New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-20
NEGLECT LEADS TO DEATH.
CAREIEeeyEss OF HOSPITAL DOCTORS.
THEY SAID HE WAS ONLY DRUNK. BUr HIS

THEY SAID HE WAS ONLY DRUNK. BCT HIS
SKULL WAS BADLY FRACTURED.
For nearly forty eight hours patient lay on cot al
bellevue Uospital this week suffering IRON H"''''"
skull before fine Musicians discovered tbf there was
ANYTHING more serious than alcoholism thc insurer
with him. John Harper. who was a lahl'o' % 'n
apartment house az Nos. 20 and ~ West Ninety ''i'
St js the latest victim OF the caleles'he,S OF hSpa'
officials and I'm this case effort Will BE- maze 10y HIS
r.Ia,i,ss 10 ,erover damages and Coroner Levy has
nromised 10 make a thorough Investigations
Last sunday evening Harper, when ulder Tue IN
nuence Of liquor. fell down tie cellar s'ar' DIT o
apartments where he worked and fractured INC D'''
NJ his skull When the man was found uh'''9''o"
in the cellar by people in the rouse VoId wac Sc"'
10 Manhattan Hospital and In. T. J. lowilSenu was
sent When he arrived he found Harper DieeuI'6
from a wound on the top Of his heao anu TIC "'
This cut. The doctor says that lie examiner Wv 80
closely for symptoms OF fractnre-ahu uc 'o>'''
Of p.ople who were present carries ont tIhS
hut he fse, to find any indications OF anything eA
. .,o surh, .caln wound on the top Of the head.
DR. Townsend then said that the man was hou
soriousIv injured and he asked policeman WHO h"u
been called in if he could not lock te man up Inc
policeman said that he coud hoo' ~ h',p ,,ha..
own house, The doctor then clephoheu 10 -'ai'.'''
UospitoI and Dr. Ward, the house surgeoh toiu nun
10 take the patient Bellevue, aS the hospi,ai il
huudred-a nd thirticth-st was crowded. i"ei'"Po'
IIarper was taken 10 Bellevue
several PHYSICIANS who were seen YESTERDAY Sau
that if is sometimes difficult matter 10 uoVi'"'''o
whether or not the base of the skull he's heeh I'D"
rhj. evidently was the case with Harper. and II Is
nor Mt all surprising that Or. TOWNSEND m"ue an lio
when he said that the jantor was suffering rom III
coboI,sm y a. the man was drunk at the nme OF tle
accident The doctor. however, seems To nave m'ue
grave error when he reached Bellevue with MS l'''
for he gave the physicians there 10 Understand Wv
saw that he had made an exhaustive eAaih'iiau0' W
,.lnrn
The mans condition, ana was CohNIH'Uu ' "
not seriously injured.
I'm, tbcrc seems TO be no excuse for the neglect
,vhich Harper received at Bellevue Hospital lheo
the injured man could have been Thoroughly examiner
in short time, and his real condtoh ascertheu' "N
the ply sicians taken the trouble to look lot oeril
symptoms But DR.. Richards who had charge OF ui0
ward on sunday night where all alcoholic patients ar
carcd for accepted DR.. TOwnSends stalehehU '''' '
case was nothing but Il drunk
All of sunday night, all day Monday, ana part vi
Tuesday, Harper lay on cot ana "Deh hc oo''a
doirious from pain he was strapped 10 MS oen' i0
bours after person receives fracture ut the base Oh
the SKULL ply sicians say it is an easy ha'er 10
oorn his true condition by examining the pupils Oh ue
eyes and In other ways familiar 10 PHYSICIANS WIZ
know their business Put as far as coulu DC r'''ie"
Yesterday the ply >cians who are supposed 10 Dc o
ing out for the interests of patients Ill inc WAN VI
bellevue where cases of alcoholism are tresteu l"'Vu
10 take the trouble thoroughly TO examine Harper ana
il was not until Tuesday morning that it was dScoNe'e"
that the diagnosis previously made was an error
Then the patient transferred to the snrehal warn
and DIS Hamblin and Chapman found that there were
symptoms Of a fracture ut the base of the SKULL
The discovery was made too late, however, anu
IIorIer died a few hours afterwaN. Had II been
known that he Was suffering from fracture when nc
reached the hospital, his life might have been saved
Harper was a married man and his WIDOW SAID Eesler
DIV that she had employed counsel 10 III
vcstirate the case and she declares that suits ior
damages will be against the doctor Or doctors
who permitted husband to die from sheer neglect
as she expressed it.
Coroner Levy said that lie would make thorough
investigation.
The physicians at Bellevue Hospital could not be
induced Yesterday to Sly much about It, Dr.
Townsend was not 30 reticent IL mace the follow
ic statement: imne iiately examined the cuts on
turner's head ard face "a reached Eiii 10 see
ithey we're bleeding. They were not bleeding and did
not bleed II drop after my arrival. then examined
the patient carefully il any bones were broken
lie was In a drunken stupOr. The fracture at that
time had not affected him and could NOT do more imam
was done on NY part. anxious 10 have the case
thoroughly looked into, l know could not have
done more for the man than did