned at any mCiieilt,
$50 far us the charge relating to improper ven
tilaton Is concerned, there is no necessity for M
TO say anything, aseverybody knows thai IL 1. II;
best ventilated Institution OF tho kind in the coln
try There Is only one priest who comes here an,
he holds mass IN the morning. Those who desir
TO attend are privileged to do so, but no one Is ex
pected to be present ~ the service unless Of thei
own volition. The hospital has suitable operating
rooms, and there is no necessity for the perform
ahcc ol sutBicnni operations IN tne wards. MnTu
diseases. The sister who compounds the prcscrlp
tionS IL II thoroughly competent pharmacist, ant
her ability is yOuchcd for by those competent I,
examine into thnt question The physciuns VIII,
attend voluntarily upon patients IN the institution
have all the authority they may desire, and III
interference with their directions regarding
patient Is permitted"
Regarding the exclusion of all visitors cXcep
physicians after eight o'clock p. m Sister BcatriG
said: "Our rules in this respect are similar t
those of like institutions the world over matte
under what control. The charge that in the even
of the arrival of patient with fractured limb o
| skull at unusual hours no physician h called
without the slightest foundation When patient
thus suffering are brought to the hospital II phys
cinn H. Immediately summoned, and the patcn
at once provided for"
In commenting upon the statement in the ~
peal that the rules had been harshly aud III
humanity enforced and dying patient denied tn
presence Of his friends and family, sister BeatriC
said cmphaliCally: 1t is II base, malignant lie"'