The Nome nugget., 1901-08-09
FROM HE PEOPLE.
A Kick RegiStered,

The following letter wa, read at the meeting of the city council last Monday night and referred to the hospital com mlttee:
 Nome. Alaska, Aug. l, 1901. To the Honorable Acting Mayor and the Com mon tOuncil: notice in accounts published in the public prints of this week that yOUr honorable body at a re- cent mectIng instructed the health officer to refuse admission to the CitV Hospital to any practitioners of medl- clne who might go there for the pur- pose of giving their services to the in- mates thereof, with the exception of those physician, under salary from the town. namely, the health officer and the hospital superintendent.
 The cause o1 this extraordinary ac- tiOu an unable to imagiue, unless it. be that oCnIe of our people who were unfortunate enough to be taken sick and compelled to seek what the citizens of Nome have provided in such cases- a place i'll the City Hospital, and re- queoted the services Of d physician who Was an "L ltlandtr to those in au- thority.
 Heretofore | was under the impress sion that the City Hospital Is d public one. The council : action leads nae to infer otherwise. do not know of any town. whether incorporated or not that boasts of d pl bllc hospital. that is not only glad bat anxious to secure the ocrNcee oi an! ph!slclar who may be practlcing therein. 1 rdnuOt believe that the physicians enployed by the munlclpaiItN have cOunicuanCeG or au- NOCateu inl> matter. do they are surely well enough acquainted with the ethics of their profession to have d proper re- gard for their obligations to the public at lar2c, as well as to their fellow practitioners.
 On inquiry learn that a spacious ar 1 gumcnL has been advanced to the cf- rect that were physicians not in the employ of he city allowed to visit pa tieut, of theirs in the City Hospital. Nnu were in luUigcnt circumstance. but who desired their services, that the cost of nursing would be increased. Do | 1 understand from thl, that the attend ance furnished i> not sufficient or in any way dctlrlcnt? trust not. and if Il were, would noi be better to remedy a defect of this character. rather than to refuse the unfortunate sick the services of their family physician. when that physician iS wiling to attend them | grat ltOuslN.
 Put yourselves in tine predicament of being stranded aud sick. forced by cir cum,tanccS to seek the shelter of the ECIty Hospital. Would you like to be deplaved Of your physician. who has may hap brought you through serious siege of sickness heretofore, and be compelled while sick and miserable to l submit to the ministlatiOnS of other physicians. who. while their ability has never been aosailed. would be strangers to you, and of whose medical skill you 1 had no knowledge: when. at no extra cost to the municipality, you cou.d te attended by the physician of your | choice.
 Gentlemen of the council. you are putting yourselves in the attitude of creating of public and supposedly charitable institution a private snap, and by such action you are doing an inj justice to the physicians in your em- ploy, to the medical profession geper- l ally. and working a hardship on the people of Nome, whose best interests you were elected to office to serve.
 feel satisfied your action has been 1 nasty and without due consideration. and that upon mature deliberation you will see this matter in it's proper light, anu hasten to do your duty in the matter by repeating your order.
 \ ours very respectfully.
 ED. F. HILL, M. D.