New-York tribune., 1901-09-23
EVANS WARNS SURGEONS.
LAX METHODS IN PENSION ENAMINA-
TIoNs-HAs DISMISSED SOME BOARDS.

| Commissioner Evans of the Pension Bureau
| recently sent a letter to every board of United
States examining surgeons, whose principal
| duty is the examination of the physical cohdi-
tion of applicants for pensions, setting iorlh III
! forceful words what he has since learned aoou'
! certain examinations of this nature. HIS ie''ei
reached the board of examining surgeons IN this
| city. was read at a meeting and embodied IN the
| minutes of the meeting.
Mr. Evans sent the letter broadcast, IL Is
thought so that what he had to say would not
| Law open TO personal attacks those boards which
he had in mind when he wrote it. He told the
offending boards in this impersonal manner that
II they did not mend their ways they would
meet the fate of a number of boards Whlch ne
had just dismissed. In word, he had no use
for boards that were careless and INDIFFERENT
He recently had twenty applicants for pensions
from the same town section of the country
re-examined. A board of surgeons reported
that each of the applicants had heart disease,
The special examination showed that no one
| of the applicants had any heart affection
In his letter Mr. Evans said he had just dis
missed some boards of surgeons for exhibiting
a spirit of carelessness and indifference. An
effort to learn just what prompted Mr. Evans
to write this letter has revealed methods used
in certain examinations of applicants for PEN
sions which, to put it mildly. showed careless
ness and Indifference Not long ago Mr. Evans
got batch of papers to the physical condi-
ton of a number of applicants There were
about twenty applications. He examined the
first one carefully. and that the applicant
was said be suffering with an organic disease
of the heart. The next paper inspected said the
applicant had a similar bodily affection. So did
the next paper taken up, ard the other papers
told the same story. The applicants We're all
he nf tbn
Here is a peculiar state of affairs" said Mr.
Evans as he put the batch of papers file
Twenty applicants from the section of
the country all applying for a pension on the
same day, before the same board, and all have
heart disease. Must be some Inaccuracies in
these papers l believe such condition Of af
fairs as indicated by these papers to be highly
improbable" Mr.. Evans decided TO have the
work of the board responsible for the papers
confirmed in this particular instance. He got
some dsinterested surgeons to examine the ap-
plicants and they reported TO Mr.. Evans One
of the surgeons, who was present at the last
animation, lives in this city. When the surgeons
called on Mr.. Evans TO submit their report, the
first thing he asked them was. Did fifteen of
these applicants have heart disease"
No was the reply.
We'll. how many had heart disease?"
None" was the answer.
While the suspicious of the Commissioner
by the result of the special examination. He
then had other similar examinations made, and
they disclosed just as startling conditions
Boards who were lax in their methods, he
said. We're a disgrace to the service. He dis
missed them without much ado, and he got rid
of another board in quick order for not perform
ing its duties as we'll he thought it should
After this unOleasant task done he wrote
the letter to the boards which has severely
Jared the feelings of certain members of some
Of them.
For careessness and Indifference I have dis
missed boards his letter read and
continuance by other boards Of such methods
will result in dispensing with their services
He went TO say that he displeased 10
see that some surgeons persisted in rating on
the statement of the claimant or his attending
physicians, and in alleging that nearly every
applicant had organic disease OF the heart. He
further displeased to find in some papers
the of stock phrases and 'the machine
bilities."