The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-27
HIS FRIENDS ALARMED AT THE
FIGHT DIR. BRIMHALL is
MAKING
RESULT SAID TO BE IN DOUBT
Where the Opposition to the Pres
ent superintendent of the City
and County Hospital Is
Coming From. q

Six weeks ago it seemd as if DR.. A. B.
Ancker would secure a reelection as
superintendent of the city and county
hospital by the unanimous vote of the
board of control. Since that time other
aspiraGts for the position have put up
such vigorous fight that it would not
be surprising to see Dr. J. B. BrimhaH
elected to succeed DR.. Ancker. For weeks
delegations and individuals have been
calling the members of the board of
control urging that body to elect some
other than DR.. Ancker to the head of the
city hospital All these facts have been
carefully kept from the knowledge of
the public except so far as the informal
ton has been disseminated by individ-
uals The work, however, has had its
effect on the members of the board Of
control which has come to believe that
the demand for a change is not limited
to any Insignificant number of citizens.
The opposition to DIR. Ancker's re-elee-
tion comes in the first instance from the
doctors of st. Paul. On former occasions
when opposition to his reelection APP
peared he had the gentlemen conStitut-
ing the hospital staff to fall back Oh.
They supported him to a man and as
they all We're men of influence it went
long way to making DR.. Ancker'S path
| easy, This year large number of the
physicians on the hospital staff favor
change and these with 80 per cent of the
doctors who are not on the hospital staff
make a formidable opposition to DR..
Anckers aspirations. Just why so many
OF the doctors are opposed to DR.. Anoker
is not positively known. The fact re-
mains, if reports be true, that they are.
DIR. Ancker has been unfortunate in
the matter of handling his staff of nurses
Without referring to an occasional hegira
of nurses, it is said; how all who have
taken a course at the city hospital have
left with that friendship for DR.. Ancker
that is usually felt by the graduate of an
institution for its head. Many of these
have friends and where they thought
they had grievances they have told them.
| Whether their grievances were real or
imaginary, the recital of them in some
cases made enemies for Dr. Ancker.
This has formed another source of keen
| opposition to his reelection. His former
internes have also harbored grievances
and DR.. Ancker's professional manage
ment of the institution generally has not
| been in harmony with the ideas Of some
members of his profession.
So that as the time for his reelection
has drawn nigh, the possibility of his
defeat has seemed to his friends to be-
come greater. The attention of the
board has been called to many incidents
of hospital management and the demand
| from many quarters that the board, it
is said, is seriously considering the ex
pediency of listening to it,
The applicants for the position have
! dwindled down since a recent visit paid
| by DR.. Ancker to DR.. Artz in the latters
office. 1t was reported that DR.. Ancker
frightened DR.. .Artz out Of the race. DR..
Artz, however, said last night the re-
| port was untrue He said Dr. Ancker
10 h06 nd
| he CDR. Artz) had been knock
| ing him. He wanted to know
| If it were true, and if so he wanted 1t
| stopped DR.. Artz said he had been
| doing no knocking and to show his kind
ness of spirit to Or. Ancker he with
| drew from the contest. Of those remain
! ing in DR.. Brimhall is the most formid-
I able candidate DR.. BrimhaIl has been
endorsed and urged for the position by
| many of the leading doctors of the city
! and by scores of people who knew of his
! work as practitioner in the city. For
| instance, here is a copy of a document
| sent to the board of control recently
but withheld from the press like many
| other matters of general public news in
| terest touching this fight
| Minnesota State Board of Medical Ex-
am1nerS-Jan. %. 1901.-It having come
to the knowledge of the Min
! nesota state board of medical exam
1HerS lIldl the retiring secretary of this
| board, Mr.. John B. Brimhall is a can
| dldate for the office of city and county
| physician of st. Paul, Mimi, we take
! great pleasure in publicly testifying that
| DR.. Brimhall has been an earnest un-
| firing, efficient worker in the interests
! of this board, and we believe In case
of his election as city and county physi-
clan, he will bring to the office the same
! rare administrative and executive abiI-
| lty which has characterized his work as
an officer Of this board and will in fact.
| reflect credit upon any position which
! may be accepted by him.
o c. Tarbox. M. Adele S. Hutchin-
y, President. son. M. D.
NJ d. D.
p. A. Hilbert. NJ L. A. Fritsche M.
| D. D.
| Charles Simpson C J RingnelI M
M. d. D.
Supplementing Endorsements of this
kind as to his executive ability, his
friends have urged his personal popu-
larity won by his considerable attention
to every case he has been called upon
to handle in his professional career. His
| friends feel that if he fails he has not
failed through any lack of ability to fill
| the bill. and if DR.. Ancker wins again
he will do so because he still retains the
| confidence of the board, backed by strong
| personal influence. 1t is said the election
| VIII take place tomorrow. Until that time