Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-12-17
THE QUESTION Of A WILL. A CITIZENS POINT OF WEN
DR.. Hepburn's Letter Dissected
What An Outsider Thinks
Of the Hospital Muss-

A prominent citizen of Annapolis,
who was interviewed this morning by
Capital" reporter ON q recent let
ter of DIR. 5. 5. Hepburn, a former
member of the Emergency Hospital
| Staff, said:
"The Doctor says that he felt great
sympathy for the superintendent and
was extremely indignant that any lady
should be treated in SO cruel and un-
| just manner, but that his desire to see
her vindicated was overshadowed by
the question whether the medical staff
should be deprived of all voice in mat
ters affecting them vitality as physi-
clans
Now this is begging the question.
When Miss Pusey was asked to resign
she was requested TO come before the
Board of Managers when their reasons
for desiring her resignation would be
stated to her and to ner only. 1t is
true these reasons had been discussed
in closed meeting of the managers,
but the lady managers withheld them
from the public and man, an ex-
officio member related the action of a
secret meeting to Miss Pusey.
"When Miss Pusey went before the
board she demanded that the reasons
should be stated TO her in the presence
of witness or of counsel. This was
declined by the board and rightly SO.
They desired to avoid publicity.
Their reasons were business reasons
only. Therefore the question pre-
sents itself how was she treated shame
fully and cruelty? Now as to the
medical staff being denied all voice in
the management of the hospital, the
shoe is ON the other foot. When the
board determined to ask Miss Pusey's
resignation it requested the medical
staff to nominate another nurse as su-
perintendent and the medical staff au-
tocratically said there is no vacancy.
Miss Pusey is superintendent; we,
the medical staff, intend to continue
her as such, and you ladies may go to
the devil.
"a portion Of the medical staff
practically said to the ladies we
are in power and you go back and
squat. They claimed that they were
deprived of all voice, but if their ac-
tion had been sustained, the ladies who
established the hospital were the ones
who were deprived of all voice in its
management. Further the gentlemen
of the medical staff with their own
funds went into Court to be routed
horse foot and dragoon. Instead of
discussing the question with the lady
managers, they defy them. They then
say we desired intensely to take your
patients to the hospital when neces-
sary but that it is impossible as we
hear no voice in the selection or rejec-
tion of a nurse, &C.. We're the medi-
cal staff not asked to nominate nurse
as superintendent? If they were, they
were given most decided voice in Sc
lection or rejection, but they stood
pat and said Out Caesar, Out Nihil,
in other words, Miss Pusey or no one.
Hence their argument on this score
falls to the ground.
"Dr. Heburn's next paragraph is alb
solutely uncandid While some of his
statements are true i. g., that the As
sociation has seen fit to sustain the
board, yet the medical staff still had
all the functions to which it is en-
titled. The citizens Of Annapolis have
heard both sides Of the case, and by a
vote of 1866 to 66, have said the mana
gers are right. This is at the ratio
of a 2 1-2 to In regard to the state
ment signed by a majority of the medi-
cal staff, that is a matter between
themselves, but it would seem that DR..
Hepburn's criticism of them is illogi-
cal and q CONCLUSION drawn from prem
ises not justified by facts. He draws
his conclusions from the fact that they
were present at the meeting of July
IA. He does not say that at that
meeting they agreed with him but
they were there they could have
agreed if they had chosen to do SO,
hence they were in sympathy with
him. Might they not have expressed
some opinion to the company or did
the gentlemen of the executive com
mittee think that if they decided the
question, that the other members of
the medical staff as well as the lady
managers might go to the devil!
"Now DIR. Hepburn says it is impos-
sible for him to take patients to the
hospital. He will lose more by this
than the managers. There are num-
Der of other good doctors in Annapolis
who will As a consequence in emer-
gency cases, they will be called in by
the patients family or friends. The
lady managers have won out before
| the courts and before the people. They
can afford to be magnanimous and
will give the physicians every proper
facility to treat their patients at the
hospital.
"The hospital is a necessity here.
The doctors can help make it a sue
cess. Take your medicine as you like
your patients to do, and don't run of
in the corner like spoiled child and
say 'G'way, G'way, amt a 60
| ing to take it unless you give me some
candy.
"Another little question for the
| Doctor. He says it is manifestly inn
| possible to continue professional rela-
| tions with these other doctors unless
assured by them that an insult was not
| intended, and concludes with the re-
mark that such assurance is a matter
| of Indifference. Now don't you think
good taste would have suggested tc
| you that these gentlemen intended nc
insult and that DIR. Hepburn should
have asked them personally about the
matter instead of putting chip on
| his shoulder and daring them tC
knock it Off"