Evening star., 1933-05-11
DOCTORS ACCUSED
IN "CANCER CURE"
DEATH SURRENDER
D. C. Health Officer Orders
Probe of Sanitarium as
Result of Charges.
PHYSICIANS REPORT
TO MONTGOMERY POLICE
Bond of $500 Each Is Posted.
Preliminary Hearing to Be
Held May "a.

DIR. H. r. Street and DR.. Sherwood
Ferris. charged with manslaughter IN
the death of Mrs. Cora Brltton IN
Baltimore hospital last Thursday, sur
rendered to Montgomery County au-
thorities shortly before noon today.
Both physicians were released under
bond of $500 bond each. They Will
be arraigned in Police Court at Rock
vile on May "a. Their attorney,
Leonard Lietman OF Baltimore, salo
thew would not waive the hearing.
Bond for the release of the two ply
sicians was posted with Frank L. Davis,
clerk of the Montgomery County Police
Court
DR.. Street, who conducts the Wash
ington Cancer Sanitarium at l414
Girard street northeast, and DR.. Ferris,
who lives at Chevy Chase, Md, ap-
peared at the court house shortly after
II am. and surrendered to Police Chief
A. A Moxley.
Meanwhile a special inspection OF the
facilities and the operation OF the
cancer sanitarium was ordered by
Health Officer William c. Fowler as a
result of charges brought against the
two physicians.
Complaints Received.
The institution was issued a license
to operate as private hospltai IN
November. 1918. A number of times
since then. the Washington health
officer revealed, complaints and ques-
tions have been lodged with his once
concerning the institution.
Each time, he said, health inspectors
visited the place and reported they
found nothing to indicate the health
officer should recommend revocation o!
the private hospital license. Several
times when the Health Department
agents inspected the place they were
informed the institution did not nave
anv patients and had not had any Tor
some time. This was the case during
an inspection in 1892 when the mst-
tuition said it had not had any patients
for two years.
After their surrender at Rockville the
physicians were closeted with the ponce
head for a few moments and Chle1
Moxley then took them to the office
of states ATTORNEY Stedman Prescott,
who yesterday ordered warrants for
their arrest.
Tells of Salve's Use.
DR.. Street told newspaper men upon
his arrival at police headquarters that
the salve which he used to treat Mrs.
Britton was identical with that which
had been employed to cure hundreds
of cancer sufferers. He said:
The treatment that was given Mrs
Britton was prepared by me and was
identical with treatments which mad
been used in hundreds of cases for the
treatment and cure of cancer. both by
me personally and by other registered
physicians through me.
The cause of her death was with
out question due to cancer complica-
tions which made any treatment inef-
fective Her death was not haStened
by any treatment. She would have
died with or without treatment"
D.. Street declared he could not claim
credit for having originated the rem
edy He declared that it was first used
by prominent physician in the West
and passed on to him through Balti-
more woman who had been suffering
from a cancer and who had been per-
manently cured by the Western physi-
clan.
Plans for Early Presentment.
States Attorney Prescott said before
the arrival of the two physicians that
II the men were held in connection
with Mrs. Britton's death when they
are arraigned in Police Court, he would
present their case to the Montgomery
County grand jury as early as possible
The next session Of the grand jury Is
set for November.
The warrants for the arrest Of Dr.
Street and his assistant we're obtained
late yesterday by Detective Theodore
Volten of Montgomery County Police
Force, following an inquest at Baltimore
Tuesday night in which coroner's jury
found them criminally responsible Tor
the death Of the 39-year-old woman,
wife of DR. Roland L. Britton Of Mays
Landing. N. j.
Urges Sanitarium Be Closed.
Simultaneous with the surrender OF
the two physicians at Rockville, United
States District Attorney Leo A. Rover
received a letter frc-a States Attorney
Herbert R. O'Conor of Baltimore, ask
ing that steps be taken to close DR..
Streets sanitarium here "in the in
terest Of humanity"
Assistant District Attorney William
Gallagher had disclosed yesterday, how
ever that he had launched an investi-
CATION into the sanitarium and its
operation, following the death Of Mrs.
Britton.
O'Conor whose office conducted the
inquiry that led to the coroner jury'S
probe Of the New Jersey woman's death,
pointed out in his letter that while the
jurisdiction in the Britton case might
more properly be in Montgomery Coun-
ty, the treatment held responsible for
the woman's death was arranged for at
the local sanitarium and. as far as the
investigation has revealed, was the same
as that regularly administered at the
sanitarium.
H. L.. sv,k1 -
of humanity for steps to be taken to
close the institution if it exists for the
administration. of such treatment as
brought about the death Of Mrs. Brit
ton," O'Conor wrote.
May Save Other Lives.
while nothing can be DONE" his
letter continued, ito rectify the grave
Injustice which has been done to her
effective steps to break up such prac-
tices, described by leading medical ex-
perts of Baltimore as homicidal and
quackery, might prevent other persons
from being subjected to the same ordeal
Possibly the lives of persons might
jeopardized through the grossly i'm
proper treatment such as was manifest
ed in this case"
Summarizing for Rover the testimony
brought out at the inquest held In
Baltimore, O'Conor wrote:
1T was disclosed that Mrs. Britton
died In Baltimore City, on May 4, 1888
as a result Of treatment which had
been administered to her for an alleged
cancer by Dr. Street and DR.. Ferris;
that the treatment consisted Of constant
applications of black-looking salve OF
ointment.
Hold Salve Killed Woman.
The physicians who attended Mrs
y Britton after she was brought to Balt-
more. and the doctors who performed