Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-01-27

OMAHA. Jan. 26.--To the Editor
OF The Bee: 1t appears to me to be
my duty, not only to myself. but to
the public, TO correct the malicious
mis-statement OF conditions in the
city emergency hospital. which APP
peared on the front page Of last
nights Evening Bee.
Although the would-be nurse re-
sponsible for these slanderous falsi-
ties did not give her name, / will, as
there is only one who might be guilty
of such tales. That one is Mrs. Georg,
W. Tutty, who was employed at the
hospital for general duty. She was
dismissed after two days. without
waiting for the termination Of her
week, because she would not work.
A requirement Of the hospital is that
every soiled sheet be Immediately i'm
meised in running boiling water In order
to prevent staining II. As sample OF Mrs.
Tutty's attitude, when she was told to
4 do this, she turned up her nose and re-
4 fused, saying, I'm not a washerwoman."
Instead OF attending to her patients. some
of whom were very sick, she ran about
in other parts OF the hospital telling
other patients how much she would love
TO nurse" them.
After Mrs. Myers. the head nurse, had
discharged ner. Mrs. Tutty went TO the
scarlet fever patients and tried to get a
Mrs. Ruan to leave and go home. there
to accept Mrs. Tutty's service as a pri-
vate nurse She told Mrs. RDan stories of
bad care and Of filth at the hospital that
caused Mrs. Ruan to weep for two hours.
Then she left the hospital and carried her
tale to Mayor Dahlman.
When 1 first heard OF this matter,
through the mayor, went to Mrs. Ruan
and TO Mrs. Rardin, Mrs. Ruan's nurse,
who was also under suspicion of having
scarlet fever. i asked her 10 go to see
every patient. to inquire OF every child
as to whether or not II had ever been
punished or slapped, to inquire about
the bedding and the nursing OF
each patient and to find II there
be a word of truth in Mrs. Tutty's state
ments. Mrs. Rardin has written a letter
which tells the result Of her investigation.
Mrs. Tutty states that delirious per-
sons are scolded and children are
whipped. The only truth in that charge
is the fact that one child was spanked
lightly because, when convalescent, she
insisted upon having q bedpan constantly.
This child has an extremely bad and self
willed temper and the nurse did no more
than a parent would have done. But that
Is the only case Of the sort that has ever
occurred.
Far from going a week without baths,
every scarlet fever patient in the hospital
is bathed daily and given oil rubs- some
times half dozen rubs a day-until the
convalescent stage is reached. Then each
is bathed every two days, or at least
never less often than once every three
days. until discharged.
As to the statement that patients have
not been given needed ice packs and ic'
baths. am glad to say that our nurses
have enough sense not to give cold bath
to scarlet fever patients. that treatiuen
being equivalent to putting & gun at thei
heads and blowing out their brains.
am proud OF the record that oul
emergency hospital has made undel
crowded conditions. with funds not overl!
emple. am confident that II conei
tions were not what they should be. W.
would receive complaints from respon
, sible physicians and patients who know
by personal contact. the character OF th'
institution which we conduct. The com
; plainant In this instance II woman
unfit to undertake either private or pub
, lie nursing, because she will not work
When she was discharged for refusing Il
give needed care to patients who were Il
her charge and critically III she invented
out Of whole cloth this tale of conditions
which II true would be a disgrace upoi
the record of this city administration an,
. a shame to Omaha. Anyone can protec
himself against a thief by locking tn
, door. but there Is no protection sgains
q liar.
Insofar as I am personally concerned
. such charges as these make little differ
ence. But they make a great deal o
. difference to citizens who have scarle
fever. or whose children have 1t. II 1
: essential. for the welfare Of individual
: and for the general public health. tina
!, conditions in the emergency hospital b
right. II is essential. too. that the ?eori
have confidence in the hospital in orde
: that they will not fail to take advantag
: Of the means at their disposal to saw
{ their own lives and to safeguard the live
! OF others. We buve tried to make Thu
: hospital first-class in every respect--a
to nursing. food, bedding, linen cleanli
ness. II IL, admit. rather discouragin
when that has been done to be compelle
TO submit TO such malicious and ground