The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-27
CHAPTER OF TROUBLES
At EMERGENCY HOSPITAL
Commissioners Asked to
Make Investigation.
FRICTION AMONG DIRECTORS
Appeal of DR.. Hawkes. Made After
Conflict Of Authority With Presi-
dent of Institution.

Another chapter of the troubles of
the Emergency Hospital was made a
matter of record yesterday afternoon
when DR. William H. Hawkes.. execu-
tive officer of the institution for
November and a member OF it's
board of directors, submitted 20
the District commissioners a report
of conditions existing at the hospital
! within the past few months. The au-
thor Of the report declares he has turned
TO the Commissioners as a last resort,
the president of the institution having
refused to assist in an investigation Of
the charges preferred by DR.. Hawkes..
DR.. Hawkes. claims he attempted to
read his report at recent meeting Of
the board OF directors, but was stopped
when scarcely half through, because his
revelations We're objectionable to women
members of the board who happened to
be present.
The statement begins by referring to
an accident on Pennsylvania Avenue on
November l. in which a deaf man was
run over by an ambulance from the
hospital and seriously injured. No
blame is attached to the ambulance
driver, who did everything in his power
to avoid the accident but the cause of
the trouble seems to have been that the
ambulance bell did not give forth a suffi-
GENTLY loud note of warming The
driver told DR. Hawkes. he had been
trying to get a new bell for several
months. A new bell was ordered by
/ DIR. Hawkes.. but later this order was
rescinded At the instance OF the board Of
directors on the plea of economy.
Died of Blood Poisoning.
An instance is cited of a patient under
treatment for delirium tremens being
placed under a restraint-sheet. which
made any movement on his part impos-
sible. Symptoms Of alcoholism were re-
I lieved. but a bedsore developed. and
the man died from apparent septic in
/ lection" The report says on this sub
/ ject:
/ investigation showed. that the man
/ had been tightly strapped down on "A
! bed. that had. instead of springs. rigid
/ iron slats-conditions sufficient TO pro-
duce bedsore. especially with one in a
reduced condition. The resident physi-
| cian knew OF the depressed condition Of
/ the man in consequence Of alcoholism.
I and his attention was called TO the char
/ acter of the bed by one Of the assistant
/ resident physicians. when the restraint
/ sheet was put on. Under these circum-
stances there can be no question about
the needlessly bad management OF the
case
DR.. Hawkes. report goes on 10 assert
{ that proper precautions are not taken 10
prevent the exposure Of the persons Of
patients in the presence OF nurses. and
| there is charge Of gross misconduct
on the part of the beIlboy.
Work of Nurses.
The location Of the old clothes closet
and the manner Of handling the cloth
/ ing is criticised. 1T is" SAYS the re-
port, "of questionable propriety to
oblige the nurses to handle the old
/ clothes (many OF which are filthy. and
some Of which are infested with vermir)
and then return to their legitimate work
in the wards and private rooms" DR.
! Hawkes. advice about remedial meas
ures, he says. has been disregarded.
DR.. Hawkes. says ne discovered that
| the hospital had no means of giving
! necessary electrical treatment to its pa
/ tents, and ordered a new electric bat
/ terry. He received notice a few DAYS
! later that this order. like the one for
the bell, had been rescinded until the
committee on supplies could consider
| the matter. DIR. Hawkes. takes excep-
/ ton TO the action Of Mr.. Boardman
/ president Of the board OF directors IN
1 lnstructing the superintendent to rescind
the orders, and defines what he believes
to be the authority Of the executive Of
| icer.
Following the interruption Of my -e-
port Gan unusual procedure)." says Dr.
, Hawkes.. "a motion was made and car
ried that the report be considered as
having been read in full. and that a
committee OF three with power to tax =
testimony be appointed by the president
to examine the paper and report at the
| next meeting OF the board. The presi-
dent appointed as the committee Drs
Hawkes.. Carr. and Murray"
On December Is DR.. Hawkes. wrote Mr.
Roardman asking 10 be authorized TO
employ stenographer to take a YER
batim report Of the testimony which the
committee expected to take. To this re-
quest Mr.. Boardman replied:
Not having heard all OF your report,
1 am not able to judge of it's impor-
lance. Please send T. to me TO look
over
Question of Authority.
port to Mr.. Boardman, and a volumi-
nous correspondence followed. Dr
Hawkes. reasons for not sending the
report for examination by Mr. Board
man are set forth in the following para
graph from a letter sent to Mr.. Board
man yesterday:
II purposely ignored your request
that 1 send you my report to look over.
The report was a written one, the read
ing of which was interrupted. and it was
by vote of the board placed in the hands
OF committee. I had no eight to take
the report from the committee at the
dictation of an Individual member of
the board"
Wants an Investigation.
In concluding his report DR.. Hawkes.
says:
II submit my report and the subse-
q,Ient correspondence to you, the Com
missioners of the District. with the re-
quest that you place them before the
Board of Charities. / respectfully re-
quest that an examination of the facts
be made by them. and their report be
submitted TO you and TO the taxpayers
OF the District. who are largely main
tanning the hospital 1 win transmit to
the Board OF Charities through you the
names of the witnesses who detailed "a