Evening star., 1941-03-01
Defense toGive
Evidence in
Medical Case
J.
Presentation Is
Expected to Begin
oNext Week
BY HAROLD B. ROGERS.


gins presentation of evidence calcu-
lated to take about two weeks.
The trial is in recess over the week
end, but will resume Monday morn
ing. The prosecution had expected
to conclude this week, but has at
least two additional days of testi-
nfony, perhaps more, before it will
rest. One OF the delays this week
came because of the illness of an
alternate juror. Justice James M.
Proctor adjourned court Tuesday,
but dismissed the alternate from
further duty on Wednesday morning
and the trial then proceeded with
out him. The jury now consists of
10 men and 2 women, with only
alternate left to step into the regular
jury box in case of illness or some
other emergency in the jury.
The trial, in which four medical
organizations and 20 defendant
doctors face charges of conspiracy
to destroy Group Health Associa-
ton, medical cooperative of Gov
eminent workers here, started
February 5. Next Wednesday, when
the trial may take turn from the
prosecution to the defense, will
mark the end of the first calendar
month of the trial.
Two Women Testify.
Two women, formerly connected
with G. H. A., were put on the wit
ness stand yesterday by the prose-
cution. They told of personal ex-
periences in Washington hospitals,
which took place in 1887 and 1888,
when the alleged boycott against G.
H. A. was charged to have been
operated by the District Medical
Society, one of the defendants in
the case.
Mrs. Mary Francis Stuart Maury
of Charlottesville, Va. who formerly
had been a laboratory technician
for G. H, A., said she became un-
conscious about $50 o'clock one
morning in November, 1887; was
sent to Garfield Hospital in an am
bulance by DR.. Allen A Lee, then
G. H. A. doctor, and was to be
operated on by DR.. H. H. Schoen-
field, surgeon member of the Dis
trict Medical Society. After watt
ing about an hour" she estimated,
in her hospital room, DR.. Schoen-
field came back, and she thought
the operation took place about
early afternoon"
The case had been described to the
Jury February II by William F. Pen
niman, first president of G.. H. A. as
pretty terrible" because he said DR..
Schoenfeld had first refused to per-
form the emergency" operation as
she was G.. H. A. patient. DR.. Lee
finally admitted the patient to the
hospital as his own patient, accord
ing to the Penniman testimony, and
then DR. Schoenfeld operated.
Conversation Barred.
DR.. Lee, called to the stand, testi-
fed that he had diagnosed the case
as one of shock" and as needing an
operation, but when he started to
testify to the conversation between
himself and DR.. Schoenfeld in the
lobby of Garfield Hospital prior to
the operation, he was prevented from
doing so when Justice Proctor up
held objection by defense counsel.
DR.. Lee from his notes on the case
told the jury the operation had been
performed at l1:30 am. He revealed
details of the operation and said it
bore out diagnosis of the case as
serious" Under cross-examination
by William E. Leahy of defense
counsel, he said her illness was mot
such as to endanger her life"
DR.. Lee also told how he had sub
mitted his resignation to the Medical
Society, but withdrawn it after con-
ference with officials of G.. H. A. He
faced charges before the Executive
Committee of the Medical Society,
then resigned from Group Health
Association and was listed "in good
standing" with the society. He said
he resigned from G. H. A. because
he came to the conclusion he was
wasting good bit of time in the
controversy between c.. H. A. and
the Medical Society that could use
in my own practice of medicine" He
said he preferred the private prac-
tice of medicine, but on redirect ex-
animation by the prosecution he said
that If there had been no contro-
versy he still felt that some medical
opinion should give group practice
support"
Miss Sara Abbott. now of Trenton,
Sh i,o
Washington % years and was for
merly a member of G. II. A. EN-.
ployed In the Home Owners Loan
Corp, told of an experience with
both Emergency and Garfield Hos
pitfalls, after having been knocked
down by an automobile January 26,
1888, suffering fractured leg.
Taken to Emergency Hospital
first, she said, she asked for a G..
H. A. physician or surgeon, but
they could not be reached because
they were not yet in the telephone
directory.
AN inferno at the hospital told
me 1 could not stay there as
patient of Group Health" she said,
"and suggested a doctor from the
staff" She said she was given no
treatment in the emergency rocm,
none whatever" and no doctor
called on her that night.
"a nurse took care of me-" said
the witness, land did the best she
could with hot-water bottle"
There was nothing to do but stay,
she said. The next morning DR..
William B. Marbury came in, she
testified, ordered an X-ray picture,
but DR.. Raymond E. Selders, G.
H. A. surgeon, also came to see
her and soon she was taken by am
bulance to Garfield Hospital. DR..
Selders treated here there and
came to see me every day." she
said, adding "he was just splen-
did"
Is Cross-Examined.
Under oss-examination by Mr..
Leahy, she said DR.. Marbury came
to see her the next morning, ex-
amined her leg, asked how it hap
f1ened and ordered the x-rav Ee