Evening star., 1941-02-19
Effort tfoContro|
Hospital Staffs
Laid toA. N. A.
Letters Reud to Show
Attempts to Exclude
Non-Society Members
By HAROLD B. ROGERS.

staff doctors to members of local
medical societies.
Government prosecutors in the
antitrust suit against organized
medicine read letters from the con-
fidential files of the A. NJ. A. to show
that the association eXerted press
ure on hospitals through its power
of approval or disapproval of insti-
tutiOnS for inferno training.
The subpoenaed files were brought
TO light as John Henry Levin and
Grant w. Kelleher, special assist
ants to the Attorney General, took
turns in reading correspondence re-
garding nine different hospitals, in
Guiding five here
The local institutions mentioned
were Washington Sanitarium and
Hospital, Takoma Park; Providence.
Georgetown University, Columbia
and George Washington Hospitals.
The indictment, returned in De-
cember. 1888, charges the pressure
of organized medicine was eXerted
to such extremes that it was able
to bar from Washington hospitals
doctors on the staff of Group Health
Association. medical cooperative.
District Society Records Read.
After presenting this correspond
ence, Government counsel began
reading minutes of the Medical
Society of the District.
In one of the hospitals Mount Sinai
At NTi1,rra,1lyon - pI
to show that the A M A had
decided to remove the hospital from
its approved interne list and also
from the register of the American
Medical Association because it had
continued on its staff doctors ex-
PEELED from the Milwaukee County
Medical Society on charges these
doctors had engaged in unauthor-
lied contract practice.
This warning, sent to the hospital
by DR.. William D. Cutter of the A.
NJ. A. in July, 1888, resulted in the
hospitals removing from its staff
physicians who had been members Of
a staff of the Milwaukee Medical
Center.
The A NJ. A. eXerted this pressure,
1t was claimed. through a resolu-
ton adopted by its house of dele
gates insisting that one of the re-
quirementS for approval of the hos
pital for inferno training must be
that the hospital staff is limited to
doctors who are members of their
local medical society.
Purpose of Resolution.
The general purpose of the resolu-
ton, DR.. Cutter told one hospital Of
eral Hospital, was to help get rid
of objectionable" doctors, accord
ing to correspondence.
The five Washington hospitals,
correspondence revealed, had been
inspected by Dr. C. M. Peterson of
Chicago from national headquarters
of the A. M A. On each hospital
he wrote a special report. In
turn DR. Cutter wrote to the WASH
ington institutions making detailed
recommendations on administration
and operation as the basis for ap-
proval for inferno training. The
hospitals replies, read to the jury in
full. disclosed many improvements
which they said they were making
to meet suggestions of DR.. Peterson.
The superintendent of Washington
Sanitarium and Hospital, DR.. D. H.
Kress, told the A. NJ. A. that the
application blank signed by doctor
applying for appointment to the
staff asked whether he was a medi-
cal society member.
Hospitals Replies.
From Georgetown University Hos
pital. Sister Rodriguez told DR. Gut
ter that the executive staff had
ruled that a doctor could not be on
the staff unless he belonged to the
medical society.
From Providence Hospital, Sister
Rosa wrote to DR.. Cutter that mo
words can express our distress at the
possibility of losing an American
Medical Association approval for
inferno training"
She promised that this hospital
would "co-operate whole heartedly,
nothing will be omitted"
George Washington University
Hospital, it was reported to the
A. NJ. A by Dr. w. A. Bloedorn,
had at that time about nine doctors
on the staff who were not members
of the medical society, including
six who we're from st. Elizabeth's
Hospital engaged primarily in a
teaching capacity. DR.. Bloedorn
predicted this number of nom
members would be reduced
shortly
The late Col. P. H. Ashburn. super
intendent of Columbia Hospital, told
DR.. Cutter that the provision requir-
ing society membership met with the
approval of the Medical Board of the
hospital for future appointments
All members of the staff at that
time, he said, belonged to the society
except one, a distinguished doctor
whose reasons were ascribed as being
"probably personal" No one on the
board, Col. AShburn wrote, suggested
taking any action against him.
ES-OOlOnel ltStIitS.
One of the doctors who was offered
the post of G.. H A. medical director,
but declined to take it, was put on
the witness stand late yesterday
DR.. Glenn I. Jones, now surgeon
for the Southern Railway, formerly
a colonel in the Army Medical
Corps.
Still a member of the American
Medical Association, Col. Jones was
subjected to lengthy direct and cross
examination. Testifying he had dis
covered by calling on some of his
close friends in the medical profess
sion here that the District Medical
Society would oppose G. H. A., he
told the court that he had declined
the dictatorship. He believed that
medical care should be guided by
medical interests, without inter-
ference by laymen. Since he found
the Medical Society here unwilling
to participate" and unwilling to
have its members consult with
G. H. A. doctors, he testified this
would result in automatic denial
of the best medical care to G. H. A.
w,1hc nribarc