Evening star., 1950-03-26
Cage and Audit
Set Up Around
Drugs
Record inspection
Ordered Tomorrow
After Theft Trial
By George Beveridqe

A complete audit of Gallingel
Hospitals storeroom drug record.
will begin tomorrow in a move
to solve the mystery of the hos.
pitfalls missing streptomycin.
The mystery was touched of
by the District Court testimony
of a Gallinger supply officer thai
his records could not account fol
1000 grams of the nti-tubercu.
losis drug. worth about $2,160.
The official. Chester Skarr, testi.
fed at the trial of James w. Kin.
ard, 35, colored, Gallinger phar.
macist's aide. who was convicted
of stealing three bottles of an.
other valuable drug. chloromyce
tin. The jury failed to reach
agreement on a charge that Kin.
ard stole 500 grams of streptomy.
Gin.
Records Ordered Sent to Board.
There were these further devel.
opments in the drug case:
l. DR.. P. A. E. Stebbing. Gallin.
ger superintendent, said he ha.
ordered Kinard's records sent te
the District Personnel Board, with
a recommendation for dismissal.
2. Attorney Thomas Ahern. Kin
ards counsel, said last night he
will ask for a new trial.
3. Assistant United State;
Attorney Arthur Mclaughlin saio
he probably will wait until after
Kinard's sentencing before max
ing plans for retrial on the charge
alleging theft of the streptomy-
Gin.
Health Officer Daniel L. Seek
niger, who visited Gallinger yes
terday to talk with DR.. Stebbine
about the case, said he intends
to press for an answer to Mr.
Skarr's statement about the 1900
missing walls. He already has
appointed two Health Department
officials to survey Gallinger's ad-
mittedly faulty supply record
setup.
Mr.. Skarr told a reporter yes
terday he had not audited his
records before he testified, and
that they could have contained
errors" The records, which
should show all drugs issued
date back to early 1947.
Henry S. Gavens, Health De-
partment budget officer in charge
of the supply investigation, sale
two auditors will begin work or
those records tomorrow. After
that. he said, they will audit rec
ords of the hospitals pharmacy
which requisitions all such drugs
before distributing them.
These audits, he explained, may
not show whether the hospital has
lost any streptomycin. But they
will show if supply officials have
lost track of the drug.
Last month, DR.. Stebbing or.
dered construction OF q specia
wire cage in which to store expen.
sive drugs. Formerly. the drug.
were kept on the second floor Of
the storeroom, with no unusua
precautions against thievery.
"In Turmoil for Five Years"
DR.. Stebbing said he "cannot
believe such large quantities o1
the drug would be taken out o.
the hospital because there JUS
wouldn't be a market for it," TIL.
drug is used primarily to trea
tuberculosis, he explained, ane
1000 walls is more than all tn,
private doctors in town would ust
in a year. except in hospitals"
The superintendent. however
said the supply setup "has beer
in a turmoil for five years." II
some cases supply records hav'
been lost. In others. he said, rec,
ords have been far out of date
One of the greatest needs is {
system to catalogue each suppl!
item, he added.
Supply Officer David Mile
had an additional answer. "Th'
trouble" he said, lis not enough
personnel-period."
DR.. Stebbing said that despit,
the record difficulties, however
this is the first year we haven
had to request a deficiency ap
preparation for drugs" One rea'
son. he said. is moves to contro
the use of the expensive medica.
tionS.
The superintendent said HI
ordered Kinard's records sent tt
the District Building with rec.
ommendation for dismissal imme.
diately after Kinard's conviction
Police officials, meanwhile, sale
Capt. Robert Murray. assistan
chief of detectives, will need "an
other two or three days" befor,
giving Police Superintendent Rob
ert J. Barrett a report about in
timations that Gallinger official
did not cooperate with the Kinart
investigation. Commissioner Joh1
Russell Young ordered the police
report when the intimations wer'
yo icoI l,,,-i,,ry thu f,-io1