New-York tribune., 1908-02-16

search OF the cavity. Peritonitis promptly fol-
iowed. not altogether unusual at that time, and
me post-mortem. four days later. revealed the
sponge thoroughly concealed in the upper part
OF the cavity"
The uncertainty in this respect that surrounds
operations in which the body is opened is indi-
Gated in the brief and ominous reply of one sur
geon when asked for his experience.
IF I have ever left any foreign body In the
abdomen he wrote, Il do not know it, as the
cases upon which autopsies held did not
show it,
Not often. to be sure. but occasionally. the
mistake Is made Of operating the wrong
member. case is reported from Canada which
illustrates this. 1t that of diseased optic
nerve. 1t was feared that the disease would be
communicated to the healthy nerve OF the other
eye, and 1t decided that to obviate this the
diseased nerve and eye should be removed The
nature Of the malady was such that one could
not tell by appearance the diseased from the
healthy eye The patient, being under the infiu-
ence Of the anasthetic could not give any in
formation on that point. The healthy eye was
taken out.
of course You would feel like shooting the
surgeon said the physician who told the Incl
dent to a representative Of The Tribune but
there was nothing to guide the surgeon"
since then in such case. it has become the
custom 10 Indicate the eye to be operated upon
by an identification mark before the operation
is undertaken
Although the accidental failure to remove the
piece OF tubing and the pin from the breast OF
the young Finlander while in the hospital here
was not necessarily against the character of the
service provided for the sick and the wounded
in the hospitals OF New York. there are feat
IN institutions in charge of the city, where
there is need of Improvement. DR.. Theodore c.
Janeway, who is a member Of committee of the
Charity Organization Society which is interested
in the Improvement OF the hospital system re-
Gently appeared before the commission appointed
by Mayor Mcclellan to suggest a plan by which
the hospital service Of the city could be i'm
proved He contended that in some of the city
hospitals the number OF physicians on the visit
ing staff was too large for the number of pa
uents; that, owing the need for rapid rota-
uon in service so that all OF these might have
an opportunity to take part in the work of
the hospital, it was necessary to limit tn diff
ferent physicians and surgeons TO active periods
or three or four months each year and that this
resulted in laxity Of supervision especially over
the economic side of hospital administration
As result, the real medical and surgical su-
pervision was in the hands of the house staff
made up of medical students who had recently
received their degrees from the medical COL
Ieges- This system, he said, left unlimited op-
portunities for dishonesty and waste on the part
OF subordinate employees, and the physicians
and surgeons, ewing to the breVty of their
PERIODS OF service. do not and cannot be ex-
pected TO maintain any sustained interest in the
institution, nor TO give its problems more than
a small portion of their time and thought" He
added that medical boards as might be ex-
pected seldom. if ever. discipline their own
members and almost invariably shield those who
are inefficient negectful Of their duties TO
the hospital. Moreover, because of this lack
of continuity of service and close oversight little
could be done in the way of medical research
which should contribute TO the advancement of
medicine.
NEED OF HOSPITAL REFORM.
The New York public hospitals are always in
n . of