Minneapolis Spokesman

General Hospital Doctors Refuse To Treat Poison Case

Mrs. Rose Jackson, 76 year old lodging house keeper at 305 Washington Ave., is wondering whether General Hospital ambulance service is rationed on the basis of color.

The woman became ill Saturday night. Sunday she became worse and could not get a doctor. When alarmed roomers called the police squad car which patrols that district the officers came.

One of the officers called the General Hospital for an ambulance. After waiting for 45 minutes for the ambulance to come the policeman returned to the lodging house again and called the hospital. Whoever was on the line Mrs. Jackson claimed asked the officer if the sick person was "colored." The officer wanted to know "what difference does it make."

However, no ambulance ever came to take the woman to the hospital. Finally roomers secured a car and took her to hospital.

Mrs. Jackson said she was suffering from extreme pain from ptomaine poison. Physicians on duty examined but she said did nothing to relieve her pain. After three hours they decided that they could not treat her because of her income was too high. She said she offered to pay for some temporary relief but they insisted that she look up her regular doctor.

The 76 year old woman was taken back home by two roomers and finally a doctor was secured for Mrs. Jackson after she had suffered for hours.

Richard Scarce and Harry Lewis two lodgers at Mrs. Jackson's establishment were witnesses to the treatment which Mrs. Jackson says she received at the hands of the hospital staff.