The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-29

X.
been yaeGi4 nat d He He is o urging oE
- Health to follow his example
and in a measure at least protect them
selves. as he thinks he has done, from
the contagion which association with
Leon Dennery Will necessarily carry.
The suggestion has not yet been ac-
cepted, however, but the members of
the board are seriously discussing the
expediency Of giving Dennery chemi-
cal bath before he assumes the duties
of his office The outrage which the
board in it's appointments has perpe-
trated upon the city was the leading
topic yesterday of discussion. There
can now be no question that the mem
bers Of the board have not only paid
dirty political obligation to Burns, but
they have played fast and loose with
life and death and have betrayed the
people of the city into the clutches of
the railroad.
For the first time in many years the
lives Of citizens are absolutely at the
mercy Of the railroad. The machinery
of the Health Department has been
captured by the corporation. Railroad
doctors are on the board; they are in
the Receiving Hospital; they are on
police and emergency duty. They are
everywhere that an accident or Grim
inal negligence of railroad employees
may make the corporation responsible
for the loss Of life or limb. This con-
dition Of affairs is the result of a care
fully planned arrangement among Gov
ernor Gage. William F. Herrin, Dan
Burns and John l. Sabin.
In the selection of the Board of
Health the interests represented. by
these men were. considered. Burns had
his political obligations TO fill, not only
to riffraff retainers but TO the railroad.
Herrin wished to surround the rail
road with political doctors easy Of con-
science and ready in imagination. If
accidents in the streets will happen and
railroad employees win be negligent the
railroad does not wish to pay for the
sacrifice of life or limb. There was,
therefore, between Burns and HeTrin
a community of interests. They could
pay a double debt with one stroke. Both
wanted also to swing the telephone
company into line. 1t is a powerful
corporation, whose managers have con-
sCierces as elastic as those of the rail
road officials. Herrin sought to bring
the two corporations closer in an un-
holy communion and John I. Sabin was
naturally suggested as the medium.
The foundation for the creation of the
board had been laid. The personnel of
the distinguished body was an Incl
dental consideration. Two railroad
doctors were first chosen: One was
DR. Walter B. Coffey, who is in the
railroad service. and as servant does
as he is commanded TO do even to the
limit of soiling his mouth with the
name of Dennery. The other was Dr.
Redmond Payne. son-in-laW of John L
Sabin. an oculist at the railroad hos
pital in this city. DR.. Coffey and DR.
Payne are paid by the railroad people
TO attend to railroad victims. The rail-
road has not yet found cause to find
fault with either in the peculiar ser
vice he is expected to render. The third
physician was DR.. Barbat, the Mexi-
cans private doctor. The fourth mem
Der Of the board, DR.. .Keeney, is so es-.
sentially a political doctor that he
needs no further Characterization
But the delicate work required blythe
railroad Is not performed by. the mem
bers Of the Board of Health The daily
routine Of accidents and police cases
does not come under their Immediate
supervision. Their subordinates are re-
sponsible in this field, which is the OBJ
jectiVe point~Of danger to the railroad
The Board of Health has taken every
precaution to have the field perfectly
covered Fhe CITY Physician ic Dr
James O'Connor. one of the staff Of
physicians Of the railroad hospital.
The Assistant City Physician is DR..
William Berry, who is also in the ser
vice of the railroad people.
In the Receiving Hospital nothing has
been left undone to place the public at
the mercy of. the Southern Pacific Com
pany, the Market Street Railroad Com
pany and other street railroads. DR.. H.
Z. Morrison, Assistant Police Surgeon.