New-York tribune., 1907-07-19
INTERNES MAY MUTINY.
SEQUEL TO VIVISECTION.
Kings County Hospital Attachfs Re
sign-InStitution DemOralized.

The further Gripping Of the already made
quate staff at Kings County Hospital by the
suspension by Commissioner Hebbard OF four
surgeons for vivisection experiment has driven
the staff there to the verge of mutiny The eight
surgeons left duty to care for more than six
hundred patients threaten to resign in body
to-day unless some relief is given 20 the hospi-
taI. Many Of them have been duty Continu-
ously Tor hours. One patient is said 10 have
died from neglect yesterday ana more are suf-
fering In two wards-NOs. . and 23-hfty pa
tients have been left practically unattended for
two days
For months the number of internes allotted to
the hospital has been Inadequate Failure TO
provide proper supplies for the work has been
another strong complaint all through the pres
ent administration.
At the present time there are about $50 pa
tients in the hospital To care for these there
are only eight internes Bellevue. with nine
hundred patients. has hfty-four internes. With
less than 90 per cent more patients than Kings
County, Bellevue has nearly nine times as many
surgeons AS a matter of fact, only six surgeons
are available for all the different services in the
hospital. two OF them have TO stay the
ambulanceS. AS result the are nearly
exhausted and. il is said, unable to perform
their duties properly for that reason, as well as
because of lack OF numbers.
In the two wards mentioned there fifty
patients. None or THESE nave haQ 81 DaQQaSS or
dressing changed for two days. The old build
ings have always been verrnn infested, but since
the staff has been so weakened. conditions are
becoming almost unbelievable. One man who
died yesterday afternoon died, it is said. from
neglect for which the surgeons We're in wise
blame
The eight physicians about ready resign
In body. and would do so If there were others
10 take charge OF their patients New ones
are coming in constantly their ranks being
on Gdn naS6u md raVtJa ilNr rha
victims OF two serious automobile accidents
Should another big accident occur. such one
Of the wrecks common on the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit an explosion or an automobile accI-
dent il would be entirely impossible to care for
the victims. say the hospital authorities.
At the Bradford Street Hospital there
only two physicians. and the
other one OF the younger men in the county start.
There IS enough work for twice that number.
They doing the work without complaint but
II they keep it up It is only question of time
till they will be patients themselves in the in
stitution.
At Coney Island in the Reception Hospital the
lack OF surgeons IS a serious menace. only one
man. DR. Moore. Is there TO look after the pa
tents who now fll every bed in the hospital,
besides the dozen children In tho tent for chill
dren afflicted with tuberculosis of the bone.
Whenever an ambulance call comes in the ReCep-
ton Hospital IS left entirely without surgeon.
As some calls often take more than hour 10
answer and patients have be rushed TO the
Kings County institutions. there are long
stretches in which half the patients might die
absolutely without medical attention. 1t would
be impossible, OF course To attend TO any ambu-
lance call until the lone physician returned to
HIS post
Al this season accidents and heat prostrations
are numerous eutailirg many calls the
bulance service. and in addition there thou
sands Of bathcrs in the waters from Gravesend
To Brighton. two three OF whom are drowned
or nearly drowned every day. To many OF
these drowning cases the promptest sort OF per-
sisteut medical attention is imperative. and the
difference of five minutes in answering the call
may mean life and death
In addition there are the thousands who visit
the big amusement parks every day. from
which there are constant calls for ambuances
for minor accidents. Had the roller coaster
cident at Concy a few days ago been really seri-
Gus and the people dangerously hurt half OF
them might have died before outside physicians
could have been found
When his attention was called TO the gravity
of the situation yesterday. Or. Fitzgerald. the
superintendent OF the hospital. placed the re-
sponsibility upon the shoulders OF Commissioner
Hebbard and Or. w. D. Jones' lie acknowledged
that the conditions at the hospital and It's
branches were az described. and said that he
believed that il would be imperative TO call in
outside physicians He sad that he thought
that conditions might be relieved In a day or so,
but tust how he did not know.