Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-23
TWO SURGEONS IN RECEIVING
HOSPITAL KEPT BUSY
In cramped Quarters, but Which Are
Kept Immediately Clean, Thou
sands of Operations Are
Yearly Performed

The world outside the police station
little realizes the work that is done in
one small room at the central station
that serves as a receiving and emer-
gency hospital. Here during a single
year more than 5000 cases are treated.
From hospital where a physician
and surgeon served without pay and
treated between fifty anu sixty cases
a year, it's business has grown to the
present enormous proportions.
The hospital, for its ize, is one of the
best equipped in the city. The sur
geons are furnished with complete sets
of instruments, but they complain that
the present quarters are entirely too
cramped to allow them to do their best
work.
Prior to 1890 Drs George L. Cole.
James ]. Choate and w. II. Morrison
served without pay. DR.. E. A. Bryant
served from 1890 to 1897. During his
term the pay system was established.
DR.. Ralph Hagan served from 1897 to
1901. DR.. C. w. Pierce served from
1901 to 1903. From 1903 to 1905 A. M.
Smith was surgeon.
Drs. Sumner j. Quint and A. NJ. Smith
We're appointed January 1, 1905, and
they are now at the hea" of the hospi-
tai. During 1903 effort was made to
get the city council to pass an ordi-
nance providing for an assistant sur
geon at the hospital, The council re-
fused to do this, but on January 1, 1904,
it provided for two surgical nurses at
$40 a month each. Instead of employ
ing nurses a surgeon w2s appointed and
paid the $50 that had been appropriated.
New Ordinance Passed
This ordinance was repealed January
4 It.,nt aa sol
providing for two assistant police sur
geons. Through an error in the civil
service code the two assistants were
employed under the civil -crvice rules.
The civil service provides that one of
the assistant surgeons must be present
at the station all of the I'll e. This
gives each one of them a twelve-hour
watch This /; an injustice, when it Is
considered that patrolman receiving
the same pay is required to work only
an eight-hour shift, and the surgeons
work is much more difficult and nerve
racking at times.
DIR. Charles Boynnge, who is now an
assistant surgeon. was employed az the
hospital five years ago by the surgeon.
At that time he slept at the hospital
and left it for only few hours
each day.
1t is the duty of the surgeons to at
tend to all firemen, policemen and city
prisoners as well as to be present at all
emergency cases. About 5000 people are
yearly given medical attention at the
hospital who have been accidentally in
jured About 1900 firemen and police
men and 1000 prisoners are ? so at
tended.
The remarkable feature ~eSarding the
treatment of so many patients during a
year is the small room In which all of
the operating is done. In the same
roori where less than 100 patients a
year were tro lted fifteen years ago
now eighty times that number are
given attention.
Room Inadequate
At the hospital there are two small
wards In the female ward there are
two beds and in the male ward there
are four beds. Recently the chief of
police provided a small room in the
matrons department where women
patients can be cared for. The de-
mands at the hospital every day are for
nearly twice as much snace as 1T pres