The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-10

mint OF his AFFAIRS, there must now be
added another, brought BY The emf
ambassadors OF tile estate for The
amount of the bill which he rendered
for performing the abdominal opnrii-
before his death. rhc operation, which
was described at the time, was G very
'bief one, to relieve Intestinal. obstruc..
ton and was only rendered critical
Of tho royal patient Although it was
very quickly over, the doctor has since
demanded an honorarium Of 100000
francs, and neithe!. cS-Crown Princess
Steplanie. nor yet her elder sister,
Princess Louise. is willing to sacrifice
a sun, of this proportion from tho re-
spectivc shares of their fathers for
tune coming to them ns Ills legal hers.
II had been hoped that in view of the
ssiderably larger amount of property
than the late King ever intended them
70 get. they would have consented 10
the payment ,,s Of DE- Lepages bill o or
promise, rather than add to the mum.
Der. of all those unsavOry lawsuits IN
which both he and his children. have
been almost continuously inv9 ,i,. dnr
brought SO much disgrace upon the
reigning house of Belgium, and SO
much irritation and humiliation upon
the Belgian people. But. W.T., !, +, ,nr
father, the two l'rinccsscs are resoiveu
| to resist the payment OF DR.. l,epages
BILL and to render the somewhat un :.
pleasant operation to which MGR ,,
| lie discussion in the courts of law.
rather than even relnqusll enough
money to effect an understanding with
1 the eminent surgeon.
was not excessive. under the circum-
stances. For surgical operations per,
formed upon royal personages' ana
especially upon monarchsc: ar, are IN a
are demanded of them. II Is not be
cause they can afford to pay more
literally than patients Of less exalted
rank, but It is due 70 the eXtraordi.
exposed in attending them. With an
ordinary patient. If they make a mis-
take. furnish an incorrect diagnosis. or
arc unsuccessful in any operation that
matter outside the immediate family
concerned. When a royal parsonage,
especially IL 1t happens to be one OF
the anointed of the Lord, or in tho
| cerned, the slightest error or slip
means tho ruin of the doctor profess
| sional reputation.
Blind King Of Hanover.
Thus, the last King OF Hanover faith
err OF the present Duke of Cumbcr-
\ take of surgeon. He had sustained
an injury to tho eye white playing at
some boyish game. which led to the
I gradual loss of the sight of that par
| ticular eye. As usual in such cases the
| strain on the perfect eye led 10 some
slight ailment which the. oculist a
\ man of the name of DR.. Craefe. pro-
posed to relieve by n trivial bit of
4 surgery. In some way or another. at
the critical moment. the hand with
which he held the lancet was seized
by a sudden cramp, which caused MIN
with the result that the knife cut
through the optic nerve of the unfor-
tunate prince. binding him for life
This was in 1910. The King, who had
not then succeeded to the throne. was
lust twenty-one years Of age at tho
time, and therefore in position &c
appreciate the full extent of the af-
Fiction that had fallen to his share
The equally unfortunate doctor. pro.
fessionally ruined, and denounced fol
his carclessness, not alone by his fel
ow-countrymen. but all over Europe
, committed suicide shortly afterwards
precisely in the same way that 81
,, Richard croft, the eminent Englisl
surgeon and accoucheur. cut his throat
owing TO a mistake which he had mad
, in his treatment of Princess Charlott
of Wales only daughter of George ~,
and which resulted in her death almos
Immediately after childbirth. thus paw
: ing the way for the succession to tn
throne of Queen Victoria,
,, The late Queen of Hanover sue
!, cunlbed to an operation two years age
, and as. owing to the condition of he
heart at advanced age: It had bee
found impossible to administer an,
esthetics, the surgeons were great
blamed especially by their confreres
for what was denounced as unacr III
e circumstances shocking piece 0
5 NEEDLESS and fatal cruelty. King Leo
pold r. died as the result Of a surgica
: operation in 1865, on the very sam
day of tho yeai THAI Witnessed IN
close of the reign of his son, .ortY
four wears ;alec, while the operate
to which Napoleon III. owed his dea'
remains a subject of bitter controvers
among medica, !ner, some taklnS N
3 part Of the surgeons concerned an
0 others as vigorously lenouhclnS tnsn
q 1t must be recalled moreover, ina
y in these surgical operations on roy
= atty. great political interests ana Is
o sues are often involved, and IN sue
:. instances the surgeon approaches hi
iIlustrious patient with the feeiin
: that not only is his own professions
e and social reputation at stake, an
that the eyes OF the entire world ar
I mnnn him in the matter. but that tn
,uelfare OF an entire nation, perhap
:. the maintenance of the peace anon
u tho great powers of the world. Deepen
@ wnon the success or the failure of hi
G Work with the knife. Under the CIR
a cumstances it is only right and RAJ
. lthat he should insist upon much large
e fees than those which he asks lroi
y ordinary patients, and Or. Iepagc nee
y not be regarded as unduly eNtor'ioi
II ate. 49,. pre,tvood CO