Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-23
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

ago, according to official records, a
| hospital in Chicago recorded having
! given him a dose of half a grain Of
morphine to relieve one of his unen-
durable paroxysns of pain, for various
| surgeons had operated on him, had
taken his intestines out to find from II
to 20 adhesions. They had suspected
cancer of the stomach but found none
after an exploratory operation. But
those adhesions are explained partly by
the injury to the spine by the horse,
and partly by clumsy handling Of IS
| or 30 feet of his intestines while they
were exposed. Possibly, from time to
| time other white tablets had soothed.
the terrible pain in the intestines.
Scene III: Location, Mount Alto
Diagnostic Hospital of the Veterans Blu
reau. Washington. Time, about five
years ago. The attack of pain came
suddenly. The patient called the nurse
and she called the young surgeon tenn
| porarily on duty that afternoon, while
the regular surgeon was absent. The
patient was beside himself in agony and
asked for the usual treatment. He had
never learned self-treatment, Of course
| he had no access to drugs. The young
doctor looked at him in doubt as to the
proper course. He had been taught to
avoid opiates.
The frenzied sufferer begged for re-
lief, and, selling cane. banged it down
on glass-topped table to emphasize
his plea. 1t shattered the glass. This
is the patients story. under oath. An
other patient who witnessed the in
cident says the doctor was knocked
down, in the fury of the sufferer. He
rose and declared, I'm get even with
you'll"
Scene w: A police patrol-rot an
mbulance-arrived; the suffering SOL
der was hustled into the patrol wagon
and carried to Gallinger Hospital for
insane. There the attendants, accord
| ing to the patients AFFIDAVIT, assuming
that he was violently insane, began to
"subdue him" by twisting wet towels
and pounding him on the stomach with
them, until a colored attendant, in
mercy, called a colored doctor, who
stopped the torture and sent the pa
tent TO st. Elizabeth's Hospital for
insane. Lately he got back to Mount
Alto Hospital, for he was never insane,
1t takes about a month for Army
papers to go Through channels" and
about month after the young doctors
threat of vengeance the patient afore-
said received notice that he had been
rerated and his compensation" was re-
duced from 500 month to $21 q
month. but the bureau had discovered
tnat ne had son-the boy who had
| repudlated his father under the in
nuence OF the remarked mother-and
under the law out Of that $21 the bu-
reau must retain $3.50 a month to be
sent to the son, if he is ever found.
| So the totally disabled man must live
on $3.50 month. Had he not offered
MS life to defend his country?
scene v. The then director of Mount
ALTO Hospital was about to resign to
enter private practice: he is TO-DAY one
OF the leading surgeons of Washington.
he knew the case, he knew the man
mad to have morphine when the
paroxysmS of pain attacked him. and he
knew the rigid rules against narcotics
IN Government hoSpitals-rules which
would kill that patient within a month.
He sympathized.
fnat doctor had served overseas dur
ing the war and there become intimate
with colonel of the Medical Corns
who Is now conducting a private SAINT
tarltm somewhere in Washington"
so the director appealed to the colonel
10 take this special patient into his
Sanltarllm for few days." while they
were getting his compensation rating
readJuSted-a few days." For the re-
rating was evidently due to a distor-
ton OF facts by the inexperienced.
Vengeful young physician.
Scene VI: "A few days" have length
ened INTO nearly two years and that
patient Is still living on the CHARITY.
the humanity-of the colonel. while
waiting justice sleeps" For the adj
Visory board of the director of the Vet
Grams Bureau has discovered that rec.
ord which showed that. five or six,
years ago, a surgeon in a Chicago hos
pital had administered half a grain Of
morphine. therefore the patient was
guilty OF moral turpitude." as an "ad-
dict. So today. If the colonel should
END his humane sympathy and turn the
non-paylng addict" out all he could
live on would be that $3.50 a month.
Live? How long? Had he not vol,In-
teered to give his life to his country?
The war is endedI
Il
intended TO quote lot of generals
tiles about the growth OF narcotic ad-
dlction in the world. but. somehow. thu
one case takes the interest out of the
generalization. Bureaucracy has not
Kept pace with what DR.. Bishop cites
as to the later views of medical SCI
ence concerning narcotics and "ad-
diction."
II he is IAN addict who made
him 500 The deserving wife. finally
located In the Far West by the coll
onel, writes that the patient had al
ways had good health before her di-
vorce. and the chief of the fire depart
ment OF the Midwest city writes that
this man served as fireman, with
clean record. up TO the time Of his
voluntary enlistment 10 fight for his
grateful country-"your flag and my
nag" and letter from the man him.
self indicates that III years in bed.
or confined in a hospital room after
intense agony. is wearing on his nerves.
It's lonely experience.
His trunk was seized for board at q
Baltimore second-rate hotel during Il
seeming convaleScence. All personal
tokens were then lost with his clothes.
Republics are not grateful to mar
cotic addicts." unayoidably made so
even in Government hospitals, when
Bureaucracy pronounceS sentence. Nor
al turpitude?" Whose? =.
(copyTtRhts 1875 BIZ Paul Va. Goiiinsi2 81