Evening star., 1923-11-12
AUTOPS|ES URGED
TO AID DIAGNOSES

Regulations to require autopsles
on all persons who die In public m
stitutions as a first step 20 laws Tor
compulsory post mortems were aoVo-
Gated today by the conference OF
southern states statisticians OF the
bureaus of vita! statistics meeting in
the New Ebbitt, in conjunction with
the convention Of the Southern Med
lcal Association. which opened TINS
morning with headquarters in the
willard Hotel.
DR.. W. a. Davis OF Atlanta, Ga, who
presided, said that in one southern
hospital it had been found that less
ehan so per cent of clinical diagnoses
were verified by autopsies. In the
majority of cases the post-mortem
exposed causes for death that had not
been discovered by the attending phy-
Sician.
He said il would require educationai
work not only 70 overcome the re-
pugnance of many persons TO the loea
Of their dead being dissected, put 70
bring physicians to reailZatloh o.
the Importance of autopsies.
Some physicians" he said. '"oula
rather bury their mistakes tnan nave
them exposed by an autopsy. =,
The point he wished to make, ne
said. was that only through post
fnortem study could physician dis
cover a mistake in diagnosis or oetsct
I disease the symptoms OF Which
might be obscure.
undertakers Criticized.
The discussion was preclpltateu bs
- paper read by DIR. j. George peHhP
Sey of New Orleans, stare registrar oi
Louisiana, who told of the difficulty III
:se1ting accurate death certincates.
He said il was important from pup
lie health standpoint to have au-
t'opsies before a death certiticate IS Is
sued. and criticized undertakers ioF
inducing bereaVed familles 10 oppose
certain examinations.
DIR. Samuel T. Darling OF the inter
national Health Board. RockeIei!eT,
Foundation said that in one hosplIai
where he was attached the psrGSent, S
age Of correct diagnoses nag beeh
increased more than one-nalf aI'e
autopsies had been made obligatory
'Refore that time" he said me
were many errors. For instance
bubonic plague was incorrectly dag
nosed in some cases anq the true
cause of death was not disclosed antli
the body was opened. When the order
was issued matinG a"topsies onh'
-ory the doctors got on their toes
There was an immediate improvement
n clinica, studies and. natura!N
that meant the saving of many lives
that otherwise might have been ioSt
through faulty or careless conciu-
sionS.
The first general sessions of the
meeting. which continues until Ihurs-
day. will be held at o'clock to.
night at the Continental Memorlai
president of the Rockefeller Founda- :
ton of New York. will address the
Gathering on Medicine as an In
ternational Influence.
Several sectional meetings were
socia ton of Anestheticts met at the
Burlington Hotel and the Souther
States Association of Railway Sur
geons at the Raleigh Hotel.
The Headquarters of the association
IS at the New willard Hotel. and the
ballroom has been turned into an eN-
hibition of medical supplies. books
and surgical instruments. The eN-
hibition contains some of the latest
and most delicate instruments, baby
foods, serums and medicines and rep
resents q large outlay of capital.
Another sectional meeting being held
at the New Ebbitt Hotel today is that
of the national malaria committee,
made up largely of state health officers
and physicians of the United States
public health service. A large num-
ber of woman doctors have come to
Washington to attend the meeting of
the association and will have secuonal
meetings of their own.
At the Continental Memorial Han
tonight the delegates will be officially
welcomed by DR.. Luther H. Reichelder-
fer, president of the Medical Society of
the District of Columbia. On behalf OF
the visitors a response will be made by
DR. A. T. Mccormick, state health Of
lcer of Kentucky. Others to speak will
be DR.. W. S. Rankin, state health Of
ticer of North Carolina; DR.. J. w.
BarksdaIe of Jackson, Miss, and DR..
Stewart r. Roberts of Atlanta, Ga
Under the Craftsmanship of DR.. II. "A.
Fowler, District health officer. the 10
cal doctors have arranged several golf
matches and the Columbia Country
Club will be open for the visitors
every day. The members of the asso-
see the medical work of the Army
through the courtesy of Surgeon Cen
eral Merritt w, Ireland, who has
opened the Army Medical Museum and
Library to the visitors. One of the
outstanding events in the meeting
will be the visit of the members OF
The organization to the White House,
where they will be received by Presi-
dent Coolidge on Thursday.
At the conclusion of the meetings
IF the various sections of the associa-
lion here the members Will go to Bal
rimore and Charlottesville. Va. In
Baltimore clinics will be held and in
spection made Of the city's hospitals.
Clinics will be held at the University
of Virginia Hospital in Charlottes-
y.fI