New-York tribune., 1903-02-17
LORENZ HOSPITAL WAR.
SURGEONS ARE 1T ODDS.
Those Opposed Declare Institution
Is Not Needed.

The question of providing adequate means OF
caring for the crippled children in this city
has caused what the surgeons term a medical
tangle.'' but what appears TO be a diversity of
opinion regarding the present provision for
treatment On one side the demand is give us
a hospital" and on the other give the
cripples"
The visit of DR.. Lorenz to this country, his
operations and the publicity given to his treat
ment of congenitaI hip disease cases served as
an impetus to orthopedic surgery. and the re
suit was the desire of many surgeons and others
interested in hospital work to insure adequate
means of caring for the great number OF Grip
pied children who iocked to the hospitals where
DR. Lorenz was operating and who were not
fortunate enough to be among the selected few
to be operated on.
This anxiety the part Of several surgeons
to provide for the children led TO application
for the approval of a certificate of incorpora tion
filed with the State Board of Charities, of the
Lorenz Orthopedic Charity Hospital. The Ger
tifcate gave as the persons to be the directors
of the corporation until its first annual meet
ing. William s. Brewer Charles F. Smith. DR..
Franklin z. Sylvester. D Baldwin Sanneman
and Benjamin F. Curtis.
The directors say that a number of prominent
orthopedic surgeons favor the project.
DR. Newton NJ. Shaffer. WHO one of the
Lorenz's visit, Immediately endeavored to have
the State Hospital for Crippled Children at
Tarrytown, enlarged.
In contrast with TIL, Sc efforts. several ortho-
pedic surgeons declare tnat the present hos
pitfalls are sufficient to care for the crippled
children one surgeon of this opinion being DR.
Virgil P Gihney chief surgeon of the New York
Society for the Relief of the Ruptured and
Crippled al No. 135 East Forty-second-st DR..
Gibney. like Dr. Shaffer, of the chief
figures in the Lorenz opera tions.
DR.. Stephen Smith, Of the State Board of
Charities, was given the task Of investigating
the merits of the application of the Lorenz
Orthopedic Hospital. He decided TO hold a public
hearing. in accordance with the bylaws of the
board, and he invited those interested i'm the
esta blishment of the proposed institution as
well as those who for any reason might oppose
it. to attend hearing the application. DR..
Smith drew up the following points of discus
sion:
The necessity for the existence of such an in
stitution as is proposed to he incorporated at
the time and place and under the circumstances
set forth In the application and certificate.
The character and standing in the community
of the proposed incorporators.
The financial resources of the proposed in
stitution and its sources of future revenue
The hearing was to be held at the office of the
nj
Charities. No 2S7 Fourth-ave. but at the an
pointed time of those Interested in the
proposed hospital appeared. William s Brewer
chairman of the board of directors sent a letter
stating that the board wished to withdraw the
application for the approval of the certificate
of Incorporation. This request was granted
DIR. Smith said yesterday that he had heard
nothing further about the plan, but the di
rectors say that ii has not been dropped and
that they are determined to esta blsh the hos
pital
1t is now learned that they held meeting tho
day before the hearing and decided to withdraw
the application on account of expected opposi-
tion by prominent surgeons to the establishment
of the hospital.
William 5. Brewer said last night that meet
ing of the directors would be held within a few
days and that plans for new charter would
be discussed He continued:
We determined to build the hospital and
in applying Tor new charter will ignore the
State Board of Charities. Representatives of
prominent surgeons were present when the
hearing was to take place, and we knew what
adverse opinions would be given. We do not
proposed to allow outside surgeons to decide
what should do or what we should not do
There will professional jealousy brought
into the case.
A sufficient reason alone for establishing the
hospital is the crowds of crippled children that
GA thered at the clinics when DR. Lorenz was
here The course shall pursue in applying
for our new charter L am not at liberty 10 state,
but we are not the least bit anxious about the
result.
Opinions as the number of children, in
Greater New-York suffering from congenital
disIocation of the hip differ materially. DIR.
Shaffer says that he believes there are five
hundred.
search. $50 crippled children might be found In
Greater New-York and cared for