National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-22
MEDICAL MUSIC.
THE DOCTORS AND THE SISTERS.
Additional Statements Regarding the Providence
Hospital TroHbles-The Sister Superior Sur
prised at the Published Statements-Dr.
King Makes Some Explicit Remarks.

The Providence Hospital troubles continue to BIZ
| prominent topic for comment about the city. Al
effort will be made, it is understood, to enlist the
| physicians who resigned from the medical board
in a crusade against the hospital, contemplated by
the authors of the appeal" recently presented &c
the President, with the view of defeating any con
gressional appropriation asked for the institution
SISTER BEATRICE
stated last evening that she could not believe thai
some of the statements credited to the physicians
| were made by them. The remarks made appeared
to be aimed at her. and she was able and satisfied
! TO stand them. So far as the hospital was con-
cerned, it was so well known; and there were so
many TO speak for it. thatshe did not believe what
had been published would hurt it, She thought
that strange phase of the present trouble was the
| fact that, these physicians had continued
many many years and had just made the discoveries
| that they claimed. She had not been at all an
noyed at the publications that had appeared, as
she was conscious of being i'll the right She ex-
pressed especial surprise at the remarks credited
to Dr. Lincoln, and said that her relations with
| him had always been most friendly. She reiter-
ated that she had only done what she believed to
be her duty in requesting those physicians who
were not i'll harmony with the management to re-
sign. She was not yet ready to give the names of
the physicians composing the new board, but they
would be announced in day or two.
DR.. KINGS COMPLAINTS.
\ myrmidon of THE REPUBLICAN last night found
Dr. A. F. \. King, the late secretary of the late
fOrtably seated in his office peruSing a medical
quarterly. and somewhat indisposed to subject
himself to the interviewing process.
Doctor" said the scribe, " would like TO ill
quire what the actual condition of affairs has been
at Providence Hospital in the past so far as regards
the relations that existed between the Sister SuI-
peror and the attending physicanS?"
Well replied the Doctor, while have no
wish to make specific charges against the manage
ment of this institution in the light Of the develop
ments of the past few days. feel constrained to
say that have suffered great annoyance i'll my
efforts to cOnscientiousy perform my duties there
For instance there are no diet lists allowed. l
nave had patients at the hospital, cOnSumptivcs
and weak women forthe treatment of whom GER
tain inexpensive instruments were required. AL
though made requiSitiOn for these instruments
was told by the Sister Superior that they could not
be furnished unless these poor patients would buy
them for themselves Only short time ago poor
woman suffering from gangrene of the lungs was
admitted TO the hospital and placed in my ward.
| ordered for her pocket inhaler the cost
of which was only fifty cents. After vainy wait
ing fOrit the patient at last compelled TO pur
chase it herself few days afterward, without
ang consultation with me- this woman was per-
mited to leave the hospital and the day after her
departure she died. 1t has been stated that the
Sister superior has no money 10 pay for these in
struments, but at recent meeting of the board it
shown that she has lately made extended pur-
chaSeS of real estate for the hospital, which in
volyed the expenditure ofthousandS of dollars
Among the properties of the hospital there is not
even a microscope, an instrument almost inds-
penSable for the proper examinations and tests
required to correctly diagnose certain cases.
Zone ofmy greatest troubles, however, has been
in the treatment of patients suffering with alco-
h0liSm and delirum trcmenS When such patients
have been admitted to the hospital, and such adj
missions are of very frequent occurrence, it was
customary with the sisters. without consulting
me- to give hydrate of choral LIQUOR. and other
stimuantS, as in their Judgment they deemed best
SOmetimesin young man. not over tWcnty-three
years of age, was admitted, suffering from
alcoholism His case presented none of the char
acteriSticS OF that of chronic inebriate and in
prescribing for him wrote down in the ward
book specific directions for his treatment. stating
emphatically that he vas not to have whisky or
other stimulantS. When l visited him the next
day found him under the influence of liquor. l
again wrote down in the book and undcrscOrcdit-
that he vas to have no stimulantS unless specially
ordered by myself. Upon my third visit / again
found that he had been supplied with liquor. |
said 10 the sister in charge of the ward
Sister. has the man had whisky again."
Yes, doctor, was her reply
But put it down in the book that he was
not to have any" said |.
- But 1 thought it necessary to give it to him
doctor" she replied.
Sister, thought it necessary for him not to
have any" repeated
And L thought it necessary that he should" re-
tOrtcd the sister with considerable warmth
Then said: Sister is this man to be treated
according to Your directions or mine?"
Mine sir, was the reply, as she whiskcd out of
the room.
Afterward saw the Sister Superior and received
tempered, however, with the suggestion that
had somewhat transcribed by sphere in
interfering with the sister in the matter of
giving patient whisky. The result was that
was not asked TO see another drinking patient that
year or the year afterward. 1t also often happens
that this class patients admitted to the hos
pital and treated exclusively by the sisters With
ont calling i'll PHYSICIAN unless some serious de-
velOpment take place, and there have been in
stances where death has resulted from such neg
lect.'
How about the allegation that the attending
wished to do exactly as they pleased
with dead bOdies-tO cut them UP whether their
1nS Tl1fNf3'
DR.. King replied. 81 have not made a post NOR
TEN ar the hospital for long time do not think
there has been one made there for about three
years. OF course, there may have been some dur
ing that period did not see.
"Some years ago we made them more frequently |
but only then in cases where il was deemed indiS
pensabe. Owing, however, - the constant COM |
plants of the sister, and from the fact that the
bodies are rushed away evidently to prevent any |
virtually given mp. The effort to create the i'm |
preston that the hospital was turHcd into disScc
ingroom for experiment will fall flat. There are
no facts to sustain such an assertion ON the con
tTary, the autopSicS made i'll the past were /
carefully conducted. Bodies were not cut to !
pieces or mangled. but were carefully sewn up |!
l do not know of single instance where an an |
topSy made without the consent of the sisters /
ami the relatives of the deceased
The statement has been made. said THE Re-
PCBLICAN, that one of the attendant physicians |
signed the resolution only becauSc the others did
50, and this NJ ID. now desires 10 be rcinstatcd Is
this 50 -
Il know of no such case. can say of my own
knowledge however, that Doctors Ford. IIag- /
ner. Thompson Lincoln, Prentiss, and myself have |
no such desire
1t is stated upon good authority that Dr. D.. T. |
faSneT, who for nearly twenty years past has been
with Providence Hospital Will tender !
his resignation as one of the consulting staff Of that
/
DR.. Bctle, while calling upon Dr. Lincoln yestc-- |
LAY, stated that he had applied 10 be rcirsated
Is one OF the attending physicians Of Providence ,
Hospital, and had no desire for sUCh reinstatement