New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-18
Woman Patient at Wash
ington Heights Hospital
Charges Neglect.
TELLS OF CONDITIONS
AS SEEN FROM COT
Whiskey Given Some Babies 10
Stop Crying Others Locked
in Room. She Declares.

Washington Heights Hospital. as
roen from cot in the operative ward.
vas described at the charities invest
cation yesterday by a woman patient
who spent several weeks in the institu
ion and survived. The witness was
Mrs. Florence Grey. q sO7 West l34tn
Street
According 20 her story the doctors
e. the hospital staff spent most OF
their time a. theatre across the
street. while the nurses amiably d.
rided themselves between skylarking
with the police details on the lower
moor and jou'neying up and down the
rear fire escapes with beer cans.
Bed-l1dden though she was, Mrs.
Grey apparently managed to keep IN
touch with hospital activities. partieu-
larly as they concerned the children
Her own baby. she testified, lost more
than half its weight between July 6,
1918, and the day she carried it out OF
the hospitsl-sis weeks or two months
later.
Babies Locked Up All Night.
Mrs. Grey told Commissioner Charles
H. Strong, before whom the investigs-
ton is being conducted in the Bar
Association building. she had brought
trouble to herself by refusing TO LEI
a nurse give whiskey TO the baby 70
quiet H. She also told of another
nurse becoming intoxicated and re-
firing, on sucn occasions, into the
nearest vacant cot This same nurse,
said Mrs. Grey. had another habit of
locking a number OF babies in a re-
mote room from which their cries
would not carry and leaving them
there all night without food or atten-
ton. The statement OF Mrs. Grey
ran in part as follows:
81 entered the Washington Heights
Hospital July 6. 1913. and spent from
six weeks TO two months there, dur
ing which time | had a serious opera
ton. After the operation was so
badly neglected that ! was caused
nervous breakdown. this being caused
by neglect on the part Of the nurses.
There was one time when the sheet on
my bed was not changed for ten days.
Lots Of times there was not "A doc
tor 10 be found in the hospital, they
being across the street in the theatre
and having TO be sent for II needed.
After o'clock at night there was
not = chance 10 get anything you might
want, not even drink Of water. as the
nurses spent the night down in the hall.
fooling with the policemen on duty at
the hospital and going down the back
fire escape getting beer IN can.
Night Nurse "Often Drunk"
"Ofttimes the night nurse was in
toxicated and would take some crying
baby in her arms and go into vacant
bed 20 sleep with II. Other times she
would take the babies >nd close them
in a room where they could not be
heard and would neglect to feed them
during the night.
/ 81 took my baby in there perfectly
well, weighing eleven pounds and four
teen ounces, and on taking 1t out II
weighed FIVE pounds and twelve ounces,
this being due - starvation, as there
was not enough help on hand TO feed
the infants at the proper times. They
seldom got beth.
zone night the nurse gave me my
baby and said: See II you can stop
this kid from crying | was so weak
that II was impossible for me TO care
Tor the baby. so she said: I'll give
II some whiskey 10 shut Il up"
"She brought in so much whlskey
vas afraid TO give IL 20 the baby and
said: How much is In the bottle|
oh, only tablespoon and little
water.
"Then | would not give II to the baby
and she cursed al me and made me wait
till the next day for drink.
II complained about the nurse, and
by doing so. made il all the worse for
both the patients and myself and then
to get even. she abused Us all the more
and would do nothing for me from that
on. | begged the doctor to let me go
home. and he said it was impossible
In my condition 10 move or hft me.
So that was why had to stay there
against my wishes.
"Mv husband used 10 bring me
quart bottle Of champagne every sec
ond night. out of which | would get
about two ounces. Then somehow or
other tire bottle would be emptied. And
il the nurse would say it fell out OF the
icebox. That's all there was to that.
Left to Die on Floor.
Another time a man patient fell out
Of bed. lie had fractured skull. After
being on the floor for at least ten min
utes the nurses went in and picked him
up. That night he was taken down to
the morgue. Nothing was said or done
about it,"
Mrs. Crews testimony was prefsced
by the examination OF her physician
DR.. Louis Neuelt. The physician. for
merly an inferno in the hospital, cor
roborated the story that the space un-
der the front steps OF the building was
used as an overflow mortuary.
Didn't you feel you were rlsking
your professional reputation by main
tanning relations with tins hospita1
asked Mr.. Strong
81 did" admitted DR.. Neuelt, but !
was always looking for matters TO
mend"
The physician further testified that
NIL the doctors connected with the hos
pital we're required 20 split their fees
with DR.. c. c. Sichel. chief surgeon OF
the institution.
The hearing was adjourned Until 10
o'clock Monday morning.
In the evening Or. Sichel answered
the charges of Mrs. Grey by character.
ling them as Exaggerated falsehoods.'
lit is all the result Of spite work"
he said. THE hospital is now in l.ti-
cation over a $4,000 building fund. Or.
Neuelt is on the other side OF the
fence. why, II conditions were es Mrs.
Grew describes, did he permit her 20
remain in the hospital?
"The woman's whole story is ride
Z,