Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-05-19
TABLES TIL RNED
ON THE C0U Neil.
Health Commissioner Wilcox Was
More Slnned Against Than
Shining
MAKES SATISFACTORY TALK.
Paints Out the Need Of an Emergency
HOSPITAL for Cases Such as Those
Complained OF,


when city Health Commissioner vii.
cox appeared before the police and
,rlson committee Of The city council
last night, In answer to a citation from
the council, 1t was thought by the
members OF the committee that they
mad a grievance against him. but In
shout five minutes after he commenced
"a talk It became very evident that he
was the one who had the grievance.
He was called upon 10 explain several
imported charges against him, first,
mat he had refused 10 attend a city
prisoner who had received a cut in
Inc neck In a street fight at about
o'clock In the morning. second, that he
refused to respond TO q call when a
telephone llneman fell from q pole OPP |
noslte the City and County building |
last week and was seriously injured |
third. that he had not visited the quar- |
antIne hospital but once since he be- |
came health commissioners fourth, |
that a member of his department had |
accepted a bride OF S25 to keep n man |
VINO nd0 BfndllpOh rum bSllb StllA w /
the quarantine hospital.
Not only did Or. Wilcox thoroughly |
convince the committee that the |
charges were absolutely ungrounded |
and some OF them maliciously false, but |
he pointed out how the council was |
negligent in not providing an emery
ency hospital for Just such cases as |
those complained of, and how the city |
and himself are being imposed upon |
by persons seeking the aid OF the city, |
IN the matter OF medical attendance, |
who are not entitled to It but who are |
perfectly able to pay for such assist |
ance and are not proper charges upon |
the city BY the time DR.. Wilcox had |
concluded his statement, Il was prac- |
tlcally decided to give him an assist |
ant physician at n salary of $50 per |
month, so that all emergency cases |
can be attended TO by one or the other |
of them and thus avoid having to pay |
bills to other physicians who are called |
In when the health commissioner can |
not be found. In all probability some |
action will be taken towards fitting up |
an emergency hospital also.
CHARGE NUMBER ONE.
In regard TO his refusal to visit the |
man who was cut in a street fight DR.. |
Wilcox said that he had been severely |
injured that night In a fight with a
bull dog and was unable to leave his |
home. Further than that he said that |
the man had plenty Of money and was |
perfectly able to pay his own doctor |
bill and his injury was not so serious |
but that he was able to leave the sta |
ton the next morning, In that con- |
nection he said that on one occasion |
he had been called up In the middle of |
the night TO go TO the police station to |
visit a man whom the police knew was
dead drunk and who had already been |
examined by a physician. Such mat |
ters as that he considered an imposi- |
ton upon him, Another imposition
both upon himself and the city, he said,
was having 70 visit the morphine flends
In the jail and furnish them with NOR
phlne. Such things, he thought, were
not right at all and the city should not
expect him to do II, especially on such
salary as is paid the health commits
sloner
MARTIN MIsINFoRMED.
As to the second charge concerning
his refusal to visit the man who fell
from a telephone pole the doctor said
that the statements made by Council
man Martin on the floor of the council
on that matter were untrue. He said
that he was not in his office whom the
telephone call came and did not know
Of the accident for several hours after
wards when he returned to the Office
about six o'clock. Mr.. Martin assured
DR.. Wilcox that he made his statements
upon what he had been told and that
he had no enmity or personal feeling
in the matter at all.
EMERGENCY HOSPITAL NEEDED.
Continuing, Dr.. Wilcox said that the
crying need Of this city is an emer-
gency hospital and that 1t Is a disgrace
to the city that IL hasn't one.
As to his not visiting the isolation
hospital but once since he took charge
OF the department, he said that was alb
solutely false. He/said that he visited
the hospital whenever the nurse in
formed him that his services were need
ed. lie had not been called there very
often because none Of the cases were
very serious and he considered the
nurse competent TO care for them
A MALICIOUS FALsEHoOD.
The fourth charge against him and
the department. Or. Wilcox character
lied as a malicious falsehood. and said
mat his department was not concern
ed In the matter at all, but IL was a
proposition between the man and his
private physician. The man had small
poS and his private physician agreed
10 treat him at home for SIS and not
nave MIN removed to the hospital, The
man paid him the money. but when
DR. Wilcox arrived he sent the man to
the hospital. After the man was re-
leased he demanded that sl2 OF the
money be returned to hin, by his pri-
Nate physician, but the latter claimed
mat he made two visits and kept IS
on the amount and returned 50 b him.
me man then went to morning paper
with his story and claimed that It was
an employe of the health department
VINO accepted the money. This same
Fellow, Dr. Wilcox said, called az the
health office after he was released and
NIely abused the clerk until the latter
mad him arrested. While his home was
m quarantine IL became known 10 the
department that the quarantine regula-
uons We're being violated An inspec-
lor went 70 the house, but the mans
Wife said that she had not permitted
persons to enter the house while A. was