Evening star., 1944-01-26
Denies Rutland to Blame.

Advised of Commissioner Mason's
statement, Mrs. Buchanan retorted,
Il deny most emphatically that DR..
Rutland had anything to do with
my knowledge Of the letters"
Mr.. Mason said the Office stamps
on the two Guffey letters showed
that they had been received by the
Commissioners and forwarded to the
Health Department. He said that
when DIR. Rutland was asked about
the photostatic copies, the health
offlcer admitted he was responsible
for their reproduction.
When Mr.. Mason was asked If his
remarks about DR.. Ruhland's part
in the episode constituted a repri-
mand, he replied: Put your own
construction on It,"
After a conference of more than
an hour yesterday afternoon. at
Which DR.. Rutland was present,
Mr.. Mason would make no COM
ment on what had been discussed
and DR.. Rutland declined to talk
about the photostating of the let
ters
Date Back to July. 1912.
The letters Of Senator Guffey,
dating back to July and December,
1912, concerned the assignment Of
DR.. de Savitsch for hospital work.
The city heads have declined to re-
lease any portion of the files on
the De Savitsch matter.
Mr.. Mason left the city last night
on a long-planned trip to visit his
wife on her birthday in North
Carolina, where she has been for
several months because of i'll health.
Commissioner Young said no fur
ther statements would be forthcom-
ing on the Health Department until
Mr.. Mason returned Friday. The
department is one of those under
Mr.. Mason.
Chairman McCarran OF the Sem
ate District Committee said he be-
lieved publication of the Guffey let
tiers, which criticized DR.. Rutland,
should not have any influence on
the committee as to its actions on
the Gallinger investigation report.
won't Affect Situation"
Il believe it should not affect the
situation one iota," he declared,
adding that this was applicable to
either side of the issue about
clusters. He said he regarded the
Guffey letters as "irrevelant, in
competent and immaterial" so far
as the Gallinger investigation re-
port was concerned.
Senator Bushfield, Republican Of
South Dakota, member of the
Gallinger investigating group, said
he had recently seen a copy of the
Guffey letters but would make no
comment on them.
AS to the custer recommendation
in the report, Senator Bushfield
said: Speaking for myself, I ex-
pect to press for action, either
adoption or rejection"
Statement Issued.
In a formal statement on his
resignation, issued last night, Dr..
Cake stated:
"On Monday, January "a, I pre-
Sented my resignation from the
position of chief medical officer of
the tuberculosis division of CALM
ger Hospital, effective April 25, fe44.
Awaiting myself of accumulated an
nual leave, this meant that would
leave the hospital on February /.
The acting superintendent of the
hospital, DR., D. L. Seckinger. and
Commissioners Mason and Kutz re-
quested that 1 reconsider this ac-
ton, but in the circumstances. I
feel that to be inadvisable. How
ever, at the request of the Com
missioners, I have agreed to con-
tinue at the hospital temporarily
as my departure would leave no one
to care for the 215 patients in the
tuberculosis division
Doctors Threaten to Quit
Earlier in the day, Commissioner
Mason had stated that doctors were
Threatening to quit" Gallinger be-
cause of the attitude of the Senate
District Committee, particularly
over DR.. Cake and DR.. Joseph Gill
bert, head of psychiatry at the in
In discussing his meeting Mon
day with the Senate District Com
mittee, which is considering the
subcommittee report demanding the
removal of Mr.. Mason, DR.. Rutland
and DR.. Gilbert, Mr.. Mason said no
agreement was made with the com.
mittee except to see that Gallinger
Hospital was made to function "as
it should" and that a copy of the
report of three doctors investigat-
ing the psychiatric ward would be
turned over to them when ready.
The doctors investigating the
ward are DR.. Winfred Overholser,
head Of st. Elizabeth's; DR.. Samuel
w. Hamilton, of the Public Health
Service, and DR.. Frederick Parsons