Daily globe., 1883-08-08
THE SISTERS HOSPITAL.

Flee Witnesses Examined Yesterday, DR..
Collins Being One of Thens-Interesting
Testimony-To be Continued To-day at = |
O'cIOcH.
The Mercy hospital investigation was
yesterday resumed at the usual hour, the |
first witness examined being Mary Ann |
Clarity, who gave the following evidence:
Went to the Sisters hospital the day after
DR.. Collins amputated my finger; DR.. Col
Inns had been attending me before that
he performed the operation in his Office on
Saturday, and the day after Sunday
entered the hospital.
DR.. Collins did not know had ticket to
admit me to the hospital as a city patient;
DR.. Gates has been the only doctor who has
attended me since l went there; took the
poultice off myself, as the hand was pain
ing me, and one of the sisters scolded me
for doing so; the mother superior said in
the presence of DR.. Gates that she was
afraid would lose my hand ;that is the only
time she said SO; she encouraged me when
1 was afraid it would not get we'll; there
was never anything said by the mother su-
perior about my condition to keep me
nervous; I cried often, but
DR.. Gates never asked what I was
crying for; if he had asked 1
l would have answered it was because I
was afraid of him; still he used me kind
ly and took good care of me, and / liked
him better afterwards; / asked DR.. Collins
to dress my hand one day when DIR. Gates
did not come; he refused, saying he could
not interfere with city patients; never
cried on account of anything said to me
by mother superior; had no reason to be
afraid of DR.. Gates; the mother superior
never told me DR.. Gates was not taking
good care of me, but l was afraid of los
ing my hand; did moi tell the docter that
poultice had not besn changed dur
ing the night; the sister changed
it because he said it Was dry and cold;
DR.. Gates never talked to me about testify
ing in this case; thought DR.. Collins
would be my physician until l went to
hospital where they told me the contrary
and said DR.. Gates would attend me; l
did not know him and that was why was
afraid of him. I don't remember that the
mother superior said to DR.. Williams that
my hand was not being properly treated,
and don't emember any such conversation;
1 remember her saying that she was afraid
the stitches were taken out too soon; l am
still at this hospital.
| DR.. D. T. Collins testified Am physician
and surgeon for eleven years; am surgeon
in-chief of this hospital, and also executive
officer since it opened; there are eleven or
twelve physicians on the medical staff, and
seven sisters here generally, whose duties
are to nurse the sick; they are thoroughly
competent and efficient nurses; have had
from one to three nurses here since hos
pital opened; the male nurses attend cases
where it would not be proper for the sis
ters to attend on account of sex; it is a
rule of the hospital for the sisters to do all
the nursing and other work that it would
be proper for them to do as ladies, and the
male nurses are called upon only when the
duty would preclude the presence of lady.
The male nurses at the hospital have at all
times been sufficient for their duties, and
there has never been lack of such nurses !;
there were no arrangements whatever be-
tween the medical board and DR.. Gates in
regard to the care of patients here; 1
called at Supt. Williams Office within three
days after DR.. Gates election as city ply
siciau, to see him and take him to the hos
pital and introduce him; he called upon
me next day and engaged to accompany
ne here; he afterward called and said he
subsequently, went alone, since which
time he has visited the hos
pital and attended the city patients:
DR.. Gates never made any arrangements
with the board to furnish city patients
with medicine; they had been furnished by
the hospital as matter OF courtesy up to
the 7th of May, when the board by molion
ordered medicines, stimulants and surgi-
1
continued, however, until July L. We dis
continued the furnishing because while we
were charging only S. per week the other
hospitals were getting Sc. The following
motion was adopted by the board at @
meeting held on May z: "That com
mittee of three be appointed to see the
city officials in reference to the ungentle-
manly treatment of the sisters by the
city physician" DR.. Hansen, by order
of the family, came to the hos
pital and took Saxon away, and l have
ascertained the fact that Saxon has recov-
cred, and DR.. Gates splints are now at DR..
Hansen's Office; amputated Mary Ann
) Garrity's finger; she had been my patient
Ia charity case) for about seven weeks at
the hospital; when leaving 1 told her ]
would treat her at my Office; I did not
know she had ticket of admission to the
hospital as city patient when I amputa-
ted her finger; she was under care of city
physician after that; when she asked me
to dress her hand refused and went and
asked Supt Williams to have DIR. Gates or
some other physician sent to dress it; l
told Mr.. Williams we did not want to see
any city patients neglected; saw Hans
Oleson on Sunday evening when he
was dying; went to superintendent OF
the poor next day. and asked him, when
the city physician was out of town, to send
another doctor or authorize the hospital
staff to attend to city patients; spoke to
Supt. Williams several times about the dis
courtesy.of DR.. Gates toward the sisters,
but not in the shape of making com
plant; Dr. Hansen told me the treatment
of Saxon was not correct, and that by di-
rection of friends he had patient taken
away from the hospital; DR.. Hansen told
me Saxon had a partial dislocation of the
shoulder, and that he reduced the disloca-
, tion after patient left the hospital; have
never called in question the matter of the