Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-11-25
SICK AND TAKEN IN.
HELPLESS HOTEL GUESTS FLEEcED
BY BIG DOCTORS FEES.

Many Hotels In the Big Metropolis and In
Chicago Are In League with Conscience
less Members Of the Medical Profession
to Extort Money.
Every large hotel in thecity nowadays
has q physician resident in the building.
His presence in the hotel is one of the
proofs of the completeness of the modern
hostelry, so far as the provision and COM
fort Of the guest is concerned. The idea
of having doctor within instant call is
beyond all question an excellent one, but
it seems that it has of late been subject
to grave abuse. The fact has got out
that some of the hotel physicians make
use Of their position to levy extortionate
charges for the treatment of guests who
have been lnckless enough to fall i'll
among strangers.
Complaint is made that far from being
Q blessing to the guest, the ease with
which medical attendance can be secured
has In such cases become source of
genuine dread to visitors to the big city
who have to stop at hotels. The guests
fear even trifing illness while in the
hotel. because If they make the fact
known that they want to see doctor
they will be charged fee out of all pro
portion to the service rendered by the
doctor, whose chief claim to patronage
is that he is ''always near at hand"
Complaint has been made against the
doctors charges in two Of the best known
hotels IN the town to a prominent con-
sulting physician.
when was taken sick at the hotel
the other night" one Of the complainants
said, at asked the head clerk to send me
DR.. s."
"Dr. ST." said the clerk in seeming
astonishment 81 never heard of him.
But we have a competent physician in
the hotel whom I will send to your
room"
The hotel doctor did go to the room in
response to the request of the clerk. He
made several visits during the night, al
though the guests didn't want and didn't
need more than one visit. A fee Of $40
was charged in the bill, and the guests
had to pay it. Subsequent investigation
made it clear that the reason for this
high fee was that the hotel physician
had made an arrangement with the no
tel proprietor by which the latter got q
third of this big fee. The guests also
learned that this sharing Of the fee had
been the custom at the hotel for a very
long time, and that guests submitted to
it rather than have any wrangle at the
clerks desk over charges, a thing that
self respecting persons naturally dread
and will avoid even where the charge is
manifest imposition. The abuse has
recently attracted the attention Of the
professionals, who do not practice in no
| tells, and has evoked an earnest protest
and a demand for reform.
The Medical Record, under the head.
ing Doctors and Hotels" handles the
subject in this vigorous style:
Every person of sensitive morals, and
good many with only every day sensi
bilities, would be shocked If the whole
story Of the relations of doctors to hotels
were written. There is q fashionable
hostelrylin this town where the hotel
doctor charges 81 visit, and there is the
best reason for believing that the hust
ling landlord gets Sc Of it. It is stated
on good authority that in many hotels
the official doctor is obliged to give III
from one-fifth to one-third of his charges
to the business management. People
who are taken i'll in hotels must have 6
doctor and are not disposed to question
about terms. They do not find ont what
these are until they settle the bill, ant
then expostulation is too late"
It is only just to say that all the hote
physicians are not parties to this NEAR
sort Of swindling. Many Of them ar,
physicians Of high repute who live at tn,
hotels and pay for their board and lodg
ings the same as any other guests and
have a regular and legitimate schedul,
Of charges based upon the market valu,
of their professional services. In case
where there il ''divvy" between tn,
doctor and the hotel the physician get
his lodgings and board at reduced rate
He is appointed by the hotel proprietor
and he excuses the high fee on the plea
that he has TO charge more than his reg
ular rate in order to make good the bonu
to the proprietor. This bonus is de
manded for the privilege OF prscticing il
the hotel.
''This abuse is worse in Chicago thai
il il in New York" prominent ply
stefan said
The bonus system is certainly an out
rage on the travelling public" said an
other physician, 'fbut at the same tim
the hotel doctor should notlShoulder tn
| 6uGlT0 OlAAu6 LOE u. 4ne xeSpOuS1DlLlC,
rests with the hotel proprietor who
mean enough to look for gain from tn
sickness of one Of his patrons. It is no
using very strong language to call thi
barbarism. Hotel proprietors who favo
the fleeing Of the sick in their establish
ments Ought to be tabooed by every hon
oEable and self respecting man and VIC
man. If guests were to stay away fror
such hotels, the bonus system would b
quickly suppressed. New York Sun.