New-York tribune., 1918-04-30
Department Chief Quits
After Mayor Ignores
Federal Officials
Free Hand Promised
To New Director
Declares He Will Retire if
Mayor Interferes. With
Conduct of Office

Health Commissioner ]. Lewis AM
ster resigned yesterday, an hour after
Mayor Hylan, referring to the protest
of Surgeon General Victor Blue against
the abolition of the Bureau of Public
Health Education, said:
81 don't give a darn for those Fed
eral government letters of for those
from other people interested in public
health education. AS long. as I am
Mayor the Health Department will be
run as I see fit"
IN DR.. Amster's place, Mayor Hylan
appointed DR.. Royal Ssmuol Copeland,
homeopath, the first of that school of
medicine to hold an important post
in the health service of this city and
according to DR.. S. S. Goldwater, for
mer Commissioner of Health, the first
homeopath to head the Health Depart
ment ~eFany Important American city.
The new Health Commissioner said
last nigh. that he had been promised
that his control of his department
would be absolute and that he would
not be interfcred with in any way.
"lf find that this is not so 1 shall
resign at once" he added.
DR.. Copeland has been a resident of
New York ten years. He came here to
be dean of the New York Homeopathic
Medical College and Flower Hospital
The resignation of Dr. Amster fol-
lowed a stormy interview in the
Mayors Office
DIR. Amster Lifts the Lid"
In his letter of resignation, which
followed Immediately after this inter
view, and in statements made later in
the day DR.. Amster lifted the lid off the
entire Health Department situation, re-
vealing, among other things, that Mayor
Hylan, in the face of warning that to
refuse an appropriation for antitoxin
would be interfering with the work of
the army and navy, had persisted in
his refusal to release the necessary
funds.
DIR. Amster was summoned to the
Mayors Office Immediately after
Mr.. Hylan had arrived from Brook
lyn, plainly vexed at the protest
Of DR.. Victor Blue, surgeon general of
the United States Public Health Ser
vice, against the discontinuance of the
Bureau of Public Health Education
and the intimations from Washington
that Federal control of the department
was threatened.
Demands jacob Be Dropped
The Mayor opened the argument by
demanding that DR.. Amster drop Dr.
Abraham jacob, an authority of inter
national repute on children's diseases
and the dean of New York's medical
fraternity, from the Medical Advisory
Board of the department on the
ground that he was the father-in-law
of George McAneny, former Borough
President, who in turn was employed
by "The New York Times which, the
Mayor said, had opposed him before
and since election. This DR.. Amster
refused to do.
Dr. Amster also refused a demand
That he dismiss DR.. S. S. Goldwater,
1ormer Commissioner Of Health and
OF national repute as sanitarian,
from the same board because he was
"a protege of the Mitchell administra-
ton"
Then. when Mayor Hylan declared
MS intention of ignoring the Federal
government in the conduct of the de-
partment, DR.. Amster submitted his
resignation.
DR.. Amster Makes Charges
In his letter DR.. Amster reviewed his
connection with the department, charg-
ing:
That the Mayor had forced the
appointment of. his personal physi-
cian. DR.. Frank ]. Mclaughlin, as
secretary of the board and insisted
on his retention after Amster had
asked permission to drop kim on the
ground of incompetency
That Mayor Hylan had objected
TO DR.. S. S. Goldwater and other
distinguished physicians being re-
tained on the Medical Advisory
Board (unpaid) on the ground that
4S.~.-