St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-18
Some Particulars Concerning
the City Physicians Pet
Hobby.
st. Patrick's Festival Quietly
Celebrated at Minneapolis
Yesterday.
Gen. j. H. Baker Addresses
the Union League on
the Tariff.
The Vermont State Associa-
ton acknowledgement
News Of the City.

City Physician Chase objects to the
article which was published in the
GLOBE on Friday last, in which the
quoted as saying there were too many
autopsies being held on the bodies Of
patients who died under DR.. Chase's
care in the city hospital. The
article also stated that "Dr.
Chase was to be called down."
Without desiring to comment
upon the matter in one way or another
the GLOBE commenced all investigation
and a state of facts has been disclosed
which seems to more than warrant the
statement made by Aid. Phillips at the
last meeting of the supervisors of the
poor, when he said "Dr. Chase is hold
ing too many autopsies."
Complaint was made to the board last
fall that almost every death which oc
CURED in the city hospital was at once
followed bya pOSt-mOrtem examination.
Whether that statement was true or
false, it attracted considerable atten-
ton at the time, and at the meeting of
the supervisors held on Nov. ID. 1889,
the following resolution, introduced by
Aid. Gray, was unanimously adopted:
structed to have all future post mortem ex-
aminations held at one of the city morgues,
and that he be instructed to hold no more
post mortem examinations except on cases
of obscure death.
While there are two mOrgues desig-
mated by the law as such In MinneapO-
lis. DIR. Chase has held. or caused to be
held, autOpsies In at least two other un-
dertaking establishments than those in
kA 20 c oOynrn1 hxy la Grox g
resolution. Although the resolution
tendent of the Poor Snyder says that
City Physician Chase has never paid
any attention to it and has gone ahead
ana held autOpsies whenever ne wanted
to. The city allows an under
taker a fee of 81 for each post
mOrtem examination held by the city
physician, and this fee is paid out Of the
funds of the poor department, but q
careful search of the books III Supt.
Snyder's Office shows no money had
been paid out for that purpose since the
passage of Aid. Gray's resolution, and
the natural inference would be that no
autopsies had been held since that
time, but that is not so. Autopsies have
been held, and while perhaps Or. Chase
did not apply the knife himself in
every instance, he was present at the eX-
animation, and ordered it to be done.
In some of the examinations he had as
his ally and assistant DR.. J. Clark
Stewart, the well-knoW patheOlOgiSt,
and on more than one occasion class
Of medical students were in at
tendance during the post norton.
Some of the undertakers objected
to the frequency of the autop-
cal students narrowly escaped being
hustled into the street by an irate
funeral director. The undertaken was
in his front Office talking to the
almost heart-broken brother of
young woman who had died at
the city hospital. and whose body
lay on marble slab in the rear room,
when crowd of medical students en-
tered. One of them had just finished
telling funny story, and they were
smoking, laughing and in boisterOus
good humor. "HellO, old man, where's
the body we're going to cut up?' was
the greeting they gave the undertaken.
The brother looked dismayed, and the
undertaken for a moment was nom
plused, but Qdickly recovering his self
possession, he succeeded in getting the
relative of the deceased out of the
place, and then he gave the crowd a
roasting they will remember for long
time.
Aid. Phillips at the last meeting of the
board of supervisors declared that the
city physician had paid no attention to
the orders issued by the board, and his
motion requiring Dr. Chase to appear
before the board and explain his actions
was carried, as we'll as one referring the
matter TO the city attorney, with re-
quest that he see that the directions of
the board were carried out. The state
mentS made by Aid. Phillips were pub
liShed in the GLOBE. Aid. Phillips was
found at his home on Franklin avenue
last night, and said:
Il read the story referring to DR..
Chase in Fridays GLOBE, and it was all
right. Chase came to see me about it,
and told him that | had been quoted
correctly. and that was satisfied that
he was holding too many autopses."
Investigations made by the GLOBE
show that there has apparently been
disregard or the order of the board of
supervisors of Nov. IA, for on Nov. 20
postmortem examination was held on the
body of John Donnelly. who died in the
city hospital; Nov. 81. William McIntire;
Jan. Is, Robert Silvernail; Jan. 80,
Gust Williams; Feb. 81. John Silverton;
Feb. 2S, Christina Larson, and on March
Is on Andrew Larsen.
The above seven cases are known to
have been posted under the direc-
ton of DR.. Chase, and it is intimated by
those who profess to know, that there
are several more. There were eighteen
deaths reported from the city hospital
since the resolution restricting the
autopsies was passed, and the reason
that at least seven of these should come
under the head of Obscure" is some
thing that supervisors cannot under
stand, and would like to have DR.. Chase
explain.