The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-18
THEY CAME in A SQUAD.
Five nedicaI Students Sent to Attend
Case of Childbirth.
ONE STUDENT AGED ONLY FOURTEEN

NeighbOrs Drove the Crowd Away
How the MiserabIy Poor Are Tended
when They're Sick.
Five Medical college students swooped
down on Mrs. E. C. Petri who lives at
413 Lafayette street at 10 o'clock last
night and told her that they had come to
attend her.
sBut 1 did not send for you. sent
for Dr. c. 8. McClintock," said the sick
woman.
so. that is all right" replied the
spokesman, CDR. McClintock is not feel
ing we'll and he sent u.s.
Il do not want you. l sent for another
doctor and you have no right to come"
said the woman decidedly.
mo matter. we will take care of you.
1t is all right and DR.. McClIntock could
| not come" again answered the spokes-
man.
Mrs. R. F. Head, who lives at 415 La
fayette street, was waiting on the sick
woman, who was about to become
mother, aud she also insisted that the
students should go. Mrs. Head says that
one of them was boy not over IA years
old and she considered it quite out of the
| ordinary for a child to be sent to assist
in attending a sick woman. DIR. Mitch
ell was present but said nothing.
After Mrs Head had protested the
students and DR.. Mitchell withdrew to an
adjoining room where consulta-
cided tb at three of them should leave
while two would stay. The boy and
two of the others with DR.. Mitchell went
home after they had been in the house
for an hour and as there was no one else
to attend the woman she was compelled
to accept the services of the two students
who remained.
1t was just p. N. when R F. Head
went to the corner of Fourth
and Lafayette streets and sent
a telephone message to DR.. Nc
Clintock. Whoever answered the
telephone inquired who wanted the
doctor and then there was a short inter-
val and some one answered that DR..
McClintock was not in the city. Mr.
Head then telephoned for City Physician
Mitchell. who responded promptly.
DR.. Mitchell was in the house to wal
upon the woman and there was nc
thought that any one else would come
when there was a noise in the front yard
of the Head house one door south. The
fence is of barbed wire and the wire:
hung low. The students who were
sent by DR.. McClintock mistook the
house, and when they entered the yarG
they got their feet entangled in the wire
and it was several minutes before they
succeeded in disengaging themselves
Then there were torn trousers and some
very ruff1ed tempers, and when thu
students pounded on the door of the Head
household they were not particular
whether they made more noise than nee
essary or not and so they made more
1t happened that there was a sicl
child in the front room, upon which the
students knocked and the noise did no
tend to improve her condition. The
were directed to the right place and sue
ceeded in getting out of the yard with
out again becoming entangled in tn
barbed wire. At the Petri house the
found DR.. Mitchell who went home whe
he found that the students had been sen
by Dr. McClintock, and the student
were left masters of the situation.
The recent developments in the medi
cal college, have not tended to strength
en- the confidence of the people in tn,
students, and it is not surprising that the
people who live in the neighborhood o
last nights visit are somewhat excited.
Mrs. Petri is a poor woman and tn
house is very poorly furnished. Sh
had three children when her husband lef
her three months ago and she has beer
supporting her family by washing
is the business of County Physician Nc
I Clintock to take care of the cases whC
4 are too poor to employ a physician
When the county physician does no
want to go it is in his power to con
veniently "be too sick to GO
and then he may SEM
some one else and it is convenient I
send medical students because they wan
the practice. This explains the presenc
of the students last night OF cours
people who are able to employ a physi
clan do not have to make themselve
subjects for the students.