Evening star., 1900-03-22
THE EMERGENCY HOSPITAL.
Statement of Its Duties and Achieve
ments by Coroner Carr.

ments by Coroner Carr.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
In two recent editorials in your paper you
have attacked in a rather savage manner
tho rood name of the Emergency Hospital.
evidantly under a great misrepresentation OF
the facts.
As YOU truly remarked. the value to the
public of such an institution may be easily
damaged by a suspicion. and as you nave
published that suspicion under mistaken
premises, 1 ask you to publish this reply, to
inforrn yourself more thoroughly, II need
be. and to repair as far as possible the in
jury you have done
The duties of the Emergency Hospital
are we'll defined and may be briefly stated
as follows:
To respond promptly to ambulance calls,
giving the best possible first aid to the
sick or injured; to convey serious cases
skillfully and quickly to the hospital, and
there give them the best possible medical
and surgical treatment. to keep them only
so long assis necessary for their safety,
and to notify the police of criminal cases
or of serious cases where no friends ap-
pear
In case of death 1t is the duty of the
hospital TO notify friends or relatives OF
the deceased; or, if these are not available.
the police; and in all cases where death is
due 10 other than natural causes the law
requires that the coroner be notified.
1t is the duty of the hospital to keep
dead bodies no longer than twenty-four
hours, but to turn them over within that
time TO friends, to the health officer, or
to the coroner.
All these duties have been strictly full
filled by the hospital, which courts the
fullest examination of all its acts by the
proper authorities. as well as by interest
ed persons. In the Coulson case. of which
so much has been said. the hospital per-
formed its duty in full. The police were
| 90 a,,I rr ir
death, and when they failed to find his
relatives the health officer was very prop
erly requested to take charge of the body,
and did so. From the moment the health
officials took charge of the body the hos
pital was relieved of all responsibility for it.
The hospital cannot, with any Justice, be
blamed for the inability OF the police to
ind Mr.. Coulson's relatives, nor for his
burial in the potter's field. The impHca-
ton that there is danger of bodies being
turned over to colleges for dissection is
absurd. The law distinctly provides that
such bodies shall be distributed under the
supervision of the health officer under
stringent restrictions. The Coulson COM
plant, like those which have followed it,
comes from a misunderstanding of the po-
sition and duties of the Emergency Hos
pital.
Those who are SO ready to abuse this
benevolent institution and to call for its
investigation by the Commissioners evident
| ly do not know that one Of ths Commits
L
| tors, and the treasurer of the hospital
| that he gives it his close personal atten-
| ton and Is more thoroughly acquainted
with its rules and details than. perhaps any
other person connected with 1t.
They evidently do not know that the
| board of directors comprises thirty-one men,
\ including one of the Commissioners the
health officer and the sanitary officer That
| these thirty-one men are all weil-known
| citizens of the District, of unimpeachab
| character and intelligence, and that they
make or supervise all the rules governing
| the institution.
| That these men give not only time, but
no inconsiderable amount of money to this
| hospital, which they have established, and
| which they maintain as a blessing to the
| city of Washington.
| 1t should be known that the medical staff
| is chosen by this board of directors and
| that they have the whole medical profess
| sion of Washington from which to make
| their choice.
| Especially should II be known that no
| member of either the board of directors
\ or of the medical staff receives any pecu-
| mary compensation for his services These
| men have at heart nothing but the best IN
| terests of the hospital and of the people
| TO whom they have offered its services,
and from the nature of their relations can
I have no other motive
| Not cent of the $4,000 appropriated by
| Congress goes into any of their pockets
| II should be known that in It's wards
| and dispensaries this hospital furnishes free