Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-06
GaIIinger Physician Denies
Charge Made by x-Ray
Specialist in Probe.
DECLARES PATIENT ONLY
SWALLOWED PAPER CLIP
DR.. E. E. Kaplan Is Under Fire
in Accusation Contained in
DR.. Hemler's Statement.

Startling charges involving the ex-
perimental examination of jail patient
in the X-ray department of Gallinger
Municipal Hospital developed at the
concluding hearings conducted today
by the medical committee of the Board
OF Public Welfare into conditions of
the city hospital.
The accusation was made by DR.. Will
liam r. Hemler, former X-ray specialist
at Gallinger, that he was forced to in
tervene to prevent his successor, DR..
Edward e. Kaplan. from sending out
for safety razor blades to feed to a jail
inmate during the course of a pri-
vately-staged demonstration before an
X-ray machine. The jail patient, he
told the committee, had already swaI-
lowed a metal paper clip during the
course Of this unusual demonstration.
Called upon to reply to the charge,
DR.. kaplan denied persistently having
sent out for razor blades, but admitted
that the patient had swallowed the pa
per clip. DR.. Edgar A. Bocock. super
intendnet at Gallinger, later testified
him about such experiments being con-
Quoted, he had ordered them stopped.
Kaplan Says Patient Agreeable.
''I agree with DR.. Hemler," he said.
that it was an unwise procedure and
not method of examination desirable
in medical work.
DR.. Kaplan told the committee the Jail
authorities informed him they had a
man there who was in the habit Of
swallowing various metals and SUBJ
stances. The patient, he said, was per-
fectly agreeable to undergo "a demon
stration. He was rather proud of the
fact that he was able to swallow steel
razor blades" DR.. Kaplan said.
The demonstration was staged at
one OF the weekly staff conferences. DR..
Kaplan said it was for the purpose of
watching through the X-ray machine
the passage of the metal materials in
the intestinal track. He defended his
action by saying that such experiments
were common.
Hemler Is Reluctant to Speak.
DR.. Hemler was reluctant to make his
charge before the committee. He was
forced into doing It when told he had
allowed inuendoes to be made and that
the committee as well as the public de-
manded the right to hear what he had
to say.
He told reluctantly about DR.. Kaplan
asking him to remain for the demon
stration. He said DR.. Kaplan gave the
patient paper clip, which he swal-
lowed and asked him if he liked razor
blades Upon the patients agreeing to
swallow them, he said Dr.. Kaplan sent
some one out to get blade.
Dr. Hemler told the entomologist he
could not stand by and see such thing
done, and said he acquainted DR.. Bocock
with the circumstances. As the result
of his protest, he said, the weekly staff
conferences in the X-ray department
ceased. He has not attended them
since, he said, in his present capacity as
visiting member of the staff.
Kaplan Denies Blade Question.
Dr. Kaplan, asked by the committee
if he had sent for razor blades to give
the patient, replied: "I absolutely did
not. All the patient swallowed was a
paper clip. He did this of his own
consent. I did not ask him If he would
swallow a razor blade"
DR.. Kaplan said the jail patient had
told him he had a unique method of
swallowing razor blades, by which no
harm was done in the mastication.
Phillip w. Austin, an attorney, en-
deavored to get the committee to re-
open the case of Mrs. Nettie Thomp-
son, who died at the hospital and whose
death was the subject of severe criti-
cism by Judge Sellers. The committee
at first was disinclined to allow Mr..
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