Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-04
BIG CASE IN COURT
Centerville Woman Sues Bloom
field Doctor.
WANTS DAMAGES IN SUN OF $4,000
Alleges Physician Did Not Correctly
Diagnose a Case. Which Plaintiff
Says Has Resulted in Her Perma-
nent Injury.

Says Has Resulted in Her Perma-
nent Injury.
Bloomfield. Oct. 30.-The case of
Mrs. Gertrude Gray of Centerville VS.
DR.. H. c. Young of this city. was com,
menced in the district court Tuesday
afternoon. It will be remembered by
those interested in the case that in the
month of February, 1902, DR.. H. G.
Young was notified by ]. M. Wilson,
county attorney of Appanoose county.
that on or before the first day OF
March there would be petition on file
in the Office of the county clerk claim
ing the sum of $4,000 damages for
malpractice during attendance on Mrs.
o. S. Gray of Centerville. According
ly ON or before the first day of March
the suit was filed and after passing
several terms of court is now being
heard before Judge Vermillion Tues
day the first hours of the afternoon
were devoted to securing jury. after
Which Mrs. Gray was conveyed to the
court room, where she was placed in
an invalid's reclining chair, and re-
NAMED, sometimes sitting and some.
times lying while giving her testi-
mony in which she made the accusa-
ton that DR.. Young failed in giving
correct diagnosis of the case in that
he failed to discover dislocated hip
and severe injuries to the spine Her
testimony is substantially as follows:
In the month of July, 1900, while keep
ing house for her brother, Ralph Hat
ton, who at that time resided about
one and one-half miles northwest Of
the city, she fell through an open eel
lar door. a distance of seven feet and
four inches sustaining severe injuries,
from which she is still, after two
years. unable to walk or stand The
accident. which occurred about mid
night, was first discovered by Mrs.
HGray's sister, Miss May Hatton, who,
assisted by her mrother and Mr. Gray
succeeded in removing her to her
room. The next morning DR.. Young,
who was attending Mr.. Hatton's baby
at the time. called and was asked to
examine Mrs. Gray. After examining
the patient DR.. Young stated that no
bones were broken, in fact. nothing
but bruises, and prescribed a lini--
ment. The next day he called again
to make second diagnosis of the
case, still failing to find anything but
bruises. During his continued attend
ance on the case Mrs. Gray constantly
complained of her back and ankle, to
which she called his attention so fire.
quently that he finally advised the ap-
plication Of porous plaster and later
suggested that she consult an osteo-
path. The testimony further shows
tina DR.. Young did not rotate the limbs
but simply made examinations by
passing his hands over the body and
under the back, upon which she lay.
I'm the testimony given by the plain
tiff's sister, Miss May Hatton, the lat
ter testified to having been the first to
discover that the plaintiffs right limb
was shorter than the left. In taking
advantage of DR.. Young's suggestion
that an osteopatn be employed, DR..
Lulu M. Gilbert was called. Her dag
nosis of the case showed a dislocated
hip and severe injuries to the spine
AT the last term of court the case was
called and commission Of physicians,
composed of S. A. Spilman, J. F. Her.
rick, d. A. LaForce and ]. o. Kincaid,
of Ottumwa was appointed to exam
inc the case. The diagnosis has not
vet been made public AS far as the
case has progressed at present it
seems to be the object of the attor-
neys for the defendant to show that
the plaintiff sustained no broken bones
and is merely suffering from hyster--
les brought on by other diseases. The
attorneys for the plaintiff are ]. w.
Wilson of Centerville and T. P. BeEce
of this city. The defendants attor.
neys are the law firms of Payne &
Sewers and S. S. Carrothers.
Bloomfield Oct. 31-The case of
Mrs. Gertrude Gray of Centerville VS..
DR.. H. c. Young of this city, in which
Mrs. Gray claimed $4,000 damages for
malpractice in services rendered by
Or. Young while attending her two
years ago when she was
suffering from a fall re-
snlting in serious injuries, from
which she is still suffering, and in
which she claims that he failed in
making correct diagnosis of the case
is holding the intense interest of the
citizens, who seem to be almost entire
ly undivided in the sympathy which
they extend to both contending par
ties. Both DR.. Young and family and
Mrs. Gray and family are highly re-
spected citizens, greatly beloved and
esteemed in this community, so that
while great sympathy is felt for DR..
Young in the embarrassment of his
present situation, intense sympathy is
entertained for Mrs. Gray, who will
always be lifelong, suffering invalid.
So far in the progression of the case
the strongest witness for the plaintiff
was the testimony given by Doctor
Sewers of Centerville, who took the
stand on Wednesday afternoon. con-
Gliding his testimony on Thursday
morning. Dr. Sewers testified that
he was graduate Of Drake university
and that on February 26, 1901, five
months after the injury, he examined
Mrs. Gray and diagnosed the case as
an inter-capsular fracture of the right
hip, finding the limb 1Ks inches shorter
than the left, with an inversion of the
foot 231s degrees from the normal po-
sition. He also testified that in MAX
ing his examination he could distinct
ly hear the grating of the bones. He
said however that hn could MT cuaa,