Evening star., 1962-05-20
Ribicoff Tells
Terry TO Push
PHS Cleanup
BY WILLIAM GRIGG
Star staff Wrtter

Surgeon General Luther L
Terry. indirectly involved il
one Of the allegations placed
against Public Health Service
officials, is under considerable
pressure to straighten out tht
Services affairs.
Secretary Of HEW Abraham
Ribicoff revealed yesterda!
that he has ordered monthly
reports from DR.. Terry on tht
reorganization Of the PHS divi'
sion Of administrative services
He also ordered q revampinI
Of stock handling methods al
the PHS Perry Point md
Medical Supply Depot so that
pharmaceuticals and medicina
whisky are fully accounted fol
in the future.
The reorganization Of the
division and the revamping oi
Perry Point methods were re.
commended by HEW Under
secretary Ivan A. Nestinger
after Investigations, reported
yesterday, by a PHS board ano
HEW investigators Of a large
number Of allegations.
Some of those making the
original allegations said yester-
day that they are pleased with
the actions recommended and
hopeful they will be carried
out.
Complaint Is Backed
Reached in st. Louis, Mo.
where he is now a city hospital
executive, DR.. Kenneth Nelson
who testified on questionable
abortions by a surgeon then
under him at Staten Island
PHS Hospital, said the HEW
report of the incident was
correct.
The report was a key one in
the HEW investigation in that
Surgeon General Terry sat on
the board in Baltimore that
approved the surgeons unfit
ness to serve, thus opening the
way for the surgeon to apply
for and get a disability retire
ment.
Undersecretary Nestingen re-
ported to Secretary Ribicoff on
the incident as follows:
Allegation: That an labor
ton ring" existed in a PHs
hospital eight or 10 years ago
This allegation has been
thoroughly investigated. The
charge grew out of a surgical
procedure performed in a PHS
hospital in 1851 on a patient
who was admitted, according
to the records, with a dag
nosis Of incomplete abortion,
Evidence that an illegal action
had or had not occurred was,
according to testimony then
and recently, incOnclusiye.
Surgeon Is Denoted
In certain types Of situa-
tions, surgical termination Of
pregnancies is medically indi-
Gated. The judgement of the
surgeon was brought sharply
into question by his superiors
(including DR.. Nelson) and he
was denoted and relieved from
duty pending reassignment.
Subsequently the surgeon
applied for disability retire.
ment and he was retired on the
basis of the findings of three
medical boards.
THE records Of the hospital
for a period Of two years priol
to this incident have recently
been carefully reviewed to de-
termine whether there were
other questionsable cases.
Fourteen cases, including
II sterilization operations, were
found, performed by the same
doctor, about which there is O
question. In these cases the
evidence Is similarly inconclu-
sive. There is no evidence tc
support any allegation that
PHS personnel. other than the
doctor who retired in 1852
were involved in any improper
way with the questionable
abortions or sterilizationS
The PHS later adopted reg
ulations on abortions conform
ing with standards recon-
mended by the Joint Commis.
sion on Accreditation of Hos
pitfalls.
New Rules Adopted
The investigation showed NJ
evidence that there were othel
surgeons involved with the re-
tired surgeon or that any ring
; ever existed.
The chief of the division o.
administrative services haI
been replaced by acting chic.
Kenneth Revell, who is charged
with setting the division
: straight.
He said that perSonne
: changes are being considered
J and a decentralization of tht
; division is also being contem'
plated.