The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-29
BARBAT HOLDS
THE EDGE ON
THE OTHERS
Health Board Is All
Split Up.
RIVAL COLLEGES RESPONSIBLE
a PRETTY FIGHT TO GUST DR.. G.
E. SUSSDORF.
Keeney, Coffey and Payne Ready to
Do 1t, but Burns Family Physi-
clan Has an AK to
Grind.
A PRETTY FIGHT TO GUST DIR. G.
E. SUSSDORF.

AS pretty a fight as one would wish to
see in lifetime is now being waged in
the new Board of Health. On the surface
it appears to be DR.. Barbat against his
colleagues-Drs. Payne, Coffey and Kee-
ney. AS a matter of fact, 1t is the united
faculties of the Cooper and University of
California medical colleges against the
College of Physicians and Surgeons. In
the preliminary sparring so far the "P
and s. as the Fourteenth-street insti-
tuition is called, has had all the advan-
tage. Latterly. however, its united OPP
ponents have developed wonderful recu-
perative powers and the contest promises
to go the limit to a draw
In such an event one man will be happy
He is DR.. G.. f. Sussdorf, the present
superintendent of the City and County
Hospital. The longer the fight lasts the
longer he will hold office and should it
end up with no decision he will continue
in his place. Three members of the Board
of Health have intimated their wish to
create a vacancy by disposing Of him. the
intention being to appoint as his sue
cessor DR.. David E. Hodghead who has
an office in the McNutt Hospital on SUIT
ter street and is the candidate of DR..
WlnSIoW Anderson, dean of the faculty
OF the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The fourth member of the board DR.
Barbat, is perfectly willing to get rid of
Sussdorf but refuses TO bulge in that
direction until he is absolutely certain
that no candidate of the "P and s." will
get the place
Barbat announced himself to that eff
feet a week ago last night. At a secret
meeting of the board to oil the toboggan
for the doomed employees of the Health
department 1t was proposed to Dust Suss-
dorf. keeney. Coffey and Payne voted in
the Affirmative; Barbat in the negative
stating that he knew it to be the purpose
Of his colleagues to elect Hodghead He
said he had nothing personally against
Hodghead, merely opposing him as the
candidate of a college. DR.. Barbat's stand
settled it. 1t takes four votes to create a
vacancy, and only three to elect Without
Barbats vote the other three had nothing
to I'LL, and there they stand and are likely
TO stand until Dan Burns cracks the whiD
ana makes his family physician hunt his
Had DR.. Barbat been candid with his
colleagues he would have told them that
he opposed Hodghead not because he was
the representative of a college but be-
cause he was the representative of the
College or Physicians and Surgeons,
Whlch is largely DR.. WinSlow Anderson
He could have told them also-maybe they
know it-that the mere mention of the
name of Or. Anderson in the presence of
Barbat is like Haunting a red rag in front
of a bull. 1t makes Barbat below.
Ihls may be because, while Barbat is
physician to the family of Dan Burns DR.
Anderson enjoys the full confidence of the
Mexican and has been called in on extra
ordinary occasions. 1t may be that the
1aundice Of professional jealousy has col
ored the feelings of the family physician
TO such an extent that they influence his
action in the Board of Health. However
that may be, it remains of record that
Barhat, who agreed with his colleagues
in putting a clothespin on the nose of the
Board of Health while the Burns off
scouripgs were being passed into office,
does not agree with them on the man to
be elected superintendent of the City and
County HOSDital
For the present Barbat seems to have
the whip hand. His colleagues have the
three votes necessary to elect Hodghead,
but not the four needful to Dust Sussdorf
The principal interest the Cooper and
California college faculties have in the
fight is against further encroachment of
the College of Physicians and Surgeons
on what they have considered their par
tieular preserve. For that reason they
support Barbat in his opposition to Hodg-
head, who represents the P. and S:
They know that with Sussdorf out of the
way. Drs. Keeney, Coffey and Payne
would put In, If not Hodghead, some other
P. and S. candidate: The action Of
the three physicians at a meeting on the
very night on which they first tried to
Gust Sussdorf, Barbat showed that. DR.
Payne introduced an innocent looking res.
olution to the effect that the College of
Physicians and Surgeons be allowed equal
privileges at the City and County Hospi-
tai with the medical department of the
University Of California and Cooper Med
lege of appointing one visiting physician
and one visiting surgeon without pay;
and, further to appoint an equal number
of graduates as internes.
The resolution was adopted with only
one dissenting vote Barbat's) but the
fact that the triumph was not without OPP
position made it none the less bitter for
the opponents of the College of Physicians
and Surgeons. which had at last won its
long fight and was finally on equal foot
ing with the others.
With SussdOrf out and Hodghead in the
p. and S would be cock of the walk, with
the others nowhere. 1t remains to be
seen whether or not Barbat can hold the
fort.