Evening star., 1925-06-21
HOSPITAL DETAIL
OF POLICE URGED
Delayed Report of Ether
Blast ReneWs Issue.
Nurse May Die.

Following revelation yesterday of a
possibly fatal accident which occurred
five days previously in the operating
rooms at Homeopathic Hospital, Sec
ond and n streets. and which was
| not reported to the police, Acting
| Superintendent of Police Evans and
Chief of Detectives Grant last night
ton" between hospital and police
! authorities.
| AS result of the accident. which
| was due to the ignition of ether being
carried by an orderly, Miss Lois Bow.
| ers, 20-year-old student nurse, lies at
the point of death at the hospital from
| frightful body burns, and Charles
Wallace, the orderly carrying the can
of anesthesia, is recovering from Sc
we're burns on the hands and lower
arms.
| The can of ether burst into flames
as il came near a steriliZing machine.
Enveloped in the blaze, the orderly
dropped the can on the floor just as
Miss Bowers was approaching. In an
! instant she was wrapped in sheet
Of fame. Her agonizing cries
brought attendants to the scene in a
few seconds. and the blaze soon was
! tSIlOtneTeQ In wet DldnkeIS.
Tried to Withhold Information.
| The hospital authorities failed to
report the accident to the police. and
| attempts were made at the hospital
for a time yesterday to keep any in
formation from the public. until mem
bers of the board OF trustees were
approached.
"Co-operation between police and
| to1 St-
Evans said, would expediate investi-
| cations in many instances"
! During a long period of years it
! was the practice of the Police Depart
ment to keep a policeman detailed at
| Emergency and Casualty Hospitals,
! and during that period work in cases
of violence, many of them homicides,
was expedited. and in some instances.
it is stated, prompt solution of mys-
teries resulted.
When Raymond W. Pullman be-
came superintendent of police he
abolished the details, greatly hamper
| ing police work in many cases of vio-
| lence. Two of the older men in the
department, one incapacitated by rea-
son Of age, filled the details. and not
only We're they of assistance to the
| police and detectives investigating
cases, but they also were of inestima-
| BILE assistance TO families of persons
| affected.
The men filling the hospital details
dealt with all cases in which persons
were brought in for trea tment for
wounds or injuries. and it was due
| to their prompt work that many dis
| tressed persons learned Of accidents
to loved ones and were able to reach
them before they died.
Want Detail Renewed.
! Numerous times since the hospital
| details were Withdrawn. 1t is stated
/ the question of renewing them for
the benefit of the department and
| residents of the city generally has
/ been called to the attention OF police
/ officials. but with the result that the
details were not restored.
! Inspector Evans admitted that such
details would be beneficial to the de.
partment, but said he was certain the
| department did not want to restore
! the details at this time.
1T would be difficult to spare two
men, the inspector said. "The men
| are needed on the streets"
Numerous instances of delay in re.
porting cases of violence are recalled
| by the police. No particular record
4 was made of them, however. but 20.
/ lice know of instances in which wound
ed persons were kept in hospitals fully
two days before their presence was
reported.
1t is also recalled that numerous
| instances of persons severely injured
| by automobiles were in hospitals many
hours before the police knew anything
of them. Under the present method
/ it is pointed out that motorists might
\ fatally injure an individual under cir.
4 cumstances which would render him
| liable to imprisonment, and might
/ throw aside the liability by dumping
| the victim at hospital door and leav.
ing without disclosing his identity.