The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-08-05
AN OLDT|ME
GRIEVANCE
What Government
Physicians Are
Asked to Do.
(From Thursdays Advertiser.)

meeting yesterday afternoon DR.. c. Il.
Cooper, DIR. w. II. Mays and Assistant
Attorney General w. $. Fleming. c.
Charlock. secretary, and Miss Mae
Weir. stenographer, were in attend
ance.
AN OLD GRIEVANCE.
President Pinkham in his usual sub
mission of business, introduced an old
grievance of Government physicians
against the Attorney Generals Depart
ment in debating terms on which they
shall do the most disagreeable police
work. He said:
1.-The letter of DIR. r. j. McGettigan
brings before us the subject OF Govern
ment physicians in sparsely settled dis
tricts, and what is his fair due as be-
tween the various departments"
DIR. McGettigan's letter was read at
the meeting, being as follows:
Hama, Maui, II. T., July 2S, 1904.
Hon. l.. l.. Pinkham, President of
Board of Health, Honolulu, II. 7.
Sir: On June 30 about noontime l was
ordered per telephone by the Deputy
Sheriff of Kipahulu, to start at once for
Kalepa Gulch to examine the body Of
a Chinaman (Akiu) who had been found
dead on the beach. On inquiring what
authority he had for calling me he re-
piled that he had been ordered by l.. NJ.
Baldwin, Sheriff of Maui. to call the
doctor to examine the body.
Kalepa Gulch is sixteen miles from
Hama and is between Kipahulu and
Kaupo. and the last four miles of the
trail is about the worst and most dam
To-, i,,r oil
are three gulches, between 500 and 600
feet deep, to cross, and the trail lead
ing through is at places on grade of
fifty per cent. actual measurement. on
account of heavy grades and rough
country, travelling in Hama district Is
principally done on horseback and,
from the nature of the country, is slow
and tedious. At Kipahulu l changed
my saddle horse for a mule and pro-
ceeded with all possible haste so as to
complete my work before dark.
On reaching the place where the body
was l made the necessary examination.
The body was in an advanced stage of
decomposition and presented evidence
of death by drowning, in fact was found
close to the breakers where the tide
had receded and left it. Myself and the
coroners jury We're satisfied that the
cause of death was drowning. The dep
uty sheriff and jury considered that to
proceed further with the post mortem
was unnecessary, besides darkness was
coming on, we We're several miles from
any habitation without lanterns, and to
travel that trail in the dark would be
foolhardy. So the coroner's jury
brought in their verdict and we. started
homeward and attempted to reach XII
pahulu, or at least to get over the worst
gulches before ii became too dark to
see. / was compelled to stay at Kipa-
hulu that night and return home next
day.
am relating all this so that you may
get some idea of the difficulties / am
under in attending to this work for the
sheriff's department. l rendered bill
(enclosed) for $50 which was returned
per Sheriff Baldwin, in the condition in
which you see II. / enclose the cor
respondenCe between the Clerk to High
Sheriff and Sheriff Baldwin. AS you
see in this letter of the Clerk to High
Sheriff so is offered in settlement of
the BILL and he states that several
years ago SO was the amount allowed. |
/ wish to refer this matter to the
Board of Health and hope that / am
not presuming too much when | think |
you can have the matter arranged sat
Under the existing condi- |
lions where these services to the At
torney Generals Department are not |
part of my duties 1 think my services
on this occasion are worth at least $50.
and | think the medical members of
hA nd Will of in hi
It VS. probable that a number of cases
ike mine will come before the Board
and l thought you would like to take
up the matter of compensation from
he Attorney Generals Department to
physicians and have 1t set
led so that physicians will know just
what their position Is.
Very respectfully,
II. J. McGETTIGAN, NJ. d.
CLERK BOWS VETO.
In returning the bill to Sheriff Bald
win, II. NJ. Dow, Clerk to High Sher-
In, wrote:
You will notice in your Instructions
several years ago, that only $40 would
be allowed for post mortems and
iutopsies unless there We're great rea-
IONS fully expressed for more than $40"
Dr. Cooper said that such extraor-
ilnary duties, with n salary OF $50 n
month, and for such trip as DR.. Nc
iettigan described should be worth
so. For making n journey of sixteen
niles each way the department employ
ng him should pay him a reasonable
mount. There were many similar
asses while T.. T.. Dole was Attorney
General. Attorney General Andrews
vas disposed to be fair,
Mr. Fleming said he knew Or, Me- ,
iettlgan had very hard district lie
Presumed Mr., Dow did not know the ,
when ne turned down the 1
IN, Mr. Fleming moved that tho mat |
~ be- referred 20 the Attorney Gen- ,
raj The motion carried, ,
SETTLEMENT MATTERS,
A Isporl flum lhe special committee
"a paHluraHo "a lhr settlement, uiHnel I
y . g. Lame chairman commended
hai lho maiipr hr lrfl "a tho discretion
I lhn superintendent ~