Evening star., 1948-12-31
SurgeNStudy.
onGa||inger
And Glenn Dale
Dr.. Edgar Davis Ends
Inquiry in Operation
Error at Sunotorium

LtIOt VI S0iI0tVIIQItI
A complete report on operating
room conditions at both Glenn
Dale Sanatorium and Gallinger
Hospital will be submitted to the
District Health Department by a
prominent surgeon brought in to
investigate Tuesdays mistake
operation at the sanatorium.
This was disclosed today by DR..
Edgar w. Davis, professor of tho
racic surgery at Georgetown Uni
versity Medical School and chief of
chest surgery at Georgetown, GAL
Inger, Children's and Garfield Hos
pials. DR.. Davis completed his in
vestigation of the Glenn Dale
operation late yesterday and was to
submit it to Health Officer George
c. Rutland before noon today.
DR.. Davis said he was not spe-
eiflcally asked to report on condi-
tions at Gallinger by DR.. Rhuland,
but added that he feels the two
institutions-both operated by the
District Government-are so closely
interrelated that a report on one
must necessarily involve the other.
Prompted by Surgery Error.
His investigation was prompted
by an operation, performed Tuesday
by DR.. Frank Ashburn, visiting con-
sultant, in which two ribs were re-
moved from the wrong side of a
tubercular woman's chest. 1t was
the original intention to collapse
the womans diseased left lung. Fol-
lowing the chart, however, DR.. Ash
burn operated on the right side Of
her chest. He acted following an
error in the operative schedule made
out by DR.. James S. Conant, Glenn
Dale chief Of surgery, although an
x-ray of the patients chest was in
the room at the time.
Commissioner Guy Mason re-
leased DR.. Davis report on the con-
dition of the patient shortly after
noon today. DR.. Davis found that the
last X-ray. made of the woman's
chest on Christmas Eve, indicated
pulmonary tuberculosis in both
lungs, but the disease was centered
predominantly in the left lung.
DR.. Davis said the X-ray indicated
an operation on the left side and
added that seven-rib removal op-
Grafton probably can control the
tuberculosis in the patients left
lung.
The chest expert concluded that
the patients condition was salts
factory and that she is in no immedi-
ate danger.
Meanwhile. a report on the Glenn
Dale case was received on Capitol
Hill by Chairman Miller of the sub
committee on health, education and
welfare of the House District Com
mittee.
Circumstances Outlined.
DR.. Miller said the report was a
copy of the one made by DR.. Ruh-
land to the Commissioners on the
affair.
The report outlined in detail nine
circumstances surrounding the error,
Dr.. Miller. who is physician, said.
At present, the matter is some
thing for the Commissioners and
DR.. Rutland to handle" Dr. Miller
declared.
They can't undo the damage" he
said. 1T probably was caused by not
enough attention to details in the
case.
Unfortunately, this kind Of thing
sometimes happens when insufficient
attention is devoted to charity-type
cases." he said.
DR.. Miller said he would wait for
o more complete report from the
Commissioners before deciding
whether he will recommend that a
subcommittee in the new Congress
look further into the situation.
Davis Praises Surgeon.
Taking for granted that an er-
ror was made in the operation" Dr.
Davis said today, those fellows
have done a beautiful piece of post
operative care and brought the pa
lent along very nicely"
The investigator said his report
to DR.. Rutland on the case "is fac
tual and without regard to my per-
sonal feelings" He said he had
gone into every angle of the case.
at was the sort of thing that can
not happen, but did," DR.. Davis
concluded.
He said he gave DR.. Rutland
three-hour verbal report on his find
ings last night and would complete
1t at their scheduled meeting today.
His information on floor plan,
operating conditions and admins
tration of surgery at Gallinger and
Glen Dale would be presented to DR..
Rutland at later date.
Winner of MAYO Fellowship.
DR.. Ashburn received his bachelor
of arts degree at the University of
Texas in 1884 and his doctor of
medicine degree there in 1898. He
was graduated in the upper 10 per
cent of his medical school class.
From 1888 to 1910 he interned in
Ancker Hospital, St. Paul, Mimi, and
carried out a fellowship in medicine
at the University of Minnesota. DR..
Ashburn was awarded a fellowship
In surgery by Mayo Foundation at
Rochester, Mimi, in 1910.
The doctor interrupted his studies
at Rochester in January, 1912, to go
on active duty with the Navy. Sent
to the Bethesda Naval Medical Gen.
ter, DR.. Ashburn got the highest
grade in his class indoctrination
examination and, as a result, was
sent back to postgraduate study at
Mayo for six months by the Navy
to do research in anesthesia and the
sulfa drugs.
Later in 1912, DR.. Ashburn was
sent to Hawaii and then joined the
1st Marine Defense Battalion for an
18-month tour. He participated in
the Marshall Islands campaigns, re-
ceiving a citation later for setting
up a mobile hospital surgical unit
and a hospita lfor natives on the
island of Majuro.
DR.. Ashburn returned to the
United States after the Marshalls