The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-31
DR., We'll. IS ON
HIS METTLE.
ReSentS the Structures on
Him and the Receiving
Hospital.
PROMPT ACTION TAKEN.
District Attorney Consulted as to
Indicting Mrs. Bruner for
Criminal Libel.
MRS. BRUNER is INDIGNANT.
She ReiterateS Her Charges, but the
Woman's Federation Will Not
Support Her.
MRS. BRUNER IS INDIGNANT

Mrs. J. w. Brunel was very angry y0o-
terday There was lightning in her
glance, and she would have been in no
wise sorry if that lightning had struck DR..
We'll of the Receiving Hospital.
Mrs Bruner was a member OF
committee appointed by the Woman's
Federation for Public Good to inspect pub
lie institutions. The committee, which
consisted of Mrs. Bruner, Mrs. T. G. Fair
banks and Mrs. D. X. Farr, made its first
visit to the Receiving Hospital on Wednes-
day of last week. 1t discovered points of
strength and weakness in the administra-
ton of affairs, and Mrs. Farr was over
heard TO refer to the matron's work as an
example of the former. The memb ers of
the committee were surprised to find their
report 10 the federation published the fol-
lowing morning. The premature an
nouncem ent was attributed for some rea-
son to DIR. We'll, and Mrs. Bruner has
shown anything but pacific inclination
toward the physician since.
She acted as spokeswoman for the COM
mittee at the meeting of the federation on
Monday and pointed out, in characteristic
manner what she considered abuses in the
institution. She deplored the fact that
beardiess youths are employed there in
stead of graybeaIds, objected to the lack
Vi privacy III lHe ppcTdtlllS-IOOIu, WHERE,
she believed, that women should be more
protected from the gaze of passersby, and
made some reference to the condition of
the surgical instruments.
The lady'S wrath against Dr. We'll as the
alleged inspirer of the newspaper article
might have smoldered into nothingness
had it not been for the interview with DR..
We'll published in Yesterdays CALL, in
which the doctor said that the ladies
meant well, but might know more of sur
gerry than they do. Mrs. Burners indig-
nation rose when she read this.
The whole trouble came from those
young doctors making reports to the news
to the federatIon," said Mrs. Bruner
Their reports were not in accordance
with facts.
"Dr. We'll accuses us of ignorance of sur
gical instruments. Well, we certainly had
no more knowledge when we left than
when we arrived. All the information we
received was from Joseph Mogan, the
under steward. There was no physician
there to instruct Us. The under steward
took down a razor and said: That wouldn't
cut, anyway We asked: WHAT'S it for?'
and he answered, TO shave heads in case
of scalp wounds, but it doesn't cut; it pulls
out py the roo,'.' One of US said: 1T is an
instrument of torture and he agreed that
it was. He showed Us some forceps and
remarked that they were ineffective be-
cause they were liable to slip from the
arteries. He told US there was not a decent
instrument among them and that $1,000
would replace them with a proper set. We
have nothing against the matron She
received us kindly. But we regretted that
we called on what seemed to be the funeral
day of the institution. 1t was strange that
all of the friends of the physicians were
dead or dying.
I'VE are informed that the place is in
charge of men. We would be glad to
know what days the men are there. so
that we may call at some other time than
the boys days"
Mrs. Bruner was angry. The habitues
OF the hospital discovered that when she
called to examine the records to ascertain
whether DR.. We'll was really present when
he affirmed that he was she claimed that
the register made some startling revea-
tons as to the lnternes' practice of regis
tering for their superiors.
The Woman's Federation deplores the
misunderstanding.
DR.. Conrad We'll, head surgeon at the
Receiving Hospital, says he does not in
tend to quietly submit to the structures
made upon him personally and the man
agement of the hospital by the committee
of the Woman's Federation who visited
the hospital and reported the result to a
meeting on Monday night
He called upon District Attorney Barnes
yesterday and submitted the articles that
have appeared in the press relating to the
visit OF the ladies, with the object of hav-
ing Mrs Bruner indicted by the Grand
Jury for criminal libel.
District Attorney Barnes told the doctor
that he would carefully peruse the arti-
cles. and if he found any ground therein
for criminal libel, he would at once lay the
matter before the Grand Jury.
DR.. We'll has also requested the Board of
IA ~
the charges brought by the ladies at the
very earliest opportunity.
II DO not propose" said DR.. We'll yes
terday, Ito allow any woman or any man
TO charge me with direct falsehood when
there is not the slightest ground for it.
Why this woman should deliberately make
statements which she must know are not
in accordance with facts is puzzle to me.
Her talk about boys being in the hospi-
tai is all nonsense. On the day the three
ladies visited the hospital, week ago yes
terday, they were received by DR.. Klnne,
who wears bushy beard and mustache.
he escorted them to my Office and told
him to give them every facility for obtain
ing all the information they wanted. He
returned with them to the hospital and
Just about that time-1: 40 P. M.-Dr. Bun
nell, who also wears beard and mustache,
was attending to a case. as the record
shows the time as :42.
'Dr. fltZSlDDon and DIR. Helms relieve
Drs. Bunnell and Kline at AS p NJ, but,
as / explained before, DIR. Fitzgibbon was
absent that day at the funeral of relative.
Dr. Helms, however, who wears a mus
tache, reported on duty at / AS. No case
came in till 3:15. Meantime Dr. Helms
had received a dispatch, which he still has
in his possession. that his mother was Sc
rIously i'll, and | gave him permission to
leave SO that he could catch a train, and |
told the steward to call me by telephone if
any case came III before Drs. Thompson
and Stice reported on duty at 3 As. Two
cases came in, one at 3 rs and the other at
3 rs, and / attended to them both, and the
ladies were in the hospital at the time
They were also there when Drs. Thompson
and Stice reported on duty, and DR..
was talking with Mrs. Farr for
some time about Chinese insane patient
in whom she was interested. These are
facts that can be substantiated.
Mrs. Bruner asserts that the records at
the hospital have been falsified. That is
not true. She bases her charge upon what
she saw in the register when she and some
other ladies visited the hospital last even
ing. She made the glazing mistake of