Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-06
CHINESE DOCTOR
IS BURNED OUT
HEROIC NURSE SAVES LITTLE
ONES
Physicians Loss Consists Mostly OF
Drugs imported from China and
Rare Books on Medical
Subjects

DR.. Tom She Bin. perhaps the most
| widely known Chinese practitioner OF
medicine in Southern California, Is
homeless, his valuable library practl-
cally destroyed and hundreds of dollars
worth of rare Chinese medicines ano
herbs ruined, all by fire which started
| in a closet on the second floor of the
| house at 90S South Broadway last
night. and burned it's way through the
upper floors to the roof of the building
before it was extinguished.
At the time of the fire DR.. Tom She
Bin and his wife were absent In Chi
natown visiting friends. In the mouse
were the little children of the physician
and two attendants. Two or the little
children were asleep in the nursery at
the time and they were rescued at con-
siderable personal risk by their nurse
and with great difficulty because Of the
dense clouds Of smoke which filled the
building. Five other children of the
doctor escaped without trouble.
The building was damaged to the eX-
tent of $500. This loss falls on j. H.
Martin, who is the owner of the house.
DR.. Tom She Bins loss was chiefly
caused by water and smoke, although
some of his furniture on the upper
floor was burned.
Fire Starts in Closet
The fire started at about $3.50 O'Clock
in a closet on the second floor, in the
rear Of the building. Its origin is a
mystery. but 1t may have been due to
crossed electric wires. When the fire
was first noticed it had spread all
through the room in which 1t started
and had broken its way through the
roof.
The nurse and another attendant were
in the lower part of the house at the
time and as soon as the alarm was
given both hurried to the upper hoor
to get the children out of the house.
Five of the older children We're
asleen in a room on the north side of
the building. Two younger children
were asleep in a room opposite.
These little ones were taken out with
great difficulty by the nurse. The other
children were already awake and were
making their way into the hall when
the attendant came to them.
When the firemen arrived the plaze
was burning fiercely in the upper part
of the house, but it was extinguished
in very short time.
Costly Drugs Burned
In the lower rooms of the bulldlng
where DIR Tom She Bins offices We're
located, were stored large quantities OF
drugs and herbs, almost all OF Whlcn
had been imported from emma ana
other oriental countries
This property was valued at hundreds
of dollars and was practically ruined by
the floods of water and clouds OF smoke
which poured from the upper floors
In the private office of the doctor were
great tones of Chinese literature per-
tanning to medicine and treatment OF
diseases which had been gathered Tor
years and years by his father and his
grandfather, and even by ancestors OF
more remote date.
Water and smoke practically de-
stroyed these volumes, and as DR.. Tom
She Bin expressed it last night the pity
of it is that none of them can be re-
placed.
DR.. Bin and his family were gathered
disconsolately at their home until late
hour last night, when they went to the
home of friends, where they will remain
until new house can be prepared for
them.
The doctor could not estimate his loss
last night and a part of his property
loss never can be estimated in money,
as it can never be replaced.