The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-13
TORTURING PATIENTS.
How Students Practice on Bones at a
California Hospital.
Ftorn the San Francisco Eranliner.

From the San Francisco Examiner
The patients who have been taken to the
City Receiving Hospital of late have had
hard time of it, prior to the arrival of the
police surgeon, if their injuries have been
sufficiently serious to make them interesting
to the medical students who hang a bout
the place for the experience to be gained
by watching the operations which are of
daily occurrence.
A little incident which occurred on
Wednesday will serve to illustrate the style
ofperformance Of which some of the deputy
sawbones are guilty.
A young lad was carried into the hospi-
tai Wednesday afternoon with broken
thigh. Stewert Koosher as gentle as posi-
bic ascertained the nature OF the injury,
aud finding it so serious sent for DR.. Mar
tineaut, who was attending the Falling in
quest as a witness He then turned his
back upon the patient and began to pre-
pare the splints for the wounded leg. This
was too good.a chance to be lost, and three
medical students who were in attendance
made a descent on the unfortunate boy
First diminutive specimen about Is years
of age pinched aud poked the injured leg,
moved it about uutil he had located the
break satisfactorily to himself and then
fell back
Number two, few years older, then step
ped forward and repeated the performance.
Neither of them was particularly rough
and the boy stood the handling without a
murmur, but when number three began to
operate it was a different matter. He was
still older, and had risen to tho dignity of a
blonde mustache and plug hat.
With a face portentous in its gravity
and look of wisdom, which seemed to
have been acquired by long years of pract-
ice in the accident ward of hospital, he
stepped up to the operating table. The
father of the boy, who was present and had
watched the first two with anxious face,
heaved a sigh of relief as he saw this sap
ient-looking individual interest himself in
the case. His expression soon changed.
The embryotic Escuapius seized tho broken
limb with both hands and gave it wrench
which brought a howl of agony from the
patient
With glance Of triumph at his predeces-
sors he took fresh grip and twisted in the
opposite direction. Another howl re-
warded this effort, and bracng himself for
another effort he caught the thigh at the
point of fracture with one hand and grasped
the ankle with the other. He raised The
foot and twisted the lower part of the leg
back and forth and smiled gleetully as he
felt the Jagged ends of the bones CRATE
beneath his fingers, while the patient
writhed and moaned with pain. This
seemed TO satlsIy Jne adOleScent surgeon,
and as he dropped the leg the patient
heaved sigh Of relief. Fortunately before
another student could take hand in the
performance DR.. Martineaut arrived, aud
In about five minutes the boy was sent
home with his leg properly set and band
aged The performance of the students
was reported TO Dr. Martineaut, and he at
once issued orders that no student should
touch a patient in his absence unless 10
assist the steward in some minor operation
or in stanching a flow Of blood which
| might prove dangerous.