Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-06
DOCTOR is ACCUSED
OF TRYING TO FEED
MAN RAZOR BLADES
CONTINUED From First Page.l


pearing for professional reasons"
Later DR.. Walter A. Bloedon, chief
of staff, and DR.. H. Lawson of the de-
partment of gynecology and obstetrics
testified, generating the hospital and
the operating surgeon, DR.. Costello,
from any blame or responsibility for
the death of Mrs. Thompson. Judge
Sellers had sent the woman there for q
physical test and questioned the au-
thority of the hospital to permit the
operation upon Mrs. Thompson without
the woman's consent.
DR.. Bloedorn said the woman had
consented to the operation. that her
blood pressure was theoretically per-
feet and that notice of the operation
was posted two days before it was per-
formed. Between July II, the day Mrs
Thompson was admitted, DR.. Bloe6orn
testified, and July "a, when she was
operated on, the woman was given the
benefit of every possible medical dag
nosis and consultation.
DR.. Costello, who performed the op-
Grafton, is at the bedside of a member
of his family at Rochester, N. Y.
Judges Letter Placed in Record.
| At the outset of the hearing Chair
man w. w. MILAN inserted into the
record the letter written to the COM
mittee by Judge Sellers yesterday, in
which she outlined more fully her
charges against methods employed at
Gallinger Hospital.
Mr.. MILAN said that as a matter of
courtesy he had written Judge Sellers
inviting her to attend the hearings as
witness not later than September S,
or to state her charges in writing, as she
preferred.
url,o ;,,l-n .oa,a. - ho,,o koI.ov, Etc.,
by forelock and caused her letter to be
published in the newspapers" he said
For this reason he did not read it, but
merely offered it as evidence for the
record. along with his own letter. which
he read to the committee. with both
these letters in the record we will have
the opinion Of doctors and a lawyer"
he said.
Mr.. MILAN pointed out that while
Judge Sellers had made no additional
charges against the hospital in her COM
munication, she did, however, PROFOUND
certain questions which the committee
intended to go into. This the committee
did later during the hearing.
Although the committee inquired into
the case of Mrs. Thompson, 1t did not
seek to shed any light into the blood
TRANSMISSION case, which Judge Sellers
mentioned, involving a minor girl.
DR.. .Bloedorn, chief of staff at Gal
linger, was called to the stand. Read
ing from Judge Sellers question, Mr..
MILAN asked him what oficial at Gal
finger makes the decision as to whether
a poor person is to be operated on.
Replying that there is no distinction
between patients of the hospital, all
being poor patients, DR.. Bloedorn re-
piled that the decision rests with the
head of the two departments. the de-
partment of surgery and the depart
ment Of genealogy and obstetrics.
Consent Necessary for Operation.
Asked If it was customary to operate
on poor people without their consent
or without the consent of people inter-
ested in them, the physician said: I'VE
operate on no person without their
consent" =
He said he had seen Mrs. Thompson
daily and that her case had been given
full consideration by the consulting
stats.
He testified that her operation was
considered advisable" when asked If
1t was considered necessary for her
recovery.
In the case Of Mrs. Thompson. he
added, the patient was not in a comatose
or unconscious condition. He explained
that she had been given treatment at
George Washington Hospital and that
1t was considered advisable to operate
in order for her to regain her health.
The operation, DR.. Bloedorn testified,
was minor one, made necessary from
the Ill effects of child birth. Again, in
response to one Of the questions pro-
pounded by Judge Sellers in her letter,
ne said the hemorrhage was likely to
nNNflr in xryton fx1n
made, and in the case of Mrs Thomp-
son, he said, there was no reason to
believe the hemorrhage would be any
more than usual.
DR.. Lawson, who described the nature
Of the operation, also said Mrs. Thomp-
sons blood pressure showed normal and
that she was deemed a good operative
risk. He described the operation as q
very frequent one" and said there
to lead any one to think that more than
ordinary hemorrhage would occur.
Not Advised of Changes.
In the earlier part Of his testimony
DR.. Hemler, who had been connected
for eight years with the X-ray depart
ment at Gallinger, said he had only
one matter about which he wished to
complain. In the construction of the
new building. he said, the recommen-
dationS he had made and which had
been approved by the Bureau of Stand
ards we're ignored by DR.. Bocock, the
Board of Public Welfare and the mu-
nicipal architect. These suggestions
had to do with the floor construction
of the X-ray department and its equip
ment. He admitted they were OF an
unusual nature, and along with his pro-
test he testified before the committee
that the equipment actually ordered
for the X-ray department was standard
equipment in use everywhere ana ne
had no fault to find with it.
His chief source Of complaint, ne
said, was because he was not consulted
about the changes, although he was
ranking officer In the department.
The municipal architect, Albert L.
Harris, said DR.. Helmer had failed to
give him the details OF his various sug-
gestions in time for him to make the
necessary contract for the building.
DR. Bocock said the plans suggested
by DR.. Hemler were of an experimental
nature and inquiry on his part develop
ed they were not IN use anywhere
THIS, in addition to the extra cost, ne
deemed as sufficient to discard the
plans IN connection with the new build
ing.
today the committee viii devote the
remainder Of its time to shaping up
the record preparatory to filing q for
NAL report to the District Commits
sioners.