Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-10-24
MOTHER Of BABY
CLEARS MERRITT.
Dr.. Smith Says He Will Show
Up Foes of Tuberculosis
Sanitarium.

OF the superintendent by Mrs James
Ingram, whose child he was said to
have mistreated, and a tour Of inspec
ton that showed the institution to be
in fine condition, DR.. Claude A. Smith, |
city bacteriologist, today declared that
he would trace to their source the many
slanderous reports and show that the
fault was with the sccusers rather than
with the institution
On, Smith and q representative of
The Georgian made . visit to the insti-
tuition yesterday afternoon and investi~
gated the numerous reports about mis-
management.
Smith Seeks Complete Probe.
we want a complete investigation
said Or. Smith. Some outrageous
ISLANDERS have been circulated against
the institution and we want to know
who is back of them ! promise to
bring out some very interesting and
illuminating facts before the council
committee" I
DR.. S, w Merritt, superintendent
denied the published statement that he
| had smothered a tubercular child to
| stop it's cries He said he stihed the
cries Of a robust but incorriglble child
with q pillow when it was disturbing
the whole institution and ali gentler
methods of keeping it quiet had failed.
| The child was subdued in a moment
and proceeded to eat its supper con-
| tentedly
| II was the little Eve year old daugh-
ter OF Mrs. James Ingram. the wife of a
street car motorman, who is now in the
hospital at the point of death.
| 81 told the doctor to whip the child.
because she was very hard to control"
said the frail little woman, in weak
voice, as she lay on her cot in the hos
pital yesterday. L heard from one Of
J the patients that he had smothered her
But guess the patient was wrong"
All the witnesses to the affair denied
| that the child was smothered.
There was report that DR. Merritt
! had choked woman. 1t reached the
ears Of CITY officials 1t developed that
| DR.. Merritt had forced woman to open
| her mouth TO show whether or not she
was dipping snuff. which is against the
rules of the hospital. The woman left
I
| snuff-dipping habit She worked in
the Exposition Cotton mills, but evaded
DR. Smith when he sought her to hear
her complaint. Treatment at the hos
pital is free, but no one is kept there
against their will.
Another report heard by the investi-
gators was that DR. Merritt and the
head nurse left the institution at the
same time for a day. The facts show
that they went to the Georgian Terrace
| to dinner as the guests of Dr. Merritt's
mother
Wants Investigation.
II am not denying that there is some
basis for all these reuorts."' said Dr.
Merritt That's why | want an fnves-
| LEGATION to reveal the discriminating
ISLANDERS We have fed some Of our pa
tients weinerwurst and pork They
wanted it and were strong enough 10
eat it, You can't tell some of them are
| i'll by looking al them"
The investigation of the institution
was started at meeting of the board
the medical staff Of the Anti Tubercu-
losis association.
He said that Dr. Smith and DR.. Mer-
rift would not co operate with his as
ISOLATION and that the hospital was be-
ing mismanaged.
DIR. Smith was not present at the
meeting. but when he appeared before
the board at later meeting the board
washed its hands of the whole affair.
DR. W. l.. Gilbert, president of the
board, said that a mistake had been
made in asking council for an investi
cation
But councils investigating commit
tee had already been appointed, and an
agreed that 1t should make a thorough
inspection and report on the hospital.
The hospital stands on one Of the
most beautiful sights around Atlanta,
the location of one of the batteries with
which Sherman shelled the city 1t has
l01 patients at present Twenty Of
them are children, either slightly in
fected or the children Of patients who
have no other place TO go. They are
taught in an open-air school room The
children are all happy and playful
The institution cost less than $40 600
yet it is provided with 1856 beds. more
than the Grady hospital II was built
Jointly by the city ana county Every
thing is clean and attractive
For the money the institution has
not been duplicated in the United
States said DIR, Smith
There IS Il negro ward in separate
house
DO YOU have negro nurses for
them Or Merritt was asked
No he replied We have white
nurses And we have nurses not wom-
en- in uniforms"