Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-08
The Death of a Child for LAX of Med
ical Attention Attracts the
Public'S Notice.
PHYSICIANS GIVE THEIR VIEWS
People Who Can Pay, but Won't, RESPONSE
bic for the Reluctance Of
Doctors TO
GIVE THEIR SERVICES WITHOUT FEE.
Disciples Of Esculspius Who Want to Wipe Out the $500
Law

Yesterday TO the eject that an AlleEuenY
physician had refused TO attend a sick child
without being paid in advance. The child
died
The sympathetic public has been shocked
over this seeming lack of humanity, and at
the same time ii has served to bring to
notice some facts regarding the fees OF
doctor and the reason of the profession for
not answering calls without pay in advance.
Dr. Leyda OF Robinson street, Allegheny,
was the physician who, it is alleged, refused
20 attend patient when called upon. In
regard to the story, DIR. Leyda said to
DISPATCH reporter last evening.
The man came TO my door just after l
had eaten breakfast yesterday morning, and
asked me 10 go to see his child. l told him
that the Zee was 81, and he replied that he
worked on the Pitisburg and Western Rail-
road and would not be paid for two weeks.
Then I told him to see the city physician
snd he would then be able to get medicine
and attendance free. This he considered an
insult and left the door In a huff. Had he
told me his child was severely i'll, 1 would
certainly have gone, but l considered that
he would need all the money he would get
on pay day and that he had better nave the
city physician.
AN ACT OF CHARITY.
Il have often told persons who call this
same thing, and he is the first one to con-
slder himself insulted. l have numerous
large bills standing out with employees of
that same road. and they either can't or
won't paw. Il almost becomes necessary to
refuse persons who call, and it is done out of
charity TO them, causing them to go to the
CITY physician aud thus save their money"
Dr. Faulkner, Of Arch street, Allegheny.
was called upon by a DISPATCH reporter
Yesterday afternoon and interrogated re-
Eardiug night calls. Said he: There is
no rule on that question, but I venture to
say that If you were TO so to two-thirds OF
the doctors IN town and pour pitiful tale
UP the speaking tube You would be unable
10 get a physician TO leave his bed and go
with YOU. They Immediately decide that it
is case Of dead beat. However, if man
SAYS that he wants doctor because his wi
or child is sick and that he is willing to pay
reasonable fee, not one of the doctors
would refuse to 90. All responsible peonIe
have their regular physician and it is not
often that thev call them out in the night.
It is the dead beat cases which are let run
thai usually demand night attention"
BOTH PARTIES SATISFIED.
nYou might suggest the mode of caring
r-- night cases that is in vogue in New
1rb, Boston aud Paris. In those cities
the names Of physicians who are willing to
get up 1t night are posted in the police
stations, and the patro.men are also given a
list of those on their beat. Then when one
wants a physician they merely call police
man and he secures the doctor and goes
with him to see the patient Ii the patient
isable to pay the Zee, all right, but if not
The policeman gives the doctor a check and
he can call at the police station the next
morning and get his fee, which is s., or if
he only prescribes for the patient in his
office it is 81 This is q system OF economy,
as only the exact number of cases are paid
for bv the city and there is no city
physician Then the patient is sure o! at
tendance and the doctor is sure of his fee.
That is the best system known, and it would
be matter Of economy to this city as well
as a matter Of charity"
wORKING THE SYMPATHY DODGE.
The doctor also gave number of illustra-
Mons OF now ne anu numerous OIDeT pDNSl-
clans mad been fooled" out by people
working on their sympathy so that 1t has
become a common practice for them TO re-
.use 10 90 with men they know nothing
about unless they are given good reasons
Ia Ohio there is a rule, if not a law, that
when a physician attends patients known to
be paupers, he can collect his bill from the
-owushIp poor fund by making affidavit to
the facts. This NAV not be an Assembly
E,-- 30
numerous counties, and is good rule, for
rnen no one who cannot pay is prevented
getting the proper medical attendance.
Mayor Gourley, when spoken to about
the matter yesterday. said he thought al
most auv physician would answer an urgent
cal at any time, regardless of his fee. He
did not think it was the duty of either the
national. State or municipal governments to
see that doctors bills were paid. His
Honor mentioned the fact that the city had
several physicians III Its pay, whose duty it
WIS to treat the suffering poor, and he
thought there was no reason why any child
should die from neglect in this community.
THE INSPECTOR Is A LOSER.
Inspector McAleese, when asked concern
ing the matter said the Police Bureau
always took care of cases which came within
its jurisdiction. The bureau has a physi-
ciau-Dr Moyer-who earns his salary
5000 a vear-severai times over. He is un-
able TO attend to all the cases which belong
TO him, and in urgent cases other physicians
have 10 be called in. Inspector McAleese
has paid the fees of the latter several times.
ana has NOT nor will be. reimbursed, there
being no provision made bv the citv for
such reimbursement. Dr. Sands, of Forty
third street, often does an odd job at the
Seventeenth ward police station, when a
man IS brought in who is likely to bleed to
death before the police surgeon can get out
there. DR.. Sands gets nothing for his
trouble, but just charges it up to profit and
loss.
Inspector McAleese said that any poor
person who has appeared at the Central
Station at night for medical relief has in
variably received it, although such relief is
not part OF the duty of the Police Bureau.
Mayor Wyman evidently is as healthy as
a Kansas grasshopper in clover time. When
asked about the question of physicians and
night calls, he said: "The doctors seem to
want everything. | don't know anything
about the case, but physicians certainly
ought to answer calls"
Major Hunter, of the Allegheny Poor
Board, SAID regarding the matter while in
conversation with a DISPATCH reporter:
"I can't see but that the doctor did all
right. The CITY furnishes physicians for
people who can't pay their doctors bills
We are verv lenient on that question, be-
cause we think ii is better to help man
along and keep him well so that he is in
80 IA for Y