Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-06-07
HOSPITALS or COUNCIL sLUFFs
BOYCOTT FRATERNITY PHYsl.
CLANS.
REFUSE TO RECEIVE
CASES FOR OPERATIONS
Similar Conditions Said to Exist Else.
whore and Matter Threatens to Get
Into courts-othsr Members Of Pro.
fsssion Said 70 Object to Lodge
Contract System.
Special to Times-Republican.


Council Bluffs, June declaring
that they are acting primarily in the
cause Of humanity, three Council Bluffs
physicians have raised merry row by
taking up the cudgel to find if medical
and surgical cases in which they are
the practitioners. can be barred by any
legal right from hospitals simply be-
cause the physician happens to be Il
lodge" doctor, contract" doctor. as
they are termed by the other members
of the profession who are seeking to
keep the boycott in force. The contro-
versy Is one which Incidentally in
wolves members of the profession thru
out the state.
The three physicians claiming to be
the victims of discrimination are DR..
"A. Fl. Reochenbach, Dr. Robert S. Moth
and DR.. William NJ. Green. They are
lodge physicians respectively for the
Eagles. the Moose and the Eagles and
Moose. According to these physicians
the discriminating practice has been
In force for over eighteen months. and
several of the doctors who are active
in having the boycott maintained are
railroad physicians. in reality CON
tract" physicians themselves, it is al
legged.
The boycotted doctors claim that not
only are the lodge cases denied admis-
sion to the two leading hospitals here.
but that private cases as Well are re-
fused admittance.
Statement BY Physician.
DR.. H. A. Reichenbach alleges that
he was called to the home of A. Jensen.
o5i iiisil Sciluoi avenue, anu found
that the daughter Of the family was in
need of an immediate operation. Mr..
Jensen called the Jennie Edmundson
Memorial hospital and asked for a pri-
vate room for his daughter. but when
1t was learned that DR.. Reichenbach
was the physician. he was informed
that no room was-available. In order
to get his patient into the hospital at
once DR.. Reichenbach called in another
physician, who had the girl taken to
Mercy hospital on his order Mrs. Jen-
sen demanded that DR.. Reichenbach be
allowed to see her daughter while at
the hospital and this demand was
finally granted. DR.. Reichenbach makes
the following statement in regard to
the matter:
This is not a personal fight. but a
simple matter of humanity. 1t is not
the physician who suffers but the patti
ent. There should be no delay in emer-
gency cases anyway The Jensen bare
ly was saved. The Jennie Edmundson
hospital evades the lodge doctors cases
by saying they have no room available.
They do not come right out and re-
fuse US, but we know the system.
Within forty minutes after had been
refused admission for the Jensen girl.
on the plea that they had no room. I
learned that a room was in reality
availble if some other doctor wanted It.
THE Mercy hospital people are
frank. at any rate. I have been told
right out by them that I was denied
admission because was an Eagle ply
stefan. physician is supposed to be
actuated by human impulses and to
act for humanity's sake. Why should
not the hospital be governed by the
same rule? But none of the cases are
charity cases. They are BARRED SIM
ply because we are contract doctors.
as they are pleased to term us. while
the railroad doctors. contract doctors
as much as we are, are aiding in keep
ing US barred
This discrimination exists notwith-
standing the principal benefactor OF
the Jennie Edpnundson hospital only a
short time ago said that all reputable
physicians were privileged to practice
therein: it exists in spite of the decla-
ration of the board Of directors to the
1t is announced that the physicians
plan to test the matter in the courts
II necessary.