San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-10
DOCTORS DISAGREE.
THEY FIGHT AND QUARREL
OVER THE CODE OF ETH
les, AND THE POOR
! PATIENT DIES.
City Physician Menger Scorches
DIR. Starnes, About the James
Scott Shot Wound-The Mod
orators or Censors Will
Now Have a Job.
To the DAILY LIGHT:

To the DAILY LIGHT:
1t is only at the request OF
friends, and in justice to myself, to
allow myself to go into print, in
answer to an article which ap-
peared in your esteemed paper,
June Sth, concerning the shot
wound of Jas. Scott, and / will be
as brief as possible. Had DR..
Starnes consulted me, as attending
physician of the case, all controver-
sy would have been avoided. |
was summoned, in official capacity,
to police headquarters, at night
time, to see and examine the man,
Scott, but, as | found him in a
hack, with blood Oozing near the
left shoulder, l ordered him taken
to the hospital, in order to exam
Inc the extent of injury,
and, if the wound should not
be proven fatal, to allow
his removal to his home the next
day, where his friends wanted him
30 be. When | examined the
wound it proved to have been done
with bullet of small calibre, en-
tering the pectOral region close to
the aXillary region, (not as stated
in the article, "the ball had entered
the aXilla regiOn,"O perfOrating the
upper outer border of the large pic
toral muscle and penetrating, on
probing in virtrical direction to the
left side of thorax; but it could not
be distinctly said if the bullet had
perforated the thOraic cavity, nor
where the bullet lodged, as no in
for such existed, nor
generally do exist after a fresh |
injury, and | mentioned |
this fact to the surrounded parties.
The following morning although,
he complained of short breath,
and had spit slight traces of blood
during the night, and felt numb"
about the lower eXtremities. In
the afternoon the symptoms were
more aggravated, and his lower ex-
tremities paralyzed. Towards
evening a deputy of friends came
in hack to my house and demand
ed the patient removed to his
house, and, accordingly | gave an
order to the Hospital, stating to
allow the patient to be removed
'at the request and risk of his
friends" That is all | know about
the case.
Now quoting only few senten-
ces of DIR. Starnes article, the same
states for instance: "The symp-
toms indicate that the spine was
fractured and bone pressing
against the spinal cord; under
such circumstances no sane sur
geOn, would regard it from the be-
ginning other than fatal" (How il
lustrious to the student of spinal
after such symptoms
have fully developed y II am
for the opinion that
James Scott lived about as long at
home as he would have lived at
Santa ROsa-odds being in his
favor at home, since | am some
what of surgeon myself" (How
but, is it advisable to
remove a patient from one place to
another after such serious injury p
'The whole of the lower extremi-
ties were completely paralyzed, the
patient could not as much as flex
his toes" (How illustrious "Com-
plete paralysis" and fiex his toes y
complete paralysis of the mucous
coverings, chow about the mus
cular p of the large intestines and
bladder existed so that an Aliens
surgical pump had to be used"
How illustrious! Something new
under the sunpO
You see, Doctor, it is bad policy
TO write articles which properly
belong in medical journal.
Very respectfully,
DR r MENcEp