The San Francisco call., 1910-04-19
DIR. MOORE ADMITS
STRIKING PATIENT
Witness for Defense Declares
Physician slapped" Brez-
ziniO Ten Times

DR.. Dunlop Moore, surgeon at the
United States marine hospital. on trial
for assault on Mateo Brezzinio, dying
patient at the hospital February IS
last, admitted. yesterday, through his
witnesses, that he had struck the i'll
fated sailor eight or ten times during
the last hours of his life. John r.
Brionus, a marine fireman who had
been a patient at the hospital, was
called by Doctor Moore in Moore's own
defense and testified under oath to the
"slaps'' which Moore had given Brez-
zinio. They could be plainly heard, "
said Brionus, who added that the ward
was quiet.
United States Commissioner Heacock
sitting as committing magistrate in
the case, will have to decide the ques-
tion of when blow is surgical treat
ment" or common brutal battery.
GAssAwAY ON STAND
DIR. James NJ. Gassaway, chief sur
geon in command of the marine hos
pital, testified that ii was sometimes
necessary to slap patients in the face.
Did you ever have occasion to slap
| patient?" asked Assistant United
States Attorney A r. Black, who is
prosecuting DOClOI
NO" promptly replied Doctor Gassa-
way.
Black went further into the question
of when surgical ethics become con-
fused with pugilistic performance dur
ing his cross examination of DR.. Ruel
Ebersoll, an assistant surgeon who had
treated Brezzinio
Doctor Ebersoll testified. as the other
surgeons did, that the Austrian was an
When patient is unruly do you
keep him quiet by slapping him or
strapping him down, usually" asked
Black.
Doctor Eberson was not quite def
mite in his answer.
1T isn't" repeated Black more ex-
plicitly, considered necessary to beat
patient into subjection?"
NO, not to beat him into subsection"
replied Ebersoll.
Doctor Gassaway, Doctor Ebersoll
and DR. Samuel c. Hotchkiss, who ex-
amined the patient after his death, all
remarked an abrasion on the face, near
the left eye, about three-quarters of an
inch in diameter, which, it is contended
by the prosecution, was made by the
blow of Doctor Moore. Attorney J. C.
Campbell, for the defense, asked each
witness If the abrasion might not have
face on the wire headrest on his cot.
This was said to have been a likely
cause of the injury.
DOCTOR MOORE TO TESTIFY
The hearing proceeded for an hour
yesterday morning, but was continued
until this morning owing to the alb
sence of witness who was due to ar
rive last night on the steamer Eureka.
Doctor Moore will be put on in his own
defense as the last witness.
John r. Brionus was the most i'm
portant witness. He was patient in
the hospital at the time Brezzinio died
and occupied a cot in the same end of
the ward in which Brezzinio lay. On
the night of February Is, testified Bri-
onus, Brezzinio was unruly and threw
off his bed clothes and tossed a water
glass on the floor. Moore came in and
said to Brezzinio. the witness contin-
ued. 'If you don't lie still you'll kill
yourself" Then Moore slapped the
patient.
He slapped him at three or four diff
ferent times-about 10 times,' said the
witness.
Brionus denied the story Of the other
witnesses that Doctor Moore had said
to Brezzinio, TIL kill you"