The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-14
LAYMAN TELLS
EXPERIENCES
As DOCTOR
Read Extensively and Quizzed
Nurses, Surgeon" Explains
in Revelations.

ATLANTIC CITY, N. j.. July
14.-"Doctor'' Russell George, for
merly Of Montreal and until a few
days ago a~"resideRt physician and
surgeon" in the Atlantic City Hos
pital, who is under arrest here on
charge of robbery, tells how he
has hoodwinked the local medical
and enjoyed the respect of other
doctors in the hospital, despite the
fact that he is not a registered
physician. He has never been IN
side O college of medicine.
George. is twenty-eight years old,
mild hammered, suave, handsome
and a brilliant conversationalist.
His reputation for sartorial per-
lection is somewhat marred now by
a three.days growth of beard. and
his trousers were baggy at the
knees probably for the first time
in years.
George was arrested and dis
charged from the hospital following
an Investigation by city detectives
as a result OF the suspicious of a
local official who was a patient at
the hospital. The charge Of rob-
berry against George is in connec-
ton with q watch which he Dor
rowed" from another patient.
Explains Deception.
IT possessed a general smattering
of medical knowledge gained by
reading" George said. This,
coupled with careful, observation at
the hospital and the unwilling as
sistance of nurses, enabled me to
practice without detection.
II would ask the nurse assigned
to the case how she would handle
it. The nurse, thinking I was
merely testing her knowledge, would
go into details. I would then act
on what she told me and she would
feel complimented, thinking her
judgment had been approved by a
physician. I had watched surgeons
work in the emergency and operat.
ing rooms and I saw that the pro
cedure was always the same. so far
as the treatment of wounds was
concerned.
Had No Credentials.
II do not think any of the pa
tents handled suffered from my
lack of knowledge, nor do I think
that my performance was extraordi-
narily clever. Everyone, for ex-
ample, knows that iodine is good
for wounds and when a wound
came before me, I applied iodine.
Then I sewed up the wound. Re
suits were always good; it was
simple. / was never asked to show
credentials Of any kind; / did not
have any to show"
George said he had not applied for
the position, but that it had been
offered to him by the chief of the
resident physicians at the hospital
He was stationed at the hospital
from March 1 until May RI of this
year.
II was born" said George, as he
gazed disgustedly at his unlaun
dered shirt, "in Toronto. 1 am a
British subject and have lived all
my life in Toronto and Montreal
One day 1 saw an advertisement in
the Montreal Star, placed by Harry
Simons. OF the firm of H. Simons &
Son, cigar dealers, who wanted a
male nurse. He is a wealthy man
and thought 1 would like the po
sition. applied and was &C
cepted.
Il did this sort of work for two
years, during which I picked up a
great deal Of medical knowledge and
came to be called Doctor gener.
ally. Mr.. Simons frequently came
to Atlantic City and l came with
him. 1t was on the last trip tina,
met physicians at the Atlantic
City Hospital and became friendly
with them. Later l was asked tc
take the post of resident physician
| consented and moved in, receiv
Ing SIS a month and my room and
board. This was after / had left
the home OF Mr.. Simons, who died. y