New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-28
DELAY THE HOSPITAL DOOh.
pEs1nANCY AT RECEIVING DIR. NoRrHRoP.
DR.. spRAGUE OF BELLEVUE. SAYS THE PRES
ByTpE1AN HOSPITAL At FIRST REFUSED
THE PATIENT-TH p CHARGE DEM

| SpRAGCE, OF BlIIIi-' -N'' 49,
RyrpE1AN HOSPITAL AT FIRST REFUSED
THE pArIENT-THB CHARGE DENIED.
Tho .,se ~ Dr John J. Northrop Of Columbia COL
,epe who died on Friday at the Presbyterian hospi'
has caused an unpleasanness between te nospii au
;bortes and Dr. J. T. Sprague, the BeleVue ahou""'0
surgeon who brought DR.. NortTop to the rrssOS "'it
Uospital When Dr. sprague returned 10 be'iVno oo'
,o,rs rr Northrop at the Presbyterian Hospital nc
-ossed himself 10 the assistant warden as greatly
Sans0ea with the sowness of the Presbyterian Hos
., authorities in admitting DR.. NortIrop TO inc ~
ut,,,on DR. sprnguc made no formal charse' DC
oas ho dd nut feel that he was justified IN doing So
hut IN some way the story leaked out Dr. oprasuc
was seen by a Tribune reporter yesterday alVo'H
AZ did not intend to have the story mace p"onc'
cad he but I will stick to what said' Di'
-. ros raverclv burned and his condition
u;rcd nrompt attention DR.. Yale, who lives Opposite
,ba college had charge Of the patient when ''r'Ncu
with nv ambulance. DR.. Yale gave MIN iIt' my ~,
.nd offer had done what could for him on uie
snot he was placed in the ambulance, auu dv ''
reouest driven to the Presbyterian Hospnai' "
vale gave me note the hospital authorizes ""on
m arrived at the hospital and the orderly IN charge
,o.rned that nv patient had been burned TIC salu'
wv, DON'T take burns here told him that my paue'
Vas I'm critical condition and In neeu VI ii" -
care Then another man came ont, ana tle WV "N
:. nvpc One OF them asked If It was charity case
and told them the patient was wei ao| " I'y,
They began talking together again, ana tlcy %
so long that became angry ana ooiu .''" ,n ,,,,
thov refused to admit the man / would taRe MN
saT, m bellevue. Then they went inside 10
100 urha. they had better do, and hhaiN
they came ont with of the house phy sclahs "
whom handed the letter from Dr. >ale' h''e
no had read the letter he said that the patient should
he admitted at once. feel certain that IL hau no'
had the letter / would not have obtained aunlsSloN
cold
belief that the delay which believe lasted aoout
ateen Minutes was detrimental TO Dr.. NorthropS
chances of recovery. This IS not So Dr. Nortniup
was resting comfortably. and was not snferins. ho
was however, in a precarious condiuoh anu was
anxious to get him out Of my care Tor iear he "ouu
die in the ambulance which would create an uhpeaS
antncss for me. as would probably have to appear
before the Coroner and certify to the patients death
had no intention that the story should leak out ana
believe that the delay caused no Injury to Dr. Nor
throp but still feel that the delay was an evidence
of bad management"
Dr. Wall, the superintendent of the Presbyterian
Hospital, when spoken to about the matter said
al was not here when DR.. NorthrOp was brought H.
but there are five men here two of them physicians,
who are willing to swear that the patient was In the
hospital and in the of the doctors four minutes
after the ambulance arrived at the door,
Three minutes of this time passed be-
fore DR.. sprague presented his letter. We are
not in the habit of receiving burn cases, because we
have no room to Isolate them, as Is necessary Inc
men deny that they asked if the patient was charity
one. That is not our custom heIc. Ninety-hve per
cent of our patients arc charity patients. We ask
them to pay II they are able, but we do not mention
pay until after VIC have treated them bellevue HOS
pita ambuances seldom come here. don't rcmem
Der of more than two such in the years that
have been here That fact may have caused s little
so badly thai we expected him to die"
James FLANAGAN the driver OF the ambulance that
carried Dr. Northrop TO the hospital does not altogether
agree wifi the statement made by Dr. Strague. lie
believes that they had TO wait In front OF the hOspa
about ten minutes. go
Dr. Norhrop Will be buried to-day. The funeral VIII
be strictly private. The intennent VIII be at Green
Cemetery.