The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-02
NO PAY FOR LULL
Doctor Continues to Work for
City Without Compensation.
He Now Holds Claim for
$3.50 for Services.
HIS CONTRACT WAS VERBAL
The City Commissioners Refuse
to Honor 1t.
He Declines to Treat Cases OF
Infectious Disease.
HIS CONTRACT WAS VERBAL

Because he does not believe that in
jured persons who are brought to the
police station and the poverty stricken
i'll of Topeka should suffer without
medical attention just because rich
city doesn't seem to want to pay for
their treatment, DR.. Claude G. Lull
county physician and health officer, IS
out for several hundred dollars worth
of time and medicine. Since DR.. Lull
has been caring for emergency cases
at the police station at the rate of 70
or 80 a month and treating poverty
stricken poor of the city on the side,
in accordance with a verbal agreement
between himself and the city fathers,
he has submitted claims aggregating
$3.50 to the city commission. Inc
claims were for treating emergency
cases at the police station only. Did
Lull get the $50? He did not.
Trouble over the treatment OF
emergency city cases began when DR..
Woods, city health officer-salary
$3.50 month-was handed his pres
ent job. The question arose as to who
was going to patch up victims OF cut
ting scrapes and accidents of all de-
scriptions who were brought to police
headquarters. For several days pri-
vate physician had to be called for
such cases. All this irritated Harvey
Parsons, chief of police, who asked
the city commissioners for relief.
Would DR.. Woods handle the cases?
Most assuredly he would not. 1t was
not what he was hired for. Dr. Woods
was supposed to prevent disease. Com
missioner Porter himself said so and
instructed Woods not to handle the
cases.
Agreement Was Made.
The result of the squabble was that
a mutual agreement was reached be-
tween DIR. Lull and his honor, Mayor
House, that the former should handle
the emergency cases. There was also
an agreement that DR.. Lull was to
treat infectious diseases. No contract
as to Lull's compensation was made
There was just mutual understand
ing between Lull and the city fathers
and Lull supposed it was good one
that the county physician was to
receive pay for his work. The city
started out we'll by buying and paying
for an emergency kit for the police
station.
A month or so after Lull began the
work he put in a claim 10 the city
commissioners at the rate of $50
month for his time and the money he
expended for medicine. The only
thing that Lull ever heard of the bill
was that it had been referred to Com
missioner Porter and that Porter had
torn the bill up. About the middle
of October, LuIl put in another state
ment. Of this one the county physi-
clan has not heard The city mas not
even taken the trouble to notify him
that it had turned it down. In fact,
the nearest that Lull has ever come to
getting paid was when Mayor House,
a short time after Lull began the
work, told him that "he ought to be
paid something"
Where Was Woods?
A few days ago the city fathers dis
covered some cases of infectious dis
eases in the city. In view of the fact
that the city's health officer was in
structed to prevent disease and not
treat it. some one called up Lull and
asked him to care for the cases. Lu1
declined. What? The city was
amazed, regarded the negative answer
aghast, and then was insulted. The
idea!
While Dr. Lull has declined with
thanks to take care of the city's infec- |
tious diseases. he does not signify his |
intentions to stop treating emergency |
cases at the city Jail such thing
as not having some one to care for |
these cases would embarrass the city /
at large" said the doctor. Then /
these poor fellows need care. expect |
to keep on treating them whether the
city pays me or not"
Friends. of Lull who are interested |
in the attitude of the city and DR.. Lull |
are wondering. There seems to be no |
money for the city to pay physician
to crawl out from between the bed
covers at two or three o'clock in the |
morning, crank up his Ford and patch |
up the victim of an accident or shoot
ing scrape, but they point out that the |
CITY can afford to spend $110 to send |
its milk inspector to Washington to at
tend a dairymen's convention.