Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-30
EMERGENCY HOSPITAL
-
Result of Investigation by
Board Of Charities.
MUCH rg |on171c1sE
MANY OF THE CHARGES, HOW
EVER, WERE NOT SUSTAINED.
Government Control Suggested - The
Use of Force Toward Patients
Some Suggestions.

The report of the board OF chlrlles'
relative to the investigation into Inc az
fairs of the Emergency Hospital, mas peeh
submitted to the District ConmlS 'iohe-s'
According to the board s findings mum
Der of the charges which lei to the inves-
tigaton are sustained, VIII lie others were
not found true. Among other' things the
board finds that in several instances as
saults on patients have occurred, and that
the discipline in the hospital has been TN
satisfactory. The conduct of a former
resident physician is criticized and 1t Is
declared that the relations of doctors ana
nurses have not always been of a charac-
ter to encourage good administration. AS
to allegations of financial irregularities,
the board finds that the charges are with
out foundation
The board recommends the selection of
permanent head of the hes )i,al, and su5-
gests that the government SHOULD nave
substantial, II not entire, control OF the IN
stitution, since it is shown that the amount
contributed by the government toward the
support Of the hospital is practically -
per cent of the entire support of the insti-
tuition.
1t is pointed out that the Commissioners
had no power to appoint or remove the
members of the board of directors of the
hospital. or any of the institutions en-
ployes, or to direct it's management III any
manner.
However. they had authority to comm md
the investigation under the act of ConSi esS
of June 6, 1900, eating the board OF char
tiles. After reading the report of the board
of charities, the statement furnished by
the board of directors. and the evidence
submitted in the investigation, the Com
missioners will consider what, if any, rec
concentrations should be made TO Congress
in regard to the institution. 1t will be re-
membered that the Commissioners at the
last session of Congress approved the sug-
he M O.
ure of control over the institution in view
of it's public character and public support
given to 1t.
The report of the board of charities is
signed by Messrs. S. w. Woodward. Charles
p Neil. George William Cook, John Joy
Edison and Simon Wolf. and it states that
the investigation grew out of a request
made to the Commissioners, February 26
last, by DIR. II. e. l.. Johnson, a member
of the board of directors Of the Central
Dispensary and En- Urgency Hospital. and
also of its attending staff. The alleged ir-
Irregularities which Dr.. Johnson in his letter
requested to beginveEtiga are summed
UP as follows; irregularities In the
vouchers; assaults by sone Hibl. police Of
ing them with fist and also with black Ack;
also the placing of handouts on a sick
prisoner confined in a strong room at slid
hospital; ass ult on patients and poisoning
or dumb brutes by others connected with
the institution; other alleged irregularities
too serious to mention herein"
Under date of March IL the matter was
referred by the Commissioners of the Dis
trict to the board of charities for investi-
cation and report. BY resolution Of March
~. 1903, the committee on medical chart
ues was authorized and directed by the
committee begaA the investigation March
amlned under OATH
Financial Charge Dismissed.
With regard to Irregularities in the
vouchers the board reported that the only
evidence introduced to substantiate this
Charge had reference to two transac tions
amounting together to s12.75 The first of
these was a case in which an item of 81
was purchased in March, 1902, and paid
for in February 1903 There was no charge
that the articles paid for had not been
actually purchased for necessary use in the
hospital, or that the price was not fair.
The ''irregularity' was in the fact that an
article purchased in one fiscal year was
paid for out of the appropriation for the
succeeding year. The failure to pay the
amount earlier was due, primarily. to an
error of the selling firm in charging it to d
wrong account. When the error was dis
covered and the bill presented the hospital
authorities, in their desire to pay a Just
debt. committed technical irregularity
The second case was one in which 1000
labels at S1.f5 and 1000 cards at 81 were
paid for on voucher made out for 1000
cards at 1910
The board states there was no evidence
of any intention to deceive in the matter
and it was probably a mere clerical error
Neither of these cases, In the opinion of
the board, warrants any charge rejecting
on the honesty and faithfulness with which
the authorities of the Central Dispensary
| and Emergency Hospital account for the
government funds appropriated to them for
the maintenance of that institution
Police Criticised.
~The report states that the charge of as
saults patients and cruel treatment by
Policeman Hibl was not substantiated. In
regard to other police officers the report
says;
1T appears from the testimony that one
of two officers detailed from the police de-
partment in the interest of that depart
ment is on duty at the hospital some part
of the entire twenty-four hours The board
begs to suggest that the activities of Off
GERS so detailed should be confined strictly
to their police duties, and that they should
scrupuously refrain from the assumption
of any functions which properly belong to
the hospital attendants. The investiga-
ton has impressed upon the board that
some of these officers have not been suffi-
GENTLY careful in combining themselves to
the police functions for which they were
detailed by their department. but have
| busted themselves unnecessarily with af-
fairs of the hospital in manner that has
not made for the peace of that institution
Respecting the charge Of poisoning dumb
brutes the board states the only testimony
offered was to the effect that one of the
| resident physicians had on two occasions
administered poisonlto cats In view of the
common practice among scientists of exper-
imenting upon dumb brutes the board does
not feel that acts of this kind necessarily
prove harsh or cruel character.
Alleged Neglect and Force.
Two specific cases of alleged neglect of
patients were brought to the attention of
the investigating committee and were in
quired into fully. These were the cases of
the late DR.. West, who was brought to the
hospital July Co.. 1901, suffering from sun
stroke, and who, In the opinion of some of
his friends, was neglected. and of Emanuel
F. Jeffers, who went to the hospital March
q, 1903, and believes himself to have suf-
fered both cruelty and neglect at the hands
of the hospital doctors.
The report states: THE testimony in the
case of DIR. West shows that he was brought
to the hospital, suffering from mental trou-
BILE, aggravated by the heat at the time
He was violent when brought to the hos
pital, and in the judgment Of the hospital
! IT..