The sun., 1900-12-21
MORE BELLEVUE NURSES GO
THE WHOLE or THE AICOHOIIC
Wards STAFF SUSPENDED.
Their Dismissal Left to the Mills Training
school. whose Pupils They Are shock
Ing Conditions Disclosed by Comr. Kei-
Iers Inquiry sweeping Changes Made.

"b sonuItiOns DsfiOseu ~ sOmr. ket-
Ier's Inquiry Sweeping Changes Made.
A. the result of his investigation of the
'harges OF brutal usage of patients by nurses
IN the alcoholic and insane wards at Bellevue
Hospital Commissioner John " Keller of tho
Department of Charities yesterday ordered
the suspension of the SIX nurses In the alco-
holc ward and made other sweeping changes
affecting both wards to correct what hc
I called the shocking conditions existing there
II" said aftcrward that not only had he found
cases Of extreme neglect OF patients by nurses,
but his investigation had corroborated the
! charges of brutality on the part of the nurses
The SIX whom Mr. Keller suspended yester-
day are Edward l. liarmcr. Joseph X Rafferty,,
! William l.. Wilson. II Is Newcomer, John
| ID. Frederick and T. j. MacCracken All
! come from the Mills Training School AZ did
| the three nurses DISCHARGED from the insane
| pavilion by MIR Keller as the result OF Louis
/ T. billiards. death there.
| Before ordering the suspension Of the ak
! nurses Mr. Keller laid before the governors
| OF the Mills school. at a meeting they held
| In the afternoon. the evidence he had COL
| lected Of the treatment received by patients
| under their care. Much OF this testimony
| ne said 20 the governors. was probably ex-
aggerated. but making allowances for that
1
ing else but suspend the nurses Further
dealing with them he left as matter of court
| csy with the board Its action will be decided
| at its next meeting. The governors present
| at the meeting were DR. George B Fowler
| DIR. Joseph ID. Bryant. DR. Walter Is James
| Dr. ii l.. Iooms and John : Mccullough
| All of them declined to discuss the matter
| IL Is understood. however. that several Of
| the governors are Inclined TO sympathI2e
| with the nurses and believe that MIR krllcr's
! action In disChargIng some and su-pcud.I z
! Others a. not been entirely Justified the
evidence before hIm. 1t Is the intention OF
| tho trustees, accordingly. to examine these
nurses themselves Nuat Will be the result.
should the board decide not to dismiss them,
Is a matter tor speculation. but MIR. Keller
| Is nIu! IA ms purpose not 10 allow them 10
reenter the hospital. He said yesterday, that
as matter OF courtesy. he had suspended
the nurses instead OF disinlssng them. but
when the governors had acted, whatever
Their conclusions were. he would take his
Own action.
Mr KolIer took still another step in the
direction of reform in the hospital yesterday
py placinS IN charge Of the insane and alCo-
three years has been the general medical GA
aminer, OF the department. and IN appointing
as head nurse OF the insane ward a graduate
nurse with experience in the care ot the in
sane The nurse he selected j. X j. VI Wright
who has been at Blooninsdale Asylum and
has also served in the. Iowa state Insane
Asylum. He was taken from the civil service
list 1t is Mr Keller's intention to-day 10
appoint graduate nurse Of experience with
Before suspending the nurses in that ward
Mr. Keller yesterday examined George
toned in the charges made by other patients
korner was admitted TO- the hospital two
been struck and jumped on after, the nurses
had taken of his clothes and that pillows
had been placed over his head to that he could
nurse. he said. tried to strangle him with a
towel because he refused 60 take medicine
Gi3mmsSsi3ner, Keller asked him i he had been
made no difference II was nothing but
clubbing all the time He was sent to tho
the nurses and he pointed ont Harmer
having ordered him strapped and Rafferty,
and Wilson as having beaten him Mr.
Keller had his statement taken down and
laid 1t with others be had obtained from
former patients before the governors Of the
After his conference with the school trustees
Mr. Keller gave out a statement dealing with
his INVESTIGATION and its results. In it he
Mills Training School because it was free
from political influence. It's governors were
and he believed that they had taken every
precaution to insure that the applicants for
mentally and morally for such work Daily
inspections Of the wards had been made by tho
superintendent Of the, school. the supern-
and visiting physicians. and none of these
had reported a case of abuse or neglect of
patients for t these reasons Mr. Keller said
he AZ frst refused To accept the charges
against the nurses as true.
In order. however, that no stone might he
unturned 20 learn the truth as " conditions
in the alcoholic ward" said Mr. Keller. 1
took the names Of all the patients admitted
and sent my own trusted men, to hunt W these
people and TO ask them 20 tell The truth about
their treatment in the alcoholic ward, Less
than 10 per cent. of the whole number could
be found because of fal names, false ad-
dres,es and remoyq,- but Of the number
BEEN bU III TIRE treated in tha Alcoholic war ward These
men were not actuated by any other motive.
as FAR a. can see. than TO tell o." truth
They did not come to me. ] had to go to
them and had 10 make a search to find them.
They were not nstigated To make statements.
When Wh obtanad d his fS evidence ' il it seemed T,td
to me to be conclusive proof that the nurses
OF the alcoholic ward had been guilty Of
neCessary har-hness TO the patients. There
Is no charge In any Of the evidence of fatality
produced by the Treatment but there, is
abuse. reprehensible neglect or unwarrant"d
onGe WseP sS SsGas S E WnSrS % ct tins
ernors OF the Mills Training school TO meet
lie called a meeting of the hoard ap-
peared before that, board and submitted
70 it the evidence ! had obtained l told
them that was sure that they were as anN- |
ious TO obtain good service IN Bellevue Hos |
pital as was, and that in order 10 give them |
an opportunity to exercise their di~ci- |
pine | would suspend six nurse from service |
IN Bellevue pending their action in the mat |
ter ] have no doubt that on tho evidence |
furnished 10 them the governors will dismiss |
these nurses
Mr. Keller said that the whole invrstiGa- |
tion had shown plainly that IN spite Of the |
precautions taken IN tho selection of nurses |
and the care m iustructing them. such repre- |
hensibe conditions existed that it would be |
Necessary To institute different sy stem for |
conducting the insane pavilion and the al |
cohOlc ward Or SChultze, whom hc has |
placed in charge of the wards, was Coroner |
from 1850 to 1895 and was also for six ears |
IA" eSyert In luuacy under the immigration |
nmm issoners. In addition 10 these changes, |
Mr. Keller said. he would amend the rules |
ia the, matter Of keeping records IL has |
been charged that records have been changed |
after injuries had been inflicted Mr. Keller |
said that he would insist that nurses record |
injuries minutey. under the direction Of IA |
physician, So that II Will hc impossible 20 change |
the record without Collusion Tho-" changes, |
he said should bring about better conditions |
IN the hospital
Coroner Fitzpatrick will hold tho inquest |
into the death of the lunatic. Louis "A nillilrd.
to-day at 1890 O'Clock II is expected. how |
ever. that counsel for the nurses who are |
under bail, charged with having chnked |
billiard 10 death will try to have the inquest |
,,Gs hn - oil Ia h.