Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-26
DR.. Hawkes. Takes a Hand in
Emergency Hospital Affair.
NOVEMBER REPORT
HE WAS EXECUTIVE OFFICER
LAST MONTH.
Correspondence With Mr.. Boardman-
Wants an Investigation
Recent Letters.

nently fixed in the public eye. The charges
and counter-charges keep on from day to
day The latest contribution is in the ma
ture of charges filed with the District Com
missoners by DR.. VIM II. Hawkes.. execu-
tive officer of the hospital for November
1ga3
DR. Hawkes. communication to the Com
missoners begins
AT the regular monthly meeting of the
executive committee of the board of direct
ors of the Central Dispensary and Emer-
gency Hospital held December IL, 1893, 1
began the reading of my report as execu-
tive officer for November 1893, but was in
terrupted on the plea that the details were
Objectionable to the lady members of the
board present.
Substance of the Report.
The report which / attempted to read is
as follows:
- Washington, ID. c., December 10, 1893
ITO the Board of Directors of the Central
Dispensary and Emergency Hospital.
Gentlemen: AS executive officer for
November, | desire to direct your attention
to several important matters which called
for special Investigation on my part
1. On the 21st of November the hospital
ambulance ran oV.r man on Pennsylvania
avenue below 9Th street. and seriously IN
jured him. Investigation showed that the
driver of the ambulance had. usual,
sounded his gong after passing lth street;
that he man dart across the avenue
in front of the horse: that he put on the
brake and threw the horse in an attempt 70
the man from injury. and that the
man escaped the horse, but was run over
by the wheels of the ambulance. The man,
unfortunately. totally deaf. No blame
can be attributed to the ambulance driver.
as he did everything in his power to avoid
injuring the deaf man. He informed me
that he had for several months been ended-
YOring to obtain a new ambulance gong
similar to the ones used on the police pa
troll wagons), because the gong at present
used sounds like a street bell. / inn
mediately ordered from the McDermott
Carriage Company new ambulance bell,
with the view of doing everything possible
to avoid similar accidents in the future.
Septic Infection Alleged.
2 One of the patients treated last month
was case of delirium tremens. He was
put into the strong room and placed under
restraint sheet. which made any move
ment of the body impossible. The symp-
toms of alcoholism were relieved and the
man in fair way to recover, when
the physician in attendance was Informed
that bed sore (about 8 inches by inches),
had formed over the sacral region. The
mans temperature rapidly rose, and he
died from apparent septic infection. Inves-
tigato7 showed that the man had been
tightly strapped down on bed that had,
instead of springs. rigid iron slats-condi
tons sufficient to produce bed sore. es
peclally with one in reduced condition
The resident physician knew of the de-
pressed condition of the man in conse-
quence OF alcoholism. and his attention
was called to the character of the bed by
one of the assistant resident physicians
when the restraint sheet was put on. Under
these circumstances there can be ques-
ton about the needlessly bad management
OF the case"
Regarded as Amusing.
The third paragraph of DR.. Hawkes. re-
port give details of some alleged offensive
actions the part of the hospital bell
boy. and continues:
This matter was reported to the resi-
dent physician by one of the assistant resi-
dent physicians. but the resident physician
did not report it to me executive officer.
The nurse detailed all the circumstances
to the superintendent, and the superintend-
ent told the nurse, that the incident must
nave been amusing-that it made her smile.
The superintendent made report to me.
The bell boy was reprimanded by the su-
pertntendent on the 18th of November one
week after the incident occurred and after
II was known that l had been investigating
the affair. l cali your attention. to the
amazing lack of womanly dehcacy on the
part of the superintendent
y During my investigation of the pre-
Fious Incident L examined the location and
surroundings of the old-clothes closet The
closet is small. dark room back of the
engine room. and is approached through
the dispensary patients water closet and
through dark narrow L-shaped passage
which is lighted by an electric light at the
angle. | found that the superintendent
had imposed the handling of the old
clothes and the depositing of them in the
prohibited the servants from having any
tnlng 10 do with the old clothes
Regarded as Questionable Propriety.
fc pP
oblige the nurses to handle the old clothes
(many of which are filthy, and some of
which are infected with vermin) and than
return Immediately to their legitimate work
IN the wards and private rooms but there
can be nothing but censure for such a d,vi-
SION OF the labor of the hospital, as COM
peIs the nurses to carry the bundles of old
clothes through public water closet, be-
cause the men servants are prohibited from
doing that duty. l cIlled the attention of
the superintendent to this violation of the
principles of ordinary decency and advised
her to make such an arrangement as would
relieve the nurses from carrying the bum
dies of old clothes through the public water
closet. | have been informed that my ad-
vice has not been followed.
. L have already given my reason
Tor ordering new ambulance bell from
The McDermott Carriage Company"
ordered new electric battery through
Gilmans pharmacy. because however hu-
initiating IL may be to make the admission
the hospital had no means of giving neces-
sary electrical treatment 10 it's dispensary,
ward and private room patients. / was
therefore, surprised at receiving the follow
ing communication from the president or
the board:
DR.. w. H Hawkes.
Dear Doctor: Mr. Brice and l have
been consulting together over our hospital
finances, and 1 regret to say that they are
not IN quite as plethoric condition as we
could wish l have been looking over mat
tiers TO see in what We can retrenoh. 1t oc-
CURED TO me that possibly we could get on
without a new electric battery and without
new bell FOR the ambulance. l requested
Miss Lenig to rescind the orders for those
articles until the committee on supplies
could take the matter up for consideration.
examined the ambulance bell. 1 thought
II worked all right.
Very truly yours,
(Signed) "-'W. j. BOARDMAN'
Question Of Authority.
You will notice that the president says
he requested the observation-disclosures the
executive officer-to rescind the orders OF
the executive officer. AS far as the author
ity ha 10