The New York herald., 1922-05-09
DOUBLE YINDICATION
is GIVEN DR.. COWLES
Supreme Court and State Com
mission Refute Reflections
Made on Sanitarium.
ECHO OF MELVILLE SUIT
referees Entire Report, In
Guiding Objectionable Evi-
dence, Is Stricken.

DIR. Edward s. Cowles of sol Park
avenue received yesterday from Justice
! Charles l.. Guy of the Supreme Court
and from DR.. John r. Ross medical in
spector for the State Hospital Commits
sion, a double vindication of the profess
stonai conduct OF his sanita-ium for the
I treatment OF pa tients suffering from
nervous disorders
! Allegations that drugs and hypnotic
treatment were used in the institution
were ordered stricken from the record
or the court DR.. Ross reported after
fn Investigation directed by Justice Guy
that the sanitarium Is ''ethically and
properly conducted"
The ch:rges involving DR.. Cowles de-
veloped from report which John J..
O'Conneli. as special guardian for Mrs
Jean II Melville. made during litigation
in March by which her husband. William
I r. Melville. sought to have her declared
legally incompetent. A jury found her
sane. Mr.. O'Connell's report alleged that
from testimony given before him Mrs
Melville's halucinations. of which her
husband complained. had been pro-
duced altogether by the drugs fed to
her in an alleged sanitarium' TO which
her husband recommended her and that
to the bove evidence of drugs
The sanitarium was also described in
the report as at least one institution in
this city where nervous people get such
drugs and hypnotic treatment that Ii
gives them hallucinations which may or
may not be permanent" Mrs. Melville
was a patient of DIR. Cowles during
part of March and Ar ril. 1921
Entire Report ExpunEed
Samuel Untelmyer. representing Dr.
Cowles. argued in behalf of motion
TO order the features OF the report OBJ
jectionable to his client expunged. JUS
tice Guy. granting the motion. went
even further and ordered the entire re-
port expunged. He raid:
II agree thoroughly with counsel that
the main difficulty is due to condi-
ton where in a litigation between a
plaintiff and defendant third. party's
reputation may be seriously attacked
and be entirely without any means of
protecting himself or contradictny
testimony which may reflect upon his
character or ability. That seems to
have been the case here.
DR., .Cow!es was not witness, was
not present and hao no opportunity %
defend himself The witnesses on one
side gave testimony of a most damag-
duct OF his institution. The other side
apparently having no lticipation OF
such testimony entered nothing in con-
tradictitn thereof. and the result was
that that uncontradicted evidence was
OF such character as to make ii, in my
judgment, the absolute duty of the spe-
clal guardian to make the report to
the court which he did.
1t has been my rule always Justice
,a1 I.,,z
have done any man harm, to correct
that harsn and do justice to the full ex-
tent of my ability.
Il am absolutely satisfied from an
examination of this report that Dr.
Cowles conducts his sanitarium in not
merely an unobjecti unable manner, but
according to the best known medical
systems and that In my experience
there Is no institution in the State that
has ever receive cd higher Endorsement
and justification than his institution has
received at the hands OF the medical
authorities in this state in connection
with me Attorney Generals office
Cleared by state OhcfaI.
DR.. Ross submitted his report. as of
April Is, as follows:
Complying with instructions received
| visited DR.. Edward S. Cowles's SAM
tariL:n at 59l Park avenue. New York
city. and investigated his methods of
examination and diagnosis. and also as
to the mental states of the patients who
were in the institution. The lnsti,u-
tion is properly licensed by the Board
of Health OF the City of New York.
"A complete inspection was made of
the sanitarium from the first floor to
the roof. Every room was inspected
every patient was interviewed and their
reasons for being in the sanitarium, the
symptoms they complained OF and their
treatment were discussed.
Intelligent treatment depends upon
the correct diagnosis. and after my ex-
animation of the records am convinced
that DR.. Cowles employs every modern
method in the examination of his pa
TENTS
II am Of the opinion that medicine
and mental suggestion are employed ac-
cording 10 the accepted standards in
the medical profession.
AT the time OF my visit l was un-
able to find anything in the institution
or in the character of the patients under
treatment that was contrary to the in
sanity law.
Conclusions: At the time Of my visit
there were no insane patients at DR..
Cowles's sanitarium. i find no evidence
that drugs were improperly used. Mod
ern methods In diagnosis are employed.
There Is nothing so far as I can ascer-
tain that calls for any action on the
part OF your commission, and the insti-
tuition appears to be cthically and prop
erly conducted"
DR.. Cowles. in an affidavit accom
panying his motion papers, denied flatly
that he or any physicisn associated with
him In the institution ever used hypno-
tism in the conduct of his hospital.