Evening star., 1939-02-16
Advisory Group
Backs Rutland
On Ga||inger
Fuvors Direction
By Five FuII-Time
Stoff Physicians

Members of Health Officer George
G. Ruhland's Advisory Committee
today indorsed his contention that
major departments at Gallinger
Municipal Hospital should be under
the direction of 1--we full-time staff
physicians, instead of under the
control of volunteer visiting ply
~sicians from the staff of local
medical schools.
DR.. Ruhland consulted with his
advisory group today in preparation
for a formal reply he said he would
make to the proposal of Chairman
Randolph of the House District
Committee that the new policy
should be abandoned and the con-
troll of the departments returned to
the visiting doctors.
Following the private conference,
DR.. Ruphland announced the group
had agreed:
THAT the resident physicians
should, by all means, be retained IN
their present status.
2. working relationships with the
medical schools should be worked out
In further conferences with school
officials, and,
3. THAT legal authority over the
hospital rests with the health Of
ficer."
DR.. Vears Statement.
The members of the advisory
group are DR.. Stirling Ruf11n, DR.. H.
II. Kerr, the Rev. Anson Phelps
Stokes of Washington Cathedral,
Mrs. Harlan Fiske Stone, wife OF the
Supreme Court justice; DR.. Sterling
v. Mead, Clarence Phelps Dodge
~and DR.. William Charles White.
Meanwhile, the Health Depart
ment's weekly news letter carried a
statement by DR.. j. Ross Veal, chief
medical officer in surgery of CALM
ger Hospital, one of the five newly
appointed department heads, about
whom the controversy has been Gre
ated.
DR.. Veal discussed the importance
of the hospitals out-patient surgical
clinics, which was established last
August. The statement emphasized
that the operation of this clinic
served to reduce time prospective pa
tients must stay on the waiting list
and the number of days Gallinger
patients must be cared for in hos
pital beds.
DR.. Ruhland looked to Chairman
Collins of the House District Appro-
priationS Subcommittee for support
for retention of the new policy of
having major departments at Gal
linger Municipal Hospital controlled
by staff physicians.
Issue Arose Last Week.
In response to the demand for
dropping five staff physicians, placed
in control last July 1, Dr. Rutland
declared full investigation of the
record of the institution would dis
close reasons for the change in
policy.
An issue over the change in policy
was raised last week when a pro-
test was carried first to the Dis
frict Commissioners and later to
Chairman Randolph by DR.. Cloyd
Heck Marvin, president of George
Washington University, and the
Very Rev. Arthur A. OLeary, S. j.,
president of Georgetown University.
Some fears have been voiced by
some District officials that some
of the volunteer services of District
physicians would be lost as a result
Of the change in policy, placing
the five staff physicians in charge
of the major departments, but such
fears have been discounted by DR..
Daniel L. Seckinger, assistant health
officer in charge of the Bureau of
Hospitals. He has suggested the
District would lose no more than
one or two of the volunteer, visiting
physicians. Reports were current
at the District Building today that
DR.. Rutland had plans to meet
the issue. should many of the vol
mteer physicians stop their services
gThe five staff physicians, ap-
pointed last July on recommenda-
lions by DR.. Rutland or DR.. Seek
inger, are Drs. Charles ?. Cake,
who was placed in charge of the
tuberculosis service; DR.. John Parks.
obstetrics; DR.. Albert Sullivan,
medicine; DR.. Lewis K. Sweet, pedi-
atrics, and DR.. Veal. They are paid
$500 year for full-time service.