Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-30

then of necessity compelled to defend MINI
SELF either by the of his fists or or
niShed by this bottle-and its use has even
been approved as being, under the circum-
stances, one of the most humane methods or
Subduing patient. The board cannot be-
lieve other than that the cases are very
rare in which a resourceful and humane
physician could not control an ambulance
patient without striking him; and to meet
such rare cases means can certainly be de-
vised other than to leave it to the doctor
to protect himself by counter attack on
the patient.
THE same statement applies. with even
greater force, to those cases, as shown py
the ev1dence-and not denied-in which tur-
bulent patients. in the hospital building
ITSELF have been struck by the resident
physician in attendance. The defense that
here also the physician has frequently to
resort to blows in selfdefense does not i'm
press the board favorably. 1t is entirely
practicable to make such provision as
would never render 1t necessary for doc
tor within a well-reguated hospital serv-
Ice, to have to resort to blow to protect
himself or to restrain patient
In an emergency hospital where the re-
ception of delirious or belligerent patients
may be of daily occurrence the doctors
should always have at hand a number of
assistants sufficient to restrain and control
patient without resort to blows. AS for
the striking of de1irious or a suffering
patient as punishment for the use of abu-
sfve or profane language, is shown by
the evidence to have been done in one case,
the board believes such an act to be with
out justification or excuse and one that
merits the instant dismissal of the physi-
clan or other attendant guilty Of it,"
A Recommendation.
The board recommends that the striking
of a patient by physician or other at
tendant should be positively and specifically
prohibited. If such prohibitive regulation
operate to make the resident physician ex-
ercise all his tact and forbearance in hand
ling a patient. instead Of enormously de-
Gliding 1t was necessary to protect himself
by striking the patient. and would thus
tend to reduce to a minimum the possibility
of such regrettable occurrences. The board
feels that it is particularly to be regretted
that any representatives of the hospital
should have placed themselves in the posi-
ton of seeming to justify, and even to APP
prove, the striking of patients by the resi-
dent physicians as a means of control
Such an attitude on the part of the hospital
authorities is likely to increase, rather than
diminish, the possibility of such occur
renceS.
immortality Charged.
Concerning charges of immortality within
the hospital the report states that the
most serious of these charges was that
nurse at the hospital had been wronged by
dence went to show that a nurse from the
hospital within a few months after leaving
underwent a criminal operation. 1t was
denied in the testimony that the resident
physician at the hospital was responsible
and this specific charge against him was
not sustained by any evidence offered
ut was further charged against the same
resident physician that during practically
the whole of his stay at the hospital he had
maintained improper relations with a Wo-
man of known ili-repute. The general fact
that undue intimacy had at some time
existed between the physician and the wo-
man was substantiated to the satisfaction
of the board. The evidence does not snow,
however. that these facts ever came to the
knowledge of the visiting staff or of the d.
rectors at the hospital during this resident
physicians incumbency, and, so far as they
knew. he was useful and desirable mem
Der of the resident staff.
1T was further charged and admitted.
that this same resident physician had vio-
lated those conventions governing the lela-
tions of doctors and nurses which all hos
pitfalls find so necessary for the maintenance
of a strict morale by taking one of the
nurses with him on an ambulance call.
when 1t is further recalled that it was
this resident physician against WHOM most
of the charges of harsh treatment were
made. it must be admitted that his stay at
the hospital, however desirable it may have
been from a professional standpoint was in
other respects injurious to the reputation of
the hospital and demoralizing to is disci-
pline.
1T further appears from the testimony
that committee was appointed to inves!i-
gate rumors regarding irregularities at
the hospital, which centered around the
physician in question. These rumors We're
not investigated, because at the time of the
appointment of the committee this resident
physician had left the hospital service: and
the committee seems to have understood
that 1t was not authorized to investigate
past conditions. 1t therefore declined to
near any testimony concerning
OF his incumbency, and cOntented itself with
report that these rumors referred to past
conditions ETC. In our opinion, 1t was an
unfortunate error on the part of the hosni-
tai authorities not to have made an investi-
cation of these charges a the time. regard
less of the fact that they referred to the
past-which, as matter Of fact was rather
an immediate past
1t has been also charged that one of the
men servants about the hospital was an
immoral character Of a particularly de-
pased type. IL Is IN evidence. and admitted,
that during his stay in the hospital he was
arrested and arraigned in the Police Court
under circumstances which seemed to cor
roborate this charge His alleged immoral
character seems to have been q ma tier of
common talk among employees Of the hoe.
p1tal, as well as the fact that his arrest
and general reputation were known To soma
OF the hospital authorities. All this must
ence, and the hospital authorities in re-.
tanning this person in their service. in the
belief that he was reforming, seriously
erred in judgment. In an institution where
high morale Is so essential as in A hos
pital any form Of immortality or any delhi
crate breaking of those necessary rules es-
tablfshed for its maintenance should be WIS.,
tied In every case with summary punish
ment."
General Management.
The board discusses the question of disci-
pline in the hospital follows:
s''Tha first ollaction hot or{ca. oo..~-
the matter of the chief executive authority.
Under the system in vogue up to the con-
clusion Of these hearings, there was no one
in residence who had supervision and con-
troll over the work and discipline of the
hospital as whole. The chief executive
authority and this general supervision
vests, each month, in one Of the physicians
of the attending staff. These succeed one
another in turn, each one being what is
known as executive officer for a calendar
month. This plan has particular merit In
the opinion of some members of the board
Of directors, since it brings the board and
the attending staff in close contact with
the executive management of the institu-