Evening star., 1941-03-10
Patient Offered
Best Treatment,
Doctors Testify
Woman Did Not Have
Broken Leg, Jury in
Antitrust Case Told
Nv HAROLD b. ROGERS.

Nv HAROLD b. ROGERS.
Striking back at prosecution testi-
mony of Miss Sarah Abbott, IS, traf-
refused the services of her own doc
tor, a Group Health Association
surgeon, and had received mo treat
ment whatever" at Emergency Hos
pital, defense witnesses told the Dis
trict Court medical antitrust jury
today that Miss Abbott did not
have a broken leg and that she
had been offered all the treatment
needed even if the leg had been
broken
Prosecution counsel had laid the
case before the jury as one of a
fractured leg, where G. H. A. surgl-
cal care was denied the patient as
part of the alleged boycott by or
ganized medicine in violation of the
Sherman Antitrust Act. Miss Alb
bott had been removed from Emer-
gency Hospital and taken to Gar
field Hospital, where she remained
for 81 days early in 1888.
William E. Leahy, defense coun-
sci, placed several witnesses from
Emergency and Garfield on the
stand not only to testify of their
personal connection with the case
but also to interpret the clinical rec
ords of the hospitals.
DIR. Marbury Testifies.
DR.. William B. Marbury, president
of the Washington Academy of Sur
gerry. told how he had ordered an
x-ray of the patient at Emergency,
where he was on the staff, and had
examined the patient the morning
after she had entered the hospital.
He was croSS-examined by John
Levin, prosecution counsel, who
asked whether the case was the kind
which could have been treated by
"any graduate surgeon" Mr.. Levin
was referring to DR.. Raymond E,
Selders. G. H. A. surgeon who had
been refused the right to treat the
patient at Emergency because, pre-
vious testimony had shown, he was
not on the courtesy list of the hos
pital.
This particular case" DR.. Mar
bury responded, would have done
all right if it hadn't been treated
at all"
Would it have hurt the hospital
in any way" Mr.. Levin asked, IF
her own doctor had been able TO
come there and prescribe for her?"
Justice James NJ. Proctor, presid-
ing, interrupted by saying. That's
going into psychology instead Of
medicine"
Mr. Levin pursued the line of
questioning no further.
X-Ray Not Made.
DR.. Frederick John Carpenter,
formerly an inferno at Emergency
Hospital, said Miss Abbott had not
been given the X-ray examination
ordered by DR. Marbury because she
left the hospital for Garfield Hos
pital before the photograph could
be made.
Both DR.. Marbury and DR.. Car
penter testified in answer to a ques-
ton by defense counsel that nothing
was omitted at Emergency Hospital
that should have been done for the
patient They both explained she
had been offered certain treatment
and refused it.
DR.. Carpenter, interpreting the
record of the emergency room at
Emergency. told the jury that when
the patient first arrived she was
given an ice cap on the left leg
and the leg was supported by pillow
splint. That was the first treatment,
he said. which should have been
given even if it had been a true
fracture"
She had been treated for shock
and pain" DR.. Carpenter testified,
on the basis of the hospital record,
by the offer of a narcotic sedative
which had been refused"
Removed to Fourth Floor.
When the patient was removed to
the hospital fourth floor, DR.. Car
penter said. the recommendations
of DR.. Marbury had been to remove
the pillow splint, to elevate the leg
on a pillow and apply continuous
cold to relieve pain. He also had
ordered, the witness testified, the
administration of medicine to relieve
the pain.
The patient was not in severe
enough pain to require hypodermic
at this time" DR.. Carpenter said.
"She had refused a hypodermic be-
fore. The record also shows there
was not sufficient shock to have
special diet" Furthermore, he said,
another sedative had been prescribed
to induce her to sleep that night.
Transferred to Garfield the next
morning, Miss Abbott was admitted
on January 27, according to another
defense witness. DR.. Samuel Holtz-
man, who said he saw the patient.
The X-ray photograph made of
her leg. DR.. Hoffman testified,
showed mo evidence of fracture of
the bone"
Featured by Prosecution.
Miss Abbott's case had been fea-
tured by the prosecution as one of
series of G. H. A. patients who
had been refused the services of
DR.. Selders at local hospitals. Miss
Abbott herself testified on March l
that IAN inferno at Emergency Hos
pitsl told me I could not stay there
as patient of Group Health, and
suggested a doctor from the staff.
She told the jury she was given no
reatment-"none whatever the
emergency room and that no doctor
called on her that night
DR.. Robert Bolton testified re-
garding the case of another G.. H. A.
patient who had been placed on the
stand previously by the prosecution
to show how she had been refused
the services Of DR.. Selders.
Dr. Bolton said the patient, Miss
Elizabeth Tew, at Garfield Hospital
had refused to sign a release for
the hospital after she had been given
morphine preliminary to an opera
ton. Friends had urged her not to