New-York tribune., 1911-01-06
.DRUMMOND TAKES STAND.
Puts Next Move Up to Directors
of Sage Institute.
ORDERS CITY SUPERVISION
Wants Them to Come Down
Off Their High Horse and
Talk Common Sense

| Commissioner Drummond OF the Depart
ment Of Charities issued a special order in
connection with the Russell Sage Institute
of Pathology, which became pubic yes
| terday, in which the next move is definitely
put up to the directors of the INSTITUTE Ihe
! order Is dated January 3. ana reads;
Ordered that, I'm so far as the russell
| Sage Institute of Pathology acts as city
laboratory. It's work be placed under the
supervision Of the medical board or the
Citv HospitaI, and that a committee or the
eoid hoard con,nosed OF Drs. f. S. Stearns,
Harlow Brooks and II. s. Dougherty, be
| desiena.ed IN confer with the trustees OF
the Russell Sage Institute or PATHOLOGY
with the Idea of continuing the future
pathological work OF the institute under
such conditions as will be satisfactory TO
all concerned"
The board of directors of the Sage inso-
tute took immediate cognizance OF the fac'
that the Commissioner had put the burdeh
on them by calling q special meeting, which
will he held next Friday, January H. at
6.20 o'clock. at the home Of DIR. DelaVan'
the president of the board. at which they
will consider i'm what way they VIII answer
the Commissioners order.
Commissioner Drummond dld not respon"
yesterday to tho open letter addresseu "
him by the directors of the sage INSTITUTE
and II is doubtful il he Will
There are no charges against the sage
Institute" said the Commissioner yester-
day. 1T is simply n question or super
vision. I hold that as the INSTITUTE re-
ceiyes city supplies and is housed In city
building and on city land the disbursement
Of those supplies should be SUPERVISED oy
the CITY. by this department, and II strikes
me as largely a proposition Of whether the
directors will come down Off their hlgh
horse and talk hard common sense"
It developed yesterday that the six en-
ployes Of the institute concerning wnom
the institute directors intimated poht'cs
was responsible were helpers and laDorers'
whose pay runs from so month to sp
month. Commissioner Drummond said that
as to the question Of the appointment OF
Or French he found the recommendations
for DIR. French and Or. Frissell equally
strong. and Dr. French was physician oi
several wears more experience than DR..
FrisselI.
The old Scientific Advisory Council. the
Commissioner said had been. so far as he
saw in his first months in office. largely
ornamental. and he substituted therefor
council which. in addition to NUMBER OF
thoroughly reputable physicians, contained
three laymen, who, he believed, would ne
Of assistance I'm various capacities. \.
Taylor Phillips, a former Deputy Control
Ter. he said, would be of material assistance
in financial matters and Warren Leslie In
legal matters, and Rudolph Block. he said,
was an old friend of his and also friend
Of the Mayor. who could i'm a measure per-
sonalIy represent the Commissioner.
An ordinary man. | think said the
Commissioner, would be tempted to dis
continue relations with body of men who
had addressed him through the newspapers
as the institute did me this morning, but
would prefer to have things Strengthened
out there and get the two institutions
working in harmony and cooperation
The agreement between the institute and
the city. he said. could be terminated at
will by either party, but he did not propose
TO do anything more now than to adhere TO
his demand for supervision. simply as
matter of the duties Of his place as Com
missioner.
In response TO the statement issued by
Commissioner Drummond on Wednesday
Or. Theodore G. Janeway, whose resisna-
ton from the medical board Of the city
Hospital started the trouble. said last night
that he would like to correct two allega-
tions made by Mr.. Drummond. First.
that the Sage Institute receives between
&c tho pitE
which DR.. Janeway has been spending
without any adequate supervision by city
officials" and, second, Mr.. Drummond'
statement that he had taken every pre-
caution that laymen should not interfere
with the medical administration OF the
hospital.
'The facts are" said Or. Janeway, that
the institute has never received cent OF
morey from the city and all supplies are
reduisitioned and supervised through the
regular channels Of the department before
they 20 10 the institute ON his second
point DR. Janeway cited simply that three
laymen were appointed TO the scientific adj
visory council. and that one OF them took
a prominent part i'm the work of the sub
committee which investigated the Sage In
stitute.
Dr. Janeway remarked in passing that
there were five homeopathic physicians on
the new scientific advisory council Rob
ert W. de Forest, a director and vice
president of the Russell Sage Foundation,
said yesterday that the foundation had no
part in the trouble which had arisen be-
tween the Sage Institute and Commissioner
Drummond. and he hoped that the matters
I'm dispute would be adjusted amcably.