The evening world., 1888-02-16
BOTH CRUEL AND ILLEGAL.
CORONER MESSENGER D~lSAPPRONES THE
ACTION OF HIS PHYSICIAN.
DIR. Conway Had No Right to Give DIR.
Nammnck an Order for an Autopsy on
the Rnvitz I~nfant-LeEal Rights Dirre-
sarded-Dr. Nammack Insists that His OBJ
ject Was Not to Regain the silver Tubes.

aarded-Dr. Nammack Insists that His OBJ
ject Was Not to Regain the silver Tubes.
The story in this mornings WORLD OF the
autopsy illegally held Oh the body OF Morris
Ravitz's two. year-old boy, Charles, ut n
Henry street on Tuesday, aroused the indig-
nation of every parent who read it, and has
had the effect of drawing attention to the
loose way in which orders for autopsies are
granted.
The infant died on Monday afternoon of
diphtheritic laryngitis, having been attended
by DR.. William H.. Nammack, of ~ Jefferson
street. In the course Of treatment DIR. Nam
mack inserted two small silver tubes in the
larynx to prevent suffocation. The tubes
proved to be too small and fell down the
child's throat.
DIR. Nammack, it is charged, demanded $40
from the parents in payment of the tubes,
but they were too poor to pay, whereupon, it
is alleged, Dr Nammack said he would open
the body.
The next day he kept his word. He came
to the house with his brother, Police Surgeon
G.. Z. Nammack: William A. Conway, physi-
clan for Coroner MESSENGER, and Policeman
Dohertv. of the Madison street station. The
policeman had been sent on the production
by DIR. Nammack Of n paper purporting to
give Coroner MESSENGERS PERMISSION for the
holding of the autopsy .
The parents protested against the body of
their child being cut open. but they were
pushed into the back room and the autopsy
hurriedly performed. DR.. Nammack re-
covered his silver tubes.
1t being conceded that the death of the
child was due to natural causes the question
has been raised MS to the right of DR.. Conway
to authorize the holding of the autopsy
against the parents wishes.
Coroner Nj. j.. b. MESSENGER, DR.. Conway's
superior. was interviewed on the subject by
an EVENING WORLD reporter this morning.
He was greatly surprised at the, facts mar
rated, saying that he had had no previous
lied the autopsy.
II have not been on duty since Sunday
night" he said, and consequently my ply
stefan, Pr. Conway was not on duty. IL is
Had DR.. Conway any right to permit
another physician to make an autopsy Z"
We'll, Idon't like to say anything against
DIR. Conway, but he certainly had no such
right, especially in q case of death from
natural causes. L never would have lone
such a thing against the wishes of the
patient.
to cut that body open. DR.. Conway had no
such right. He is not Deputy Coroner. He
is o coroner's physician.
DIR. Conway was next seen. He admitted
that he had no legal right to order an autopsy
in the case, but said such things were Gus
tomary.
DIR. Nammack asked permission, and l
thought there was no harm in it," he said.
" It is true l was not regularly on duty, but
/ was acting temporarily for DIR. Jenkins. If
/ made out a permit in Coroner MESSENGERS
name it was a mistake"
DIR. Nammack denies hat he made the
autopsy to regain the two silver tubes.
The man Ravitz is an ignorant Hebrew"
he said, land he accused me of having caused
the child's death by inserting the tubes. l
feared he would sue me for damages and
wanted an autopsy to determine that death
was due to natural causes. l would not per-
form a N autopsy for the value of the tubes,
anyhow. 1t is a very unpleasant task"
Both Ravitz and his wife persist in their
statement that DR.. Nammack demanded $40
for the tubes, IN when they said they had
not the money he threatened to cut the body
open and get them. Ravitz is an intelligent
young man, who works at Meyer Rosenstein's
tailoring shop in Madison street. He said to
an EVENING WoRLD reporter this morning
and if we could have paid it he would never
have cut the body open. Even when he
came with the policeman his first demand
was for the $40. If We had had it we would
have gladly paid PAID, but we had no money even
Mrs. Ravitz said: II was sitting by the
child's body when they came in. The doctor
asked me for the $40 for his tubes. We had
but 80 in the house and i offered it. He said
he must get the tubes. | flew to the window
and called for help, but they pushed me into
the rear room while they got the tubes. II
was a cruel shame. II we had not been such
poor people they would not have dared to do