The San Francisco call., 1901-11-02

arrangements at the hospital, which was then
hardly in condition to receive patients. al
took up my residence there. We engaged
number of nurses and proceeded to take in
c Competency Of Miss Dugan' '1 who had been in in
stalled as head nurse
She had had no previous experience but un-
dertook to dose patients. She told one of the
of peppermint to an old woman. when twenty
she proceeded to administer dose of lauda-
mum to a patient and taking enough to
kill man, when, fortunately 1 came into the
dispensary in time to stop her. Orders given
by me to the nurses were countermanded by
her. She said this was done by Murdocks
special orders as to diets. 1 got tired after a
few experiences of this kind and did not make
any further orders for special diets. although
in many instances they were required
In my opinion the patients did not get
enough or proper food. Ny orders were con-
tinually interfered with.
DR.. -Frzell next referred to the case of
the insane patient who was confined in
the attic. He said she was deprived of
every bit of furniture her meals were
laid on a tray on the floor and one day
for six hours she was allowed to go en-
tirely naked as her clothes had been taken
away from her by orders of Superintend-
ent Murdock.
Referring again to the matter of food
DR.. Hatch asked as to it's quality. DR..
Frizell said:
There was mush and milk for breakfast
roast meat and baked potatoes for dinner and
and in many tainted; in fact II was
unfit to eat 1t was insufficient, too in guam
tity Patients suffered from the lack of food
and oftentimes could not eat what they got
When nurses were specially required they could
not be had.
an left she was removed to the attic-room.
Nurse Crap told the superintendent in my pres
ence that the patient would die of cold If not
treated more humanely and Murdoch answered
that that was her lookout
Nurses Sustain Doctor.
DR.. Frizerl also referred to the visit of
inspection made by DR.. Hatch, who at the
time asked to see the resident physician.
DR.. Frizell proved that he was in the
building at the time, but Murdoch said
he was out.
"Yes, l remember that you were in the
building when l called said DR.. Hatch.
The matter Of the personnel of the board
of directors was also gone into in sub
sanitation of the last section of the
charges. DR.. FriZell stated that he had
made inquiries and found that the names
of the directors were men who were un-
der Blumenberg's control and of no par
ticular standing in the community.
Miss Mamie E. Brennan was the next
witness. She was employed as nurse
and was one of those discharged at the
time DR.. Frizell severed his connection
with the institution. Her testimony was
positive and was. not shaken when she
was taken in hand by Murdock for cross
examination. She said in part:
The food was not fit for a dog to eat The
steaks so tough that you could not put
your teeth through them. The tea was like
water have seen female patient treated
roughly by Murdoch. He strapped her UP so
tight she could not move and when she
screamed with pain and in deliriurn he stopped
her cries by placing his her mouth
and later gagged her with a towel.
Miss Helen NJ Crap another of the dis
charged nurses. also gave testimony. She
was an attendant on the young woman
who was left without clothing and told of
her complaints to DR.. Frizell, who was
always overruled by Murdock. Her testi-
mony was as follows:
When this young woman was placed In the
attic room 1 was placed in charge of her.
Everything was taken out of her room. There
was not even a chair for her to sit upon She
was always tractable. At night a mattress
| and bed clothing were put in her room One
day Superintendent Murdoch ordered all her
| clothing removed as the night before she had