Evening star., 1945-06-14
Northport Hospital
Manager Confirms
Abuse Of Patients
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES,

Col. LOUIS r. Verdel, manager and
chief medical officer of the veterans
neuropsychiatric hospital at North
port, N. Y, testifying today before
the House Veterans COMMITTEES,
said he believed" some patients
had suffered fractures in encounters
with attendants last winter.
Asked what sort of fractures, he
said he knew of one instance where
a patients ribs had. been fractured
and there might have been other
cases where bones had been broken.
Col. Verdel insisted he had done
everything possible to correct the
terribly run down" condition in
which he found the hospital when
he took charge last January. He
said he had done his best to prevent
the sort Of occurrences which re-
suited in the early spring in convic-
tion Of Is colored soldier attendants
at courts-martial and the dismissa
Of seven civilian employees for abuse
OF patients. He stressed the diff.
Guilty OF getting attendants to tes.
tify against one another.
No Control Over Attendants.
Col. Verdel said, although there
were $50 soldiers at present as
signed to the hospital as attend
ants-200 white and 100 colored-
he had no control over them. They
were answerable only to a cap
tain and two lieutenants, their COM
pany officers, he explained.
I'VE have had cases where SOL
diers refused to obey the doctors,
Col. Verdel added. ''They would
ask their captain if they had to. ]
think most of the cases where pa
tients were mistreated were i'm
pulsive acts-instances where pa
tients would spit on attendants or
call them vile names or worse and
the attendants would do what the
average person would under ordinary
circumstances" --., -~.--.--
Col. Verdel said that of the 19
doctors at present on his staff
were Army medical officers detailed
by the War Department to this hos
pital.
He said two of these were on sick
leave, and one, a lieutenant colonel
had reported one day and been ab-
sent ever since.
What is the matter with him?'
asked Chairman Rankin.
Il believe the diagnosis was neu-
rosis," Col. Verdel replied.
Isn't that a mental ailment?"
"A nervous condition. the medi.
cal officer said.
Tries to Serve Two Masters.
Representative Kearney. Repub.
Gcan, of New York, who instigatec
the committees inquiry into North.
port. asked if the five Army doctor.
were fitted by training and other.
wise for service at the hospital.
II would rather not answer" Col
Verdel replied.
Il am in very embarrassing posi-
tion," he told the committee at an.
other point in his testimony. TN
trying to serve two masters" H.
meant the War Department and thu
Veterans Administration.
Col. Verdel said he would hav,
rejected at least so per cent of tn.
soldiers assigned as physically o.
mentally unfit for such duty if h,
had been consulted. He had moth.
ing to say about it, he emphasized
After an. executive session lat,
yesterday with Gen. Omar N. Brad.
ley, newly-appointed veterans ad.
ministrator, Chairman Rankin sale
legislation to reorganize the medica
department of the Veterans Admin.
istration would be deferred unit
late summer, probably August. TIL,
committee will take up the bill wher
Gen. Bradley takes over his new
post.
The measure would set up {
bureau Of medicine in the Veterans
Administration with powers equa
to those given the surgeon generals
Of the Army and the Navy. Physi.
clans on the staff could be appointed
indeDendent of civil service