Evening star., 1938-03-20
SURGEON0F GIL, A,
FACES CUSTER BY
SOCIETY IN TEXAS
Dr.. Selders Already Barred
From Operations in
Hospitals Here.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
BACKS MOVE, is CHARGE
Group Health Head Says Experts
Are Studying Ways to
Continue Fight.

Already barred from performing
operations in hospitals here. DR.. Ray
mond E. Selders, surgeon of the en-
battled Group Health Association,
Inc, 1928 I street NV, has been
charged by the Harris County Medical
Society of Houston. Tex, with "un-
ethical practice" and may be expelled
from the society.
This was disclosed last night by
w. c. kirkpatrick. president of Group
Health Association, Inc, who revealed
details OF the charges and issued a
formal statement in reply for DR..
Selders. He stoutly defended the posi-
ton of G. H. A.
Pointing to the recent ousting OF
DR.. Mario Scandifio G.. H. A. pedia-
trician, by the Medical Society of the
District of Columbia, Mr.. Kirkpatrick
said he believed the move from Texas
had been inspired by the American
Medical Association in an attempt to
destroy G. H. A. here.
Legislation Is Studied.
Pursuing its new policy of fighting
back at organized medicine, President
Kirkpatrick said legal experts we're
making careful survey of all legisla-
tion involving not only the medical
profession here, but also the hospitals.
to determine the future course Of
G. H. AS campaign to establish its
right to exist and continue to do
what it is doing" G. H. A. already
has threatened to sue the District
Medical Society.
Oficials of the medical society are
keeping in close touch with develop
ments in the G. H. A. counter attack.
They continued last night, however.
to maintain policy of declining
comment, with no change in the po-
sition of the society.
The relationship of G. H. A. doctors
with hospitals of the city, which was
the source of a secret conference at
the Interstate Commerce Commission
Building recently, continues vague.
Pressure from somewhere still was
preventing G. H. A. physicians from
attending patients in nearly all the
hospitals despite the fact some G.
H. A. doctors still nominally are on
| the courtesy lists-or at least have
not been officially notified Of their
expulsion from such lists DR.. Selders,
however. has definitely been barred
from performing major operations in
all hospitals, Mr.. Kirkpatrick said.
He appears to be admitted only at
Columbia Hospital for women, where
he could oficiate only at normal"
| childbirth and not at an abnormal or
emergency birth.
Many Need Operations.
Many members of Group Health
Association are in need of operations,
President kirkpatrick emphasized.
About five emergency cases have been
taken care of by surgeons outside G.
H. A., at cost of somewhere between
$4,000 and $4,000 of the association S
| funds.
Threatened expulsion of DR.. Selders
from his own medical society would
automatically oust him from the Amer
ican Medical Association.
Whether DR.. Selders will answer
| the charges and stand trial, as DR..
Scandiffio did before the District Medi-
cal Society. was not decided last night
He will continue, however. on the
staff Of G. H. A., it was explained.
although he cannot operate in any Of
the hospitals here.
Mr.. Kirkpatrick said he performed
four operations at Garfield before
he was banned, and one operation at
Georgetown University Hospital.
DR.. Selders received his degree of
doctor of medicine from the University
OF Oklahoma, was licensed to practice
medicine in Oklahoma, Texas. New
York and Massachusetts,, and had
pursued much graduate work with
success.
DR.. Scandiffio's Position.
DR.. Scandiffio's relation to the hos
pitfalls stood in somewhat anomalous
position last night. He still believed
he was on the courtesy list of several
hospitals, from which he had received
no official notice of a ban But his
recent expulsion by the District Med
ical Society was believed in other
quarters to have made some change
in his hospital status, the exact ma
ture of which could not be learned.
Some hospitals require that physi-
clan be a member in good standing
of the medical society before he can
attend patients.
Meanwhile, from Capitol Hill came
(See HEAI,TH Page R-20