The evening times., 1896-02-10
CLINICS 1T fR[EDM|lA'S !
Investigation Of a Complaint Re.
sardlng Alleged Brutality.
PUBLIC ALLOWED TO ATTEND
Reporter Witnessed the Operations
Yesterday and Discovered Little
That Was Really Objectionable
Fun Made of the Patients in Order
10 Raise Their Courage.

afternoon clinic ut the Freedm3n's Hospi
tai as source Of evil, was received re
Gently by The Times. A reporter was sen
out yesterday afternoon to witness the %
erations presented at the clinic, and til,
manner i'll which the whole affair is con
ducted. A high-c!ass scientific exhibi
ton was witnessed, having some features
which may be criticized, but even about
these there are differences OF opinion.
The clinic is intended primarily for the
benefit OF students Of Howard University,
but IT is also the purpose TO make it i'll.
structive and useful to the public gener.
ally. IL is in this admission Of the public
generally to participate in the benefits
that has subjected the clinic TO attack
The letter to The Times was signed
"Chas. Henry 1t was not dated nor
had IL any mark to Indicate whence IL
came. II read Is follows:
To the Editor of the Times: You are al
ways ready to cry out in no uncertain Ian
guage againstgross wrongs wherever found.
The citizens OF the District are thankful to
you for this.
"Wiii you not at cnce save the ycung men
and women by speaking out against the
brutal exhibitions given every :;unda after
noon at the Freednan's Hospital? The
scenes witnessed there each SuLd1y after
noon under the present Incumbent must be
followed by brutaiizins the young men ard
women of this community. as well as be
subversive Of all good morals.
THE COMPLAINT MADE.
''On Sunday afternoons, without regard
to sex or age. men and women promscu-
Ousiy and indiscriminateIy are allowed to
go ont TO the Freedmans Hospital aid
witness the clinical operations performed,
the same being TO see the new surgeon Cper-
ate on afflicted men and women.
No one except these connected with the
medical profession should be allowed to be
present. II is certainly no place for ycurg
men and women"
The clinic begins at 2::3O p. m. and all
classes of persons are admitted appar-
emily without any attempt to discriminate.
At the hour named a small aud ence was
Present mostly OF medical std cnts and
older persons. As the time passed there
We're additions to the audience by twos
and threes and sometimes party of half
a dozen, till by $50 there were nearly a
hundred present.
women ranging in ge from eighteen 10 fifty.
About twenty OF these were women. Three
We're Of middle age and apparently ma irons
The Others We're young women and appar-
entity unmarried. Nearly all these We're
present apparently rather out OF curiosity
than from desire to learn. The men. a
very large percentage of them, were at
tempting TO get something useful ont .<
the clinic.
Dr. Daniel H. Williams was In charge of
the operations The whole affair was con-
iucted with Il due regard for decorum. ex-
ccpt, perhaps, at the excelsior OF the ton
ills OF TWO cOiored children. when the
made the most OF bis op-
to amuse the spectators.
Troughout there was a manifest effort at
being smart that older and more dignified
lecturers would probably consider bad
taste.
TIE OPERATIONS.
The cases exhibited were a man for
what Dr. Williams called ruptured an-ur-
snI. He said he had first explored the
umor presented at the first appearance by
means ofa spear" a liitleinsl rument which
he said cost only so cents and which every
roung man there presumably medical stu
lent ought to have.
He then made au incisiop ard took out
'ifty-three grammes OF blood clot. A coed
recovery had been effected and the mans
eg saved In the midst of the description
)f the case Dr. Williams interpolated
little talk on the use of common sense in
medical practice, ending with advice TO
90 slow and let others try experiments.
There was necessary display OF tts
mans person, but nothing which could sug
sc>t anything immoral to the mcst sensi-
i've and hardly to the most prurient. In
his and in the Succeeding cases there was
DO display OF the person more immcdest
han the barring of a woman's arm and her
,ust half as low as in n fashionabe even
ng dress.
The next exhibition was of a boy who
complained of pains in his legs ard was
obliged TO 90 on crutches. DR.. Williams
aid no dia snosis had been made Of the case,
md he Went through the various move
nents necessary to determine what was the
ource of pain. He finally located it as
ubercular hip-joint disease, in which the
'artila &c at the head of the femur had been
partially destroyed.
Then came Il girl, who had been operated
lpon before the class for uterine trouble, and
he ovaries and uterus removed. thus cur
ne epileptic fits. which had made the
PATIENTS life a troubled and useless exist |
nee. She now had an opportunity said the
ecturer. of becoming good and useful citi-
en-. While recovery from the fits was not
Ilways assured in such cases. the operation |
vas not dangerous. and was we'll worth try
ng. He said facetiously that Rosetta had |
sked him about having any more convul- |
ions. and appeared really lonesome without |
hem. She said she would rather like |
ust one more, for old remembrance sake. |
THE TRIED AND TRUE MEDICINES.
DR.. Williams then told OF a case of sar- |
oma under his charge, and said they were |
preparing some toxine for erysipelas, and |
proposed to try it. as it had been found |
seful abroad and in this country. He paid |
lis respects to a new remedy. which is a |
ad now in medicine. and said the best prac- |
itioners really have only about fifteen or |
wenty drugs of tried merit upon which |
hey rely.
For his part, he had little confidence in /!
nything till he had seen 1t tried in at least |
90 cases. He told how there is much less |
ancer in this city apparently than in Chi |
ago. although the drinking and high living |
hight be expected to produce more of it. |
feat eating and liquor drinking. he as |
crted. were conducive to cancer. The ale |
Englishman thinks he is not aris