Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-02-08
AT THE TRIAL or DR.. FOSTER.

Hospitals at the trial of DR.. j.. g. Fos-
ter last week: M
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen OF the
General Hoard of Hospitals of'Vir-
ginia:
Before voting upon the questions In
vOlved in this case. desire to present
some of my reasons for the action /
shall take.
On the 21st of November. 1905. we as
sem bled at Williamsburg at the call Of
the Commissioner Of Hospitals. The
object of tine call was general aud for
one suspected nothing OF the storm
which was impending. A special COM
mittee of our body consisting Of Messrs
Treadway, Osborne and Bohaonon,
had at a previous meeting Of this body,
been appointed to examine the evil
dence taken before.the Legislative In
vestigatipg Committee.
Or the strength of their examination
they based a finding against DR.. l.. s..
Foster, and submitted recommends
tieus the chief being, that the entire
medical staff of the Eas tern State Hos
pital, should be removed
This to me came like thunder clap
from clear sky. had no intimation
that any thing 30 drastic was brewing.
That report coming on me with the
suddenness of an electric shock, I de-
manded to see the evidence. l had
never vet convicted any man unheard.
Begging with respect to be ex.
cused from allowing myself to place q
stigma upon the character Of any man,
without having heard or seen the proofs.
with two other members OF the Board
firmly but respectfully declined to vote
with the majority for removal.
was not prepared to and did not
undertake then to pass on the guilt or
Innocence Of DR.. Foster or Of the two
assistant physicians dismissed at the
Same time. stood az an agnOstic, l
simply did not know. I had no evi.
dence before me.
am glad l am not of that por.
ton OF this body, who 30 soon after the
happenings of Nov. 81 and ~. found
themselves is great travail and In deep.
water and who so soon began to cry
"What must w. do to be saved Pr
Ny associates who voted as did up
on the questions arising on those mem
orable days in November, have not al
ways been incolrigible, There have
been times when we would gladly have
voted with you. One Of these was
when you Of your own motion voted
to rescind all you had previously done.
Again had been present. l would
have voted with the majority. That
was when acting on the. wise advice of
the Attorney General, he urged you
to 20 and employ counsel, and you
went, for never since the dawn of day,
have seen a body of men who needed
counsel more
Now let US come to the merits of this
case. This Is trial of DIR. Foster to
ascertain whether he should be dis
missed from hts position as superiDtend.
ent of the Eastern State Hospital. To
dismiss him is to impeacb him, aud to
discredit his administration. 1t is to
fix q stigma on him from which he Can
never recover.
| 1t is evident that we cannot dismiss
DR.. Foster on account of lack Of char
acter. In eight years or approximate
ing it, nearly $500. 0O0-have passed
through his hands and not one cent
has gone astraY. Against him Is nc
intimation of graft, or gain, nor sug-
gestiob thereof. Against him is NC
charge of immorali y, nor wrong do
| ing. indeed be emerges from this or
deal without stain, a gentleman bear
ing the highest christian character -
For nearly eight months he has been
pursued by those seeking his down
fall. After all this 1t is source of 10.
finite delight to me to place upon the
records of this body, my verdict that
his character as q man and az an Of
| ficer. are above suspicion, yea as gold
tried In the fire.
| Ii he must 60, then 1t must be fol
reasons other than these.
His administration must be bis down.
fall. Let US examine that. He
has followed approved methods,
both in the treatment of patients
and In the government of the hospital.
On this subject l hardly see where
there can be dissenting opinion. The
use of lunar caustic, of an electric bat
terry. and Of staight jackets. are the
only instances Of treatment upon which
experts may be said to differ. In all
these, judgment. care and professional
skill; have guided his course.
In every hospital there are necessari
~ restraints. The hospital is itself a
restraint, minor restraints must nee
essarily be employed. 1t is admitted
that restraints though proper may Of
ten be cruelty II not brutally applied
They have not been 80 here.
Not visiting the wards sufficiently
often, is an accusation against DR..
Foster. I say here and now that
whilst there are rules on this subject,
no well regulated board should ever
compel their strict or iron-clad observ-
ance by the Superintendent. Some
seem to think that the superinteDd-
emit, must see to each detail daily. see
to every meal, he must look after the
bathing, he must be with the assistant
phy sicians each day at the bedside of
the sick, and when death comes he
must 60 and make an inspection of the
l. M l. IL l.