Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-13
POST OF POLICE SURGEON
Important Factor in Life at the Omaha
Central Station.
PRACTICES FOR GLORY AND INFORMATION
Attends All Sorts of Cases for the
Maynard, Unfortunate or WILL
full and Takes what
He Can Get.

The police surgeon is a necessary and Inn
portant factor in the police department Of
Omaha. His time belongs absolutely to the
people, with or without means, people Of
all descriptions, the meek and the lowly
and the mighty drunk, all demand his time
and all are accommodated Twenty-four
hours Of the day he is on duty, working
without pay or promise of reward. No city
warrant stuffs his pocketbook on the first
Of the month and no bills OF large denomi-
nation stuff his pocket during the middle
Of the month-be he dependent on his
practice for the money. And yet there is
scarcely a physician in the city who at
tends to az many patients as does he. No
physician makes a speciality of as many
diseases; no physician goes to as many
stuffy. hot little rooms to see the sick.
He is required to sleep at the police sta
ton, which means thai he gets very little
sleep, for there is scarcely a night passes
but what he is called upon to dress the
wound Of some forlorn individual who. hav-
ing drunk too much, winds up by falling
upon the pavement and ~inIuring himself,
to say nothing OF the number Of people
who brave the arm OF the law and get cut
down with the club OF the law. nor those
who run against a razor or q shot.
Gives Him Education.
1t Is said that a year as police surgeon.
however, would make a good physician and
surgeon out OF most anyone, and many are
the applicants for the place when a va
cancy occurs. The police surgeon Is the
fortunate youth who is a senior at some
medical college. He takes the place for
what he can get out Of 1t and no more.
There is no salary attachment and very
little glory-nothing except the experience
and the knowledge Of attending to those
whom no other physician would attend.
It Is a position that requires a cool head
and a steady hand. The excitable physician
would be a failure there. On a recent oc-
casion in the surgeons room at one time
was a woman who had been badly beaten
and cut on the face and body until she
was in a serious condition; her husband.
with a bullet in his hand and foot; another
woman with a broken nose. and a little
colored boy who had shot himself in the
hand; all these were demanding immediate
attention; the women sobbing and pleading,
the husband shouting and swearing. And
such occurrences as these are not iufre-
quent.
1t happens frequently that the police
surgeon requires the assistance Of a police
man to hold a patient while he is being at
tended. At times he assists the police in
forcing a door to get to a patient. Some
months ago a police surgeon was called to
attend q woman who had taken a dose OF
morphine. He and the police arrived al
the place at the same time the husband re-
turned from his work. While the police
man had to fight the husband TO keep from
being put out Of the house. the surgeon
had 20 tight the woman to force her to take
treatment
Speciality of Suicides.
Suicide cases seem TO be the speciality Of
the police surgeon One who MAS recently