New-York tribune., 1921-12-05
Friends Resent
Attacks Made
On DR.. L.orenz
Criticisms. of His Fellow
Surgeons Classed as SAT
tenrpts TO Drag His Name
Through the Mire''
May Discontinue Clinics
Hospital Trustees Will ln-
vestigate Reports of Fees
Taken in Private Gases


surgeon, as the motive underlying At
sacks MADE by several OF his fellow
orthopedic surgeons in New York and
Chicago upon his methods of treating
crippled children here, IN statements
made by him Yesterday replying TO his
critics.
. In. addition, his friends III New York.
highly lRcensed because of the criti
cisms ieveled at him. unhesitatinglv
rose TO his defense and joined with
him. III denouncing them as ssattemnts
to drag his name through Che m;re'
Portions of the attacks made were
termed as wholly untrue by DR.. Iorenz
while other assertions made in thu
criticisms were said by him to have
hcen distorted with an intent OF nlac-
sng him and his services on behalf Of
New 4ork's crippled children in d false
iyht IN the eyes of the public.
Mrs. Mitchell to Aid
One Of the waFmest statements in de-
Tense of the fsurgeoI. was made il Chi
cago by Mrs. lolita Armour Mitchell
WHO, as child, was restored to perfecr
health by DR.. Lorenz on a preyioas
visit TO America, after she had been
given up as hopelessly crippled by all
the famous surgeons of the United
States 'eN
He is much better orthooedic sur
geon tnan any IN this country she
SAID. He proved ii by curing me after
every one else had failed. will do ali
can to defend him from these at
tacks.o
Another of his friends, Charles s
Diehl, superintendent of the hospital
Tor Deforralties and Joint Diseases
where clinics held by DR.. Lorenz have
been an especial target for those vol
cling opposition 20 him. announced thar
ne intended to devote all his energies
to the clearing of the good name of This
world renowned benefactor OF chill
dren"
DR.. Lorenz was interviewed at the
heme Of DR.. Frederick H. Albee 1T
eoionla, n. j., where he passed the dav
resting as the result OF an attack Of
indigestion. brought on largely. Il is
said, as the result of overtaxine his
physical powers in attending so preat, a
number of cases daily here.
II am astounded that such things
should be said of me-" he replied, when
published charges made by DR.. I. ].
Plotz, a New York orthopedic surgeon,
were iaid before him, stating, among
other accusations, that many persons
were compelled to pay s10o to be ex-
amlned by DR.. Lorenz at the Hospital
Tor Deformities and Joint diseases"
Gave for Vienna Fund
"These statements" he continued.
"are not true. While it is true that
patients calling to see me in the clinic
there were told that they might con
tribute what they could afford to q
fund which | have started fer the
starving children of Vienna, ! have not
accepted one cent as a personal fee
from any clinic patient, nor have I in
even single case Disseminated be-
tween them to accord with their fnan-
cIal status.
1T is true that / have accepted fees
from well-to-do patients calling on me
IN the private Office of DIR. Henry w.
Frauenthal, the surgeon in chief Of the
hospital, but these are patients who in
no wise have been connected with my
free clinics. | have in some eases ac-
cepted personal fees as high as s1OO
from such patients, but l fail to see
anything outrageous or unethical in
that. 1t is common practice among all
physicians TO charge fees in accordance
with the financial status of their pa-
tients, in view of the fact that thew
receive po fees at all from many Of
them.
''In all that ! have done have been
guided solely by AN inspiration / have
always hcld-a desire to aid in allevi-
atlng the ills of humanity"
$50 far as the contributions from
clinic patients are concerned. have had
no part in handling any of the money.
That has been collected by members Of
the hospital personnel, who informed ID
the patients that while donations fer
tho Viennese children were acceptable,
they were not obliged to give anything.
II they felt they could not afford it,
IN ordorito receive treatment from me. .
DIR. Lorenz was informed that Super
1ntendent Diehl had made a statement
wholly friendly to him but in which an
assertion was made that no one CON
nected with the hospital had taken part
IN the contribution collecting.
misunderstanding Somewhere
II think there must be little mis-
understanding somewhere" answered
the surgeon. while Mr.. Anton Wedel,
New York importer, received the CON
tributions taken in, for TRANSMISSION
TO Vienna, l am under the impression
that the hospital officials have done the
actual collection.
but no matter. No great sums have
oeen taken in, even for the poor starv-
Ing boys and girls left behind me
many OF the clinic patients gave onlv
dimes and quarters, and the most ever
coiiected at any one clinic was but
SAW. And | have treated or examined d
as many as Ito patients in single
II only thought on coming here that
tne great heart OF New York might
I open TO those little unfortunatcs of nv
own stricken city in return for what
could 90 for the little unfortunates
mere. | didn't suppose | could he
cfiticlzed Tor that. But possibly was
wrong. Tomorrow / shall see Mr.
Wedel and advise him that perhaps il
VIII be best not to suggest to the cl;n;c
patients, or rather TO their mothare
and other relatives, that thew hava ~
opportunity OF helping others less for.
tunate than themselves"
complaint has been made bv Or
Plotz that you have retained fees in
some cases after telling the mothers
that you could do nothing for the;,
children he was told. ~Alsc that
some mothers after paying fees said
4 that they had been duped.c
AS to the first statement. that had
happened IN some instances where
weii-to-do private patients have been
concerned, said DR.. Lorenz. "a phv.
siclan's time is worth something IN
such cases, just as is the time OF ar
engineer or any other professional
man. have done nothing that | think
any physician might be ashamed Of
And let me say that | have not turned
away single patient since | came IA
har l. =