The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-08

HIS Widow. Says She Was Not Per-
mitted to- Look Upon His Face
After He Died, Either at the CITY
Hospital or at the Undertakers--
Statements of tho OmciaIs Con-
cerned in the AFFAIR.
Relatives of liver Christensen, who
dled at the city hospital Nov. 49, are
considerably Exercised over the fact
that his body was delivered to a medi-
cal college for dissection.
Christensen was a tailor living at 247
Thomas street.
The health department records show
that Mccarthy & Donnelly, the con-
tract undertakers for the county, filed
| notice that the body had been re
moved to Minneapolis" which might
mean removed to medical college for
| dissection
UP to last summer liver Christensen
was employed by E. G. Nordlin, the
tailor, 81 Jackson street. He was par
tlcularly noticeable because of peculiar
malformations Of his person. Not only
was his back hunched, but there was
peculiar growth that caused the
right side of the chest to protrude. He
was taken i'll and confined to his home
for some three months. The expense
of the sickness exhausted his means,
and. on Nov. 81, he secured admission
to the city hospital. For some time
previous to this he had been treated
by DR.. Leavitt, assistant city physi-
clan.
On the following day Mrs. Chrlsten-
son was notified at her home that her
husband was dead.
On Wednesday, Nov. %, in company
with two Of her sons, she went to the
city hospital and she says she was
denied permission to see the remains.
She was asked if she objected to a post
| mortem examination of the body, as
the physicians were very anxious to
learn the nature of the ailment from
which Christensen died. At the same
time she Was questioned as to her
financial ability to pay for the burial
of her husbands body. She told the
! man she was talking to, so she says,
that she was unable to bear such ex-
pense.
Mrs Christensen, who now lives at
162 Thomas street, said yesterday:
"They tell me. tAat the doctors want
ed the body to determine the cause or
his peculiar physical condition. Par
ticularly did they desire to learn the
| cause of his right chest protrud1ng.
1 gave them permission to make an eX-
animation. They were not satisfied
| with this, however, and took the body
entirely"
| The record at the health department
is not complete.
IF there is anything questionable In
| the disposition of the body OF Chris
! tenson," said; DIR. A. B. -Ancker, city
and county physician, II want to know
1.-THE records are open, and Will De
freely explained for the asking" He
! continued:
| AS to Mrs. Christenson's complaint
! that she and her children were denied
| the privilege of looking at the body
here, 1 do not question the truthfulness
I of her assertion. We do not admit any
one to our morgue, as frequently sew
1 eraI bodies are there, some Of them
! perhaps, dead from diphtheria."
| Clerk Schultz remembered Mrs. Chria-
tenson and the Christensen children
/ having been there, and their statement
that they could not afford to have
| private burial The consent to hold ar
autopsy was given at the time.
There is,sa state law" said DR.
-Ancker, that the medical colleges car
| make a requisition upon me for IN
| claimed material, by which | NEAR
| that they have the power to call upor
me for bodies that are not claimed fol
/ burial by relatives or friends. But
have served notice upon the n1edica
| schools that I will not honor such
reauisitions, and they have never
served one on me- What is done with
the bodies after they pass out OF soul
control u.s. of course, beyond my knoWl.
! edge.
s.As to the records of the hospital
] find that Christensen was admitted
| shortly after o'clock Nov. 81 and dice
a few minutes after II o'clock the fol
/ lowing day. His wife was at once not.
| flied of the death by note sem
/ through an A. D. T. messenger. Al
| autopsy was held, it being the practice
to make examinations where deaths
occur so soon after the patient is ad
mitted to the hospital. On the follow
/ ing day an order was issued TO INT
county undertaking contractors, Nc
Carthy & Donnelly, to bury the body
in the grounds near the county poor
| house. Attached to this order was {
| certificate to- be returned by the su
| perintendent of the poor farm II thu
| body was buried. The order, accord
ing to our records. was B 14o, and al
| examination of the records of the
board of control will show exactl!
| what was done in the case.
| 81 know that no requisition wal
made on me for the body"
An examination of the records O
the board of control shows that Nc
Carthy & Donnelly were paid $3.50 fol
the burial of Christensen on an ordel
from Dr. Ancker, dated Nov. %.
The order reads that the burial il
| to take place in the county GROUND
| near the almshouse.
/ There is no return from the superin
tendent of the farm showing that thu
interment took place, but the Dill wa!
| paid by the board of control.
TInderta ler DOnne!iV said that tn.
! BODY was delivered on the following
order:
To the Coroner or City Undertaken Of Ram
sey County, Nov. 20, 1888
| You are requested to deliver to US, as tn
faculty of the Minneapolis College OF PLY
tdclans and Surgeons the remains OF I've
| Chris.ison, the said remains not having beel
inferred nor desired for interment by Tn
friends or relatives of said deceased, and Their
being. so far as known, no relatives or friend
of said deceased who have not consented t
J purposes of study and dissection in the sail
medical college. This request is made In &C
cordance with section 36, of chapter 124, O
| -Hamline University,
/ College Of Physicians and Surgeons.
1 BY Geo. M. Crafts. NJ D.,
Norman Dreisbach. M. D.. Charles A. Ed
man, NJ. D., Committee
DR.. Quain, of the city hospital, sait
last night in explanation Of the en-
tanglement, that at the time that Mrs
/ Christensen could not see the body ant
| was directed to go to the undertakers i
| had not yet been subjected to the pos
mortem, so that it might not have
reached the undertakers when she call
/ ed there to seesit next morning, as il
was not taken there until perhaps moor
next day,
ST. PAUL BREWTIES.
Will Meet Tomorrow-The grand fury vii