Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-25
THEY DENY EN- ALL
Or. Penwarden Scores the Hos
pitfalls for Not
NOTIFYING Hin OF DEATHS
b y Accioents-AuthoTlti Declare lie Is
Houned n Every Case IN Which
lie Is Interested.

The death OF Arthur b. Lawrence,
who died Thursday al the L. b. A.
home from the effects OF a g9nshot
wound received 81 the West Michigan
far grounds, led Coroner Penwarden
10 make some sharp criticisms OF the
physicians who practice IA the hosp,
tails Of this city. tie said they perform
post mortems upon patients who die
there after accidents before he has
been notified. and that in the case OF
Lawrence he arrived at the hospital
only 10 find that the body had already
been taken TO the operating room and
subjected 10 post morten. lie re-
buked the physician severely.
The Coroner's Accusations.
The coroner said 10 a reporter yester
day;
This 10 a frequent occurrence at the
hospitals. Whenever patient dies
there they rush him off 10 the operat-
, ing room, and often when | arrive Il Is
| impossible for me 10 tell anything
about the cause of death from the ap-
pearance of the body. The law plainly
requires that the coroner must be noti-
fled at once of death of this kind and
| he must examine the body before any
| thing is done with 1t. II is often likely
| that the cause OF death Is not satisfac-
torily settled and unless the coroner or
a jury sees il before II is cut up there
is no chance to tell what the man died
| of. At the hospitals half the time they
| don't notify the coroners OF death,
and | know OF two or three cases In
years gone by where patient has been
buried before the coroner has been
notified.
Will Get Into Trouble.
This man Lawrence. who WAS killed
by gun shot at the far grounds, was
dissected, and his body removed 10 the
undertaking rooms before | knew he
was dead. Any number OF men might
be badly hurt and taken to the hospi-
tails and the coroner never hear OF II
except by accident. We hear of half
the deaths there anyway through the
| reporters or someone else. The phys-
clans there will get themselves into
trouble If they don't be more careful"
DR.. Louis Barth, the physician who
attended Lawrence. WAS seen by q re-
porter for The HERALD last night and
| said, in reply to the statement made by
Coroner Penwarden: "The body of
Lawrence was not dissected, nor did
make a postmortem examination. He
died Thursday afternoon at 3 O'Clock.
Reopened the Wound.
At 10 O'Clock that evening | reopened
the incislon made in the region of the
wound for the purpose of tracing the
course of the ball.
| was not sure whether il pierced the
4 10 fnt md
that the wound would not necessarily
produce death, and the patient died
from the shock and the consequent
exhaustion. | was not aware that /
was under any legal obligation to re-
port the death 10 The coroner as the
cause of the accident was plainly ap-
parent to everybody. Lawrence WAS
my private patient, and | do not think
| was required to report 10 the coroner
any more than | would have been had
the patient died in my private hospital
from surgical operation.
DR.. Joy, house physician at the L. b.
A. home, said to a reporter Tor THE
HERALD last night that the statement
attributed to Coroner Penwarden is
false. He further said: There has
not been case here similar TO those
mentioned by DR.. Penwarden.
Always Been Notified.
Coroners have always been notified
IN cases required Ia be reported to
them. Lawrence was not dissected
here and the hospital had nothing to
do with the case. The patient was
brought here by DR.. Barth and II is
supposed to be the duty of
attending physicians to report
necessary cases TO the coroner.
1t is evident that DR.. Penwarden
feels sore about something or he would
not make sucn charges against the ply
sicians or the management of the hos
pitfalls. The cause of Lawrcnce's death
was so evident that il was not neces-
sary to report it. There was no post.
mortem held nor was his body re-
moved TO the operating room. The at
tack is very unprofesslonal in DIR. Pen.
warden.
DR.. Jeffrv, SUPERINTENDENT of St
Marks hospital, SAID that during the
year and q half she had been IN the
hospital the coroner had always been
notified of every death IN which he
could possibly be interested, and that
the notification had always been given
within a reasonable time after the death
occurred. She further said that nc
postmortem examinations had been
held in case of death 10y accident unit
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