The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-08-30
CHARGES FALSE,
SAYS. CORONER
Dr.. WIIhcImy's Statements
Malicious, Ayers Corson

ised wednesday the attack on the
administration Of his offioe by DIR.
wilhsimy. n rival candidate for
coroner, as malicious and without
foundation In fact Ito aver. that
Or. wnhelmy. In his desire 20 at
tract attention 10 HIS candidacy. has
''induigcd a mofbid imagination and
has been wiiifully untrushfui
The records or the ooroncr's Of.
flee. and particularly Of tho county
morgue. have been carefully kept
and there has been = punctiiious
oompiiance with the law In every
case" said DIT. corson. Tho grue.
some picture drawn by DIR. VII.
helmy of muulafed bodies and Of
unnecessary autopsies is purely
imaginary and he knows. or should
know. that Il has no counterpart
In reality.
Tho law governing the right Of
sculpture provides that no body
taken 90 the county morgue may be
used for furtherins the ends Of
science except by permisnion 81 the
next Of hin. by ante-mortem re-
quest OF the deceased or when tho
dead are unclaimed and arc buried
at public expense. Under no cir
cunstanccs II the musllation OF u
body permitted. A member OF th-
staff OF tho ooroner's office II al
ways present and DR.. wiihelmy's
statement that tho physicians and
surgeons OF King county have
broken q law IL pure fabrication.
'sThe ,nestimahle good resulting
20 tho living IL tho Justification for
tho laws permitting the une Of ths
dead In certain cases for scientific
purposes. Operations OF defeats
nature performed by sea,iie sur
xeons have been done AZ the county
morgus prior TO the successful
operation on the living. No ons
can cay how many precious lives
have been saved because Of Thu,
wizs provision Of the law. The ed
vance IN surgical science IN the last
quarter Of century has been mar
vicious. Surgeons arc daily savins
lives which II subjected 70 tho has
ards Of Is years ago must have
been ioss. WIN DIR. wiihsirny sas
that tho patient who must undergo
a delicate and dangerous operation
should not have the added safesuare
which the laws of the state pro
vider
"Ausopsiss are performed only In
cases where n IL necessary 90 e..
tabiinh tho cause Of death beyond
doubt. In many cases tho cause OF
death IL apparent from a casual
examination and no sutopsiss are
held. ~ frequently happens that
all the circumstance are 80 vel
known that lnaue-ts arc unnecen
nary. Aufhpries are limited 10 tbs
rurpo.. Of ascesssinins tho GAUSS
81 death and IN all eases tho coro
nev's office makes every effort q
secure the presence Of the famii,
physician.
DIR. wfiheimy's statement thai
young physicians and surgeons sr'
/ permitted 10 DO experimental wort
on bodies at the county moruu.
without permaesson from relatives
h . fsisshocd. The Law prescrfhe'
with great precision whsn bo-sis'
may BE- used for scientific purposes
snd the ecrorer.s office has exhaun,
I'd every reasonable means for an
pertaining tho existence % relatives
or friends A reasonable time mus
eiapae before tho body IL eremafes
at the county expense. The state
ment that Within an hour after ,
fatal accident the deceased IL sub
iect~d 70 muttiation IL on a par Wit,
Or. wflhslmy's other iiiconsiderrs
statements.
Surgeons who are privileged Z,
avail themselves % the opportuuI
ties srantef by iaw are required I,
give surety that there win b~ n.
humiliation IN any case. Operation
IN tho interests % science are Per
formed exactly s- they arc per
formed In hospitals and are com
plessd with tho same caro-. Or. WI
heimy knows this. or should knos
n. N he had made une of hla oppor
sunitien 70 inform himself