Evening journal., 1900-12-04
Mrs. MAHONEY
WILL BE BURIED
Board Of Health Issued a
Certificate To-day
DIR. CHANDELIERS STATEMENT
Charles B. DOugherty Will Inter The
Body Tomorrow Morning
at 8 O'clock
DR.. CHANDELIERS STATEMENT

At a special meeting of the Board OF
Health held this morning, it was
unanimously decided to issue a burial
certificate for the body of Mrs. Mary J..
Mahoney who died at her residence.
No. 5O4 Pine street, on Thursday last.
and over whose interment there has
been a difficulty.
The meeting was called to order at
ll.l5 o'clock by President George B.
Ward, and in attendance were DR..
James H. Morgan, George Boughman,
Secretary Andrew C. Cahill, DR.. Ostro
and Dr.. Swithin Chandler.
Mr.. Cahill stated the object Of the
special session. The latter explained
his position in>the matter, saying that
he had acted in a manner that he
thought wise, and that he had consult
ed the city solicitor who upheld his
position.
DR.. Morgan said that when a person
died through violence or without medi-
cal attendance, it was the coroner's
place to act, but that as in this case,
the last attending physician should
give a certificate, ana that the coroner
was not factor.
DR.. Morgan thought that the board
could settle the difficulty, and called
upon Dr. OstrO for a statement.
The physician said that on last Sat
urday week he had been called to see
Mrs. Mahoney. She was at that time
down stairs and after successfully re-
ducing the hernia, which was done on
the lower floor, left, ordering that his
patient should not be moved. When
he called the next day he found that
she had been carried to the second
story, and Immediately gave up the
case. as he did not care to have any
thing more to do with it. When asked
by DR.. Morgan If he saw any signs of
violence, he replied mo" Asked IL
he would have any personal objection
to the board issuing a burial certif-
cate, he said that he would prefer to
hear what DR.. Chandler had to say. He
also said he had attended Mrs. Ma
honey about four months ago when
she was suffering with a threatened
attack of typhoid fever. He had, how
ever, left her in good health.
l.
Dr. Chandler said that on Sunday
he received a telephone message to go
to Mrs. Mahoney's residence, and did
so. He found her upstairs, as stated
by Dr. Ostro, and found that he CDR.
Ostro) had, in his opinion, skillfully
treated the patient for hernia, and
that she had apparently entirely re-
covered. Mrs. Mahoney, however,
complained Of sickness of the stomach,
and upon examination he found the
abdomen very much swollen and as
''hard as a board"
He applied applications so as to be
able TO make an examination. The
next day he found the stomach in
about the same condition, and suggest
ed that he should make an incision to
ascertain what the trouble was. He
called again the following day and
then again suggested that she should
go to any hospital for an operation
The family said they would let him
know and later he received word that
they refused to have an operation per
formed. He then told the family that
unless an operation was performed
that death would ensue. He also urged
Father Kelly to intercede, to which he
consented. Dr. Chandler said he had
brought a trained nurse from Philadel-
phia to take charge of the case.
After Mrs. MahOney's death he had
consulted with DR.. Forrest DR.. Ostrc
and Charles B. Dougherty, and it was
agreed that an examination should be
made The physicians proceeded to the
house and went upstairs. AS they were
about to make a post-mortem, every.
thing being apparently pleasant, the
dead wOman's sons came into the room
and refused to allow them to proceed
Ihey then left the room. DR.. Chandler
said he then told the sons that he
could not give a certificate, as he die
not know the cause of death. and he
was informed that his certificate wa.
not required, that the body could b,
taken out Of the county for burial with.
out his certificate.
DIR. Chandler said that he then con
suited Deputy Acknowledgement Pete
l.. Cooper and several other ATTORNEYS
and that they told him the stand h,
had taken was the correct one. He ais,
was informed that Mr. Cahill had act
cd properly in refusing to issue
burial permit, as the coroner had moth
ing to do with the affair.
Upon calling on Mr. Hilles last even.
ing he was led to believe that the onl,
objection that Mrs Mahoney's famil,
had to a pOst-mortem was the use Of Z
knife. He informed Mr.. Hilles IL thai
was the case he would make an exami
nation without using instruments. ant
the attorney said If that was the cas-,
the difficulty. he thought. could be ad
justed. Mr.. Hilles then called upon the
Mahoney brothers, but they refused t.
allow anything to be done. and Mr.
Hilles withdrew from the case. sayint
that DIR. Chandler was the only sone