_VBIERANS" HOSPITAL 487, _
XEAKAMEKE NAAN AXA AKA AAA
7 Waukesha, Wisconsin,
KAR 7 ; March 17, 1922.
The Surgeon General,
Us Se Public Health Service, oe as
Washington, De CO. Attention General Inspection Service.

Sir:

I have the honor to enelose herewith eli velnes of articles that

appeared in various newspapers since last Saturday, chiefly eon-
cerning three alleged deaths in this hospital from the administration
of poison. It will be observed that the Commander of the American
Legion for the state of Wisconsin asked the Governor to hold an in-
vestigation of these deaths, and the Governor requested a coroner of
this city to investigate the deaths. Drs» Lorenz, one of the best
known pathologists and psychiatrists in the country, and Dr. Guilford
of the Wisconsin State Board of Health, were sent here to do an
autopsy and report on these cases. This autopsy was also attended
by the Clinieal Director of this hospital, Dr. Heldt, and myself.
The report shows conclusively that there was nothing unusual or
extraordinary about these cases. The one patient autopsied showed
unmistakable evidence of double bronchial pneumonia and no evidence
whatever of poison. ‘Syphilis, for which the patient was being
treated, was also plainly evident. The third patient drawn into
this investigation had been autopsied by us several weeks before.

He had a typical case of general paralysis of the insane and the
autopty findings clearly showed this.»

These deaths wold ordinarily have caused no comment in any
other hospital. The trouble here wes that the state Commander of
the Legion has prompted patients here through the Legion post in
the hospital, to report to him any grievance they have, and he being
antagonistic to the Public Health Service grabs at anything they might
say in order to cause a disturbance, although he admits that the post
in the hospitel is = nuisance and says our potients are irresponsible.
When this report reached him through the local post he immediately
called up the Governor and then gave the information to the associated
press that three patients had been poisoned. He announced that he
would not have thie thing whitewashed and said the Public Health
Service whitewashed everything for which they held an investigation.
This man professed to think well of the way I have conducted the
hospital and wondered how I had done so well with our irresponsible
patients, In the next breath he told me I ought to clean out ail
the help I had here and start over news Inasmuch as he never visited
here but once previously and had received no reporte except through

 
2 gal Paar et | Stee I ee ee OTT — 2
} ’
The surgeon General. : ~ B«

ivreayonsibie patients, it is difficult to understand how he can come

to thet conclusions He said that Dr. Heldt, the Clinical Director,

hed no ability and was of no value to the institution. It was enough

for him that some patient had told him this. ‘The mere fact that Dr, Heldt
hed been offered $10,000 a year to resign and accept a position elsewhere
was not sufficient to change hie opinion in the least. The same thing
‘applied to our dietitian whom we think is very efficient. I refused to
agree with him on any of these matters or with his idea that the Surgeon
General had proved himself to be incompetent because this building has «
roof that might burn off and because @ certain non-fire proof storehouse
near the building head not been moved, as Dr. Barrett had asked in a letter
to the Bureau. It does not seem to penetrate this man's mind that even
the Government has to have money before they can spend it.

: The only news paper whieh has assumed a hostile attitude toward
the hoepitel has been the Milwaukee Sentinel. They wrote several articles
ébout the fire traps and the venereal cases here, but discontinued this.
after their Waukesha reporter head told them that by their course they
were injuring their paper in Waukesha. The citizens of Waukesha, including
the downtown post of the American Legion in this sity, appear unamimous ly
in favor of the institution. We have not heard either directly or in«
directly a hostile word from anyone in thie vicinity, nor has oe been
any discontent or hostility among the patients in the hospital, ox
thet whieh ie to be expected from this clase of pationte, and that which has
oceasionally been fanned by outside influences.

Dr. Barrett » the State Comeander of the American Legion seemed very
much disappointed at result of the autopsy and the findings of the inquest.
He wae disturbed about what his 30,000 Legioners would say when guau found
there was nothing to his oharges.

Respectfully,