^^^v'■■L^■■'^y:-^.v umis mmm sukvey <:/s- ^9/ Ur>w4w "That Man Bundesen'^ Volume I Edited a)id Copyrighted ly ELMER L. WILLIAMS Editor of Lightnin' 1931 DR. HERMAN X. BUXDESEXE, ALIAS BUXDESEX. This picture zcas taken zuhen he zvas Health Commissioner, at the time he was accused by Col. A. A. Sprague of appropriating city materials and city labor to improve his own property. A prom- inent public official interceded and no grand jury action was taken. FOREWORD a political berth was to l^e prepared in the Sanitary Dis- trict for Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, in the Fall of 1927, this writer protested by letter to the Trustees. Until that time, like thousands of other Chicagoans, we had accepted the newspaper propaganda on behalf of Dr. Bundesen at its face value. The late Michael Rosenberg induced the Sanitary Dis- trict Trustees to take Dr. Bundesen on, and the former political boss, George Brennan, said, "We must throw everything in this time to win. Throw him in." So Dr. Bundesen was put in charge of the so-called Health De- partment in the Sanitary District. When Dr. Bundesen's Budget was announced, amount- ing to $294,270.00, the editor of Lightnin' analyzed it and declared it was full of burglary. When Mr. Gore, auditor for the Sanitary District, made his report for 1928, he stated that $248,000 had been spent by the Health Department "mostly for publicity." Attracted by the evidences of corruption, the author of this sketch continued to investigate Dr. Bundesen's ac- tivities in the Sanitary District, and discovered convincing evidences of em(bezzlement, waste, and conspiracy to de- fraud the taxpayers out of immense sums of money. Dr. Bundesen's activities in the Mosquito Abatement Farce, which cost $672,970.38, his endorement of scores of vouchers just under $500.00, his certification of money spent for goods which he never saw, his use of pubHc funds to promote his candidacy for the office of Coroner, these and other activities convinced the writer beyond all doubt that Dr. Bundesen was a conscious coconspirator, whose newspaper reputation was being used to mislead a trustful public. Having become aware of the true character of Dr. Bundesen, we have since that time explored his record as a public official, and have been astounded at the dis- closures which such study revealed. We are fully con- vinced that men like Dr. Bundesen are far more dangerous to the political life of the community than is the ordinary politician. We, therefore, lay bare in this volume, as a surgeon would disclose a hidden cancer, the sinister side of Dr. Bundesen's political career, which has been so per- sistently ignored by the daily press. DEDICATED TO GIUSEPPE BALSAMO, ALIAS COUNT CAGLIOSTRO There lived in the eighteenth century, in Europe, a medical charlatan named Giusepi^e Balsamo, but who af- fected the title of Count Cagliostro. Nothins: is known of his father bevond the fact that he was a petty tradesman who became bankrupt, and died at the aoe of fortv-five, a few^ months after the birth of his son. Thomas Carlyle, in one of his most searching essays, reviewed the character of Balsamo, frequently using the name Cagliostro. Several excerpts are taken from Carlyle because of their peculiar application to the subject of this sketch. Concerning the childhood of Cagliostro, Carlyle makes the following observation : "Of his teething and swaddling adventures, of the scaldings, squallings, pukings, purgings, the strictest search into History can discover nothing ; not so much as the epoch when he passed out of long clothes stands noted in the fasti of Sicily. That same 'larger pinion' of Tmagination, nevertheless, conducts him from his native blind alley into the adjacent street Casaro ; descries him, with certain contenijjoraries now unknown, essaying himself in small games of skill ; watching what phenomena of carriage transits, dog battles, street music, or such like, the neighborhood might offer (intent abo\e all on any w'indfall of chance provender) ; now, with incipient scientific spirit, puddling in the gutters ; now, as small poet (or maker), baking mud pies. Thus does he tentatively coast along the outskirts of Existence, till once he shall be strong enough to land and make a footing there." — Carlyle on Cagliostro. The Mosquito Abatement Farce Cost tJie Taxpayers $672,980 in 1928. It has recently been discovered that one species of mosquito im Cook County zvears the letter "B" on its tummy, so proud is it of tJie Bundesen "mosquito racket." Table of Contents -I- H- -h Page Chapter I — A Flexil^le Genealogy and Romantic Childhood 11 Chapter II — Baby Ballyhoo 23 Chapter III— "The Candy Kid" 35 Chapter IV — Flattery Used as Bribery 43 Chapter V — Bundesen Plays Politics with Civil Service 57 Chapter VI — Kicking the Competent to Promote Himself 68 Chapter VII— The Red Light Racket 75 Chapter VIII — Statistics Made to Order 97 Chapter IX — Taking Taxpayers for a Ride. . . .105 Chapter X — The Mysteries of Medicine 110 Chapter XI — Thrown in to Win 117 Chapter XII — Babies and Ballots 124 Chapter XIII— For Your Health's Sake 133 Chapter XIV — Financing a False Front 141 Chapter XV— "The Tower of Babble" 146 Chapter XVI — Public-Paid Propaganda 159 Chapter XVII— "Everybody's Health" 165 Chapter XVIII— "The Mosquito Abatement Farce" 177 Chapter XIX — Bundesen, Booze, and Bunk 191 Chapter XX— Medical Shoplifting 199 Chapter XXI — The Low Cost of Talk About the High Cost of Sickness 205 Chapter XXII— Pollyanna Politics 211 Chapter XXIII— The Glory Industry 214 Illustrations + + + Dr. Herman X. Bundesen Frontispiece A Proud Mosquito 8 Mercy Hospital 18 Octopus 34 Kraut Juice 38 Viking Cod Liver Oil 40 Charles Fitzmorris ^4 Dr. Bundesen and Negroes 48 Teacher and Dr. Bundesen 50 The Lie Detector 62 Johnson Chair 66 Expert Milker 70 Red Light Racket 76 Jack Zuta 78 The Rex %2 The "Measuring Worm" 89 Coroner's Car 104 Oysters O. K 109 Klebba and Chief 134 Jake Lingle 140 "Mosquito Abatement Station" 178 McKeon Bros. Office 184 "Cedar Brook" 195 Health Editor 198 "Cash Before Delivery" 206 "Laughing" But "Loaded" 210 "Knight Bundesen" Back Cover •^ 1 1 >• CHAPTER I A FLEXIBLE GENEALOGY AND A ROMANTIC CHILDHOOD X .he background of Coroner Bundesen, like manv events in his colorful career, is flexible and a bit nebulous. If his own statements are to be relied upon, his father was a Dane. Although his birthplace is said to be in Berlin, those who attended school with Coroner Bundesen state that his mother was French. He, himself, referred to her during the war as of French origin, but has characterized her since as of German extraction. There are few French votes in Chicago. "My father," he said, "was killed a week or ten days after I was born. My mother brought my sister and me to this country when I was about six months old, thinking she could make a better living here. But the struggle among strangers was much harder than she thought it would be. "She tried giving private lessons in foreign languages — about all she knew how to do — but pupils were few and far between, and the work did not bring enough to keep the family to- gether." -°4 1 2 ^'- Fortune must have smiled upon the widow Bun- desen later, as the following incident will reveal. Archbishop Hanna visited Chicago during the Eu- charistic Congress. He called up the Chicago Health Department to speak with a member of the staff who had come from the Coast, where the Archbishop was located. Health Commissioner Bundesen, when the distinguished visitor's name was mentioned, be- came reminiscent. "My mother gave Archbishop Hanna fourteen thousand dollars," he said. "She wanted me to be a preacher (meaning a priest). A h of a preacher I'd make." Just where and how the widow Bundesen, whose abilities were limited to giving private lessons in foreign languages, acquired a fortune which would enable her to give an Archbishop fourteen thousand dollars, is not disclosed in the romantic statement of Coroner Bundesen in the American Magazine of De- cember, 1928. The autobiographies of men of mercurial tempera- ment are full of dramatic episodes. Dick Whittington, Mayor of London, is a striking example. Little or nothing is known of his early life. His fame is due mainly to the popular romance of which he became the hero. According to this legend, Dick went up to London and found employment as a scullion, a washer of pots and kettles — the most menial employment. To the freight of an outgoing vessel Whittington contributed his cat, which was sold for a large sum in Barbary. Growing weary of his wretched existence and the -4 1 3 >'■- ill usage to which he was subjected, Dick started to leave London, but on hearing the Bow bells, which seemed to say : "Turn again, Whittington. Lord Mayor of London," he went back to his work, received the price of his cat, married his fair lady, and, living happily, became Lord Mayor according to the prophecy in 1397. In one of the inspired sketches of Coroner Bundesen which appeared in a magazine while he was luxuriat- ing with the "plunderbund" in the Sanitary District, he relates that he once threw a snowball at a minis- ter's hat which resulted in his being invited to Sunday School, and out of this episode attempts a dramatic appeal to the imagination of the sentimental. Of his former playmates, he states that two are in the penitentiary, serving life terms for murder. Against this dark background our hero stands forth a veritable Dick Whittington. In the limitations of a magazine article it was, of course, impossible to give many details which have been given by Coroner Bundesen, himself, and by others elsewhere. One of these is of great signifi- cance. The Coroner relates sometimes in his speeches, in a confidential vein, that his reform was not imme- diate. After he had become a member of the Bishop's Sunday School, his mind would wander from the les- son of the day to the cloakroom, where the coats of the other children were hung, in whose pockets he hoped to find, and sometimes did find, a stray coin, when some palpable excuse permitted him to leave the classroom for a short time. ■4 1 4 <5 '13 ■-J c crj ?■ 7 M 3 Oq (T> "< r 3 o I—' < ^ Or o -< 1 5 >- Indeed, it might be said that from this acquisitive proclivity our hero perhaps never has fully recovered. We attach no blame to this childish disregard of property rights, for regard for such rights is not in- herent in childhood, and must be acquired through the processes of education. In some cases it never is fully attained, and in the kleptomaniac not at all. Just what part heredity may have played in this case we are unable to say, but environment and cir- cumstance surely were important contributing fac- tors. A hungry, half-naked boy, who cadged many of his meals from the free lunch in a saloon ; who "roamed the streets, half wild, and often legging it swiftly from the police," could not be expected to regard the property rights of well fed, comfortably clothed children who left stray coins in their Sunday coats. One might even hesitate to bring out the skeletons from the closet of the medical student who is having a struggle for existence while he seeks an education ; or smile at the dilemma of the patient who was re- quired to remain in the hospital until he could re- plenish his wardrobe, because an impecunious orderh appropriated his pants. But after reaching years of discretion, and entering upon a public career, there are those who are inclined to be critical of disregard for property rights, even in Cliicago. where a certifi- cate of election seems to be accepted as a license to steal. Colonel A. A. Sprague, Commissioner of Public Works under Mayor Dever, did not take this tolerant attitude toward those who appropriated public prop- erty to their own uses. Commissioner Sprague dis- -4 1 6 >=- covered that there was systematic theft of city prop- erty, which involved the then Health Commissioner, Dr. Bundesen, and others. After a long conference with Mayor Dever, in which Commissioner Sprague cited in detail the evi- dence gathered by his investigators. Assistant Cor- poration Counsel Thomas A. Green hurried to the Criminal Court building to submit the evidence to the State's Attorney. When the information reached the press, and Mayor Dever was interviewed, he re- fused to make any comment in connection w^ith the scandal, but admitted he knew an investigation had been under way for some time. He said, however, it was not until the day of the interview that he received knowledge that Dr. Bundesen was involved. The facts of the investigation were supported by the complete confession of William Murray, Superin- tendent of Equipment for the Board of Public Works, who confessed that city materials and city labor were used to improve the private buildings of Health Com- missioner Bundesen. When Commissioner Bundesen was apprised of the fact that his peculations were discovered, he charged that he was the victim of revenge by Commissioner Sprague's investigator, whose reports were, of course, amply supported by the confession of Murray. A telephone call from a prominent Democratic offi- cial to Robert E. Crowe, State's Attorney, apparently prevented an indictment. Judge Crowe later said that he could indict him at anv time, as the matter w^as still in the files. The statute of limitations, however, ran some time ago. Recurrine again to the incident of the snowball, -4 1 7 ^ - let us quote a paragraph from Dr. Bundesen's remi- niscence : "I was a pretty wild sort of boy when I knocked off Bishop Cheney's hat with a snowball, and got invited to his Sunday School. I'm satisfied that if it hadn't been for that incident I'd probably be where my chums that used to sell papers with me are — behind the bars ! I was headed that way." Although the disposition to use the hats of bishops as a target was changed by contact with the Sunday School, yet the tendency to disregard property rights continued beyond the Sunday School period, and reached an acute stage when Dr. Bundesen was em- ployed by the Sanitary District to operate an alleged Health Department. Here, again, environment may have been as power- ful as hereditary influence. For it is doubtful if a bolder band of pirates ever sacked a public treasury than those who operated the Sanitary District in 1928. It is not too much to say, after a careful investiga- tion of the records, that if Cook County were blessed with an able, impartial and fearless State's Attorney, our hero perhaps by this time w^ould be with his former chums. We reserve details of this profit- able period of his professional career to a later chapter. Let us recur again to the romantic episodes, or romantic incidents, set out in the self-revelations of Dr. Bundesen in his interview with Mr. Clark. "From his earliest days, Bundesen wished to become a doctor. " 'If you ask me why,' he said, 'I can't tell -< 1 8 >-- MERCY HOSPITAL Coroner Bundcscii is quoted in the American Magazine of December, 1928, as sayi)ig that zi'Jien a boy he used to run to Mercy Hospital wlieneier he sazc an ambulance case come i)i, and. climbing a tree, he ivould H'atch the doctors and )iurses patch up the patients. This picture is from an old cut of Mercy Hospital, published in 1885, when Coroner Bundcsen Ik.kis a boy. 1 9 >- you. \\'ere there physicians in our family? No. It was just the way I ha])])ened to lean. " 'Always, if there was a hurt dog- in the neigh- l)orhood, it fell to me to look after him. More than once I went to the drug store for a nickel's worth of iodine to plaster on some dog- that had been fighting, when maybe it was the last nickel I had and I missed my supper for it. " *I used to hang around Doctor ]\Iercer's house, too ; he was the physician that everybody went to in that neighborhood, and many a time I begged permission to go along in the buggy when he made sick calls. I would hold the reins while he was inside, and usually he would tell me something about the case. *' 'Wt lived a couple of blocks from ]Mercy Hospital, and that was a source of joy to me, too. Whenever an ambulance came in with an accident case, I used to run for the hospital as fast as my legs would carry me. I knew of a tree that grew right outside the operating room. I used to shinny up it, and, hidden in the branches, I watched the doctors and nurses patch up many a patient. ** 'One day a man was brought in badly banged up from a street-car accident. I couldn't see all I wanted to from my tree, so I got my nerve up and walked right in the front door and u]) to the operating room. Maybe they thought I was a relative of the victim ; anyhow, they let me stay. *' 'After that. I never had to climb the tree again. I came in regularly by the front door." Nothing in the life of Dick \\'^hittington is more beautifully romantic, and no incident more palpably hocum, than the statements just quoted. A visit to Mercy Hospital, and an inquiry as to where the oper- -4. 2 }i>'~ ating rooms were located, Avill convince the most credulous that if our hero, perched in a tree, observed the doctors at work in the operating room, his story matches that of Jack and the Bean Stalk. It must be apparent even to the layman, to say nothing of one who lays claim to the title of scientist, that if the doctors at Mercy Hospital permitted a ragged, dirty street urchin to enter the operating room whenever an accident case came in, and allowed him to stand where he could observe their skillful work, they had less regard for the principles of sani- tation than a careful cook would have in a respectable kitchen. Yet here was a ragged newsboy so well posted on the theory of germ diseases that, according- to his reminiscence, he frequently spent his last nickel for iodine to treat a dog that had been in a fight, and, because of this humane act, went supperless to bed. Dr. Bundesen attributes his desire to become a doctor to these visits to the operating room in IMercy Hospital. His biographer, Mr. Clark, says : "Thus direction was given to ambition, and the ragged Bundesen boy in the shack back of the saloon determined to be a doctor." We have reproduced on another page an old print of Mercy Hospital, taken from a volume on the his- tory of Chicago by A. T. Andreas, published in 1885. It is in the John Crerar library, Volume L-977,316, Page 537. This represents Mercy Hospital as it was when Coroner Bundesen was a small boy. An examination of the picture will disclose that the story of his climb- -< 2 1 jew- ing a tree to watch the operations in Mercy Hospital is pure hokum. The singular thing is that this early disposition and all-compelling desire to become a surgeon has never been realized except in print. We will discover this disposition to romance again and again as we pursue the eventful career of the subject of this biography. One of the greatest medical charlatans who flour- ished in England and on the Continent during the eighteenth century is thus described by the pungent writer, Thomas Carlyle : "The Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, pupil of the sage Althotas, foster child of the Scherif of Mecca, probable son of the last King of Trebi- sond ; named also Acharat, and unfortunate child of nature ; by profession healer of diseases, abolisher of wrinkles, friend of the poor and impotent, grand master of the Egyptian Mason Lodge of High Science, Spirit Summoner, Gold Cook, Grand Coptha, Prophet, Priest, and thau- maturgic moralist and swindler ; really a Liar of the first magniture, thorough-paced in all provinces of Lying, what one may call the King of Liars." There have been some refinements in the handling of the truth since the time of Cagliostro. Skillful press agents, who present fairy tales as facts, leave scarcely a trace of the devious methods by which a doctor of the most limited ability, and more limited medical experience, has appropriated the work of other men, much of it prepared at public expense by men of much greater ability than himself, copy- righted by him, sent out in some cases by funds -4 2 2 }> - derived from the public treasury, in other instances financed by those who deemed it good business to contribute to one whose official position made it pos- sible for him to reward or punish them, with the net result that, like Cagliostro, he offers to the credu- lous public these high-sounding titles, which he at- tributes to himself: "Savior of Babies. Friend of ^Mothers. Builder of Health. Administrator. Executive. Diplomat. Minister of Mercy. Advocate of Justice. Fighter for Right. Kindly Neighbor. Wise Father. Whole- some Citizen." -4 2 3 >~ CHAPTER II BABY BALLYHOO "As for this baby-food stuff," he said, "for God's sake put some sob stuff in it. Vou know. And make it beautiful, too. Make it beautiful — make the words sing. Heavens ! There isn't a woman in the world who cares about facts. . . . Tears ! ^lake 'em weep. "But be careful ! My client wants us to be honest in this thing-. Tell 'em always to go to a doctor if they can and get a special prescription for their own baby. If they can't do that, tell 'em how bad the milk supply is in lots of places, and that they better use this food. And give 'em the figures about the baby death rate — but don't say it flatly. You know, if you just put a lot of figures in front of a woman, she passes you by. If we only had the nerve to put a hearse in the ad. you couldn't keep the women away from the food." — Helen Woodward. T .hus Mrs. Helen Woodward in her book, "Through Many Windows," reports a speech by a member of the Presbrey xA^dvertising Agency, for whom she was a copy writer. Coroner Bundesen in a letter to the mothers, June 4, 1930, says: -< 2 4 >- "While I was Commissioner of Health of Chi- cago I conceived the idea of advising mothers concerning the care of their little ones, and I started sending them monthly letters containing timely advice." A review of the work of the Chicago Health Depart- ment will convince the most credulous that Coroner Bundesen has a close spiritual kinship with Cagliostro. The method of advising mothers as to the care of their infants was begun by the Health Department of Chicago in 1895. The first service of this kind was limited in its scope — namely, an attempt to stop the high death rate among babies and young children during the hot months. Previous to that date, out of every thousand lx)rn in Chicago, one hundred and forty died before reaching the age of one year, and the baby deaths constituted forty- three per cent of all deaths occurring in the city. Dr. Arthur R. Reynolds, Health Commissioner, directed Dr. T. \\\ Reilly, Assistant Commissioner of Health, to prepare the first public circular in 1895. Competent medical men said that Dr. Reill}- had "the broad knowledge and insight required of efficient health workers during these trying times, and the industry and ability to make his knowledge useful." This first communication to the mothers of Chicago, sent out by the Health Department, was entitled, "Hot Weather Care of Infants and Young Children." This message to the mothers covering the baby's care, particularly during the first year, was sent to them free by the Health Department, and, naturally, was not copy- righted by Dr. Reynolds or Dr. Reilly. Dr. Reilly's circular was reprinted with some revisions by Health Commissioner Dr. Charles J. Whalen, and -4 2 5 }•>'- distributed during 1905 and 1906 as the chief bulletin of the Department on the care of infants and young chil- dren. The State Board of Health began the publication of infant welfare literature in 1905. "The Care of the Babies" was sent to the mothers by Dr. James A. Egan, Secretary of the Board. This message was reissued several times, and distributed free up to 1913. Of course, it was not copyrighted. Dr. W. A. Evans, an able and conscientious Health Commissioner, now health editor for the Chicago Tribune, began an intensive campaign on infant welfare work in 1909. He established the first infant welfare station in 1910, and four similar stations in 1913. Under the administration of Dr. Evans the circular entitled, "Hot Weather Care of Infants and Young Chil- dren," was translated into various foreign languages and distributed by the field forces of the Health Department engaged in infant welfare work. Dr. Evans, as a matter of course, did not copyright this literature. Chicago's next Health Commissioner, Dr. George B. Young, prepared a much more comprehensive booklet, entitled, "Our Babies," in 1911. This was an illustrated thirty-page booklet, containing valuable information re- garding the care of the expectant mother, her care dur- ing confinement, and the care of the baby. The booklet was translated into nearly all the foreign languages spoken in the city, and thousands and thousands of copies were distributed through infant welfare stations, by field nurses, and in other ways. It was the property of the Department of Health, and it was not copyrighted. Dr. John Dill Robertson, who succeeded Dr. Young as Health Commissioner in 1915, revised and reissued -4 2 6 )£^ - the booklet. "Our Baliies," in a larger and more attrac- tie form, and inserted therein a certificate of birth regis- tration. Not only was this l)ooklet distributed in large numbers, but one of the Chicago newspapers reprinted an edition of hundreds of thousands of copies, which were mailed free upon request. It was the pro^^erty of the Depart- ment, supplied absolutely free, and was not copyrighted. Dr. C. St. Clair Drake, who assisted in illustrating and editing the first issue of "Our Babies," became Sec- retary of the State Board of Health in 1914. He issued many instructive health circulars during the seven years that he occupied this oflice. Among them was a booklet issued in 1916, also entitled, "Our Babies." It was dis- tributed absolutely free. It was not copyrighted. In 1918, "Our Babies" was reissued by the State De- partment of Health in much better form, with beautiful designs on the front and back covers prepared by Kath- erine Field \M'iite, who had drawn many of the illustra- tions in the original booklet entitled, "Our Babies," pub- lished by the Chicago Department of Health. Since that time it has been again published in revised form by the State Department of Public Health under Dr. Isaac D. Rawlings. But it was not copyrighted. The accumulating knowledge through all these years, and indefatigable effort and devotion to a high ideal by the physicians whose names we have mentioned, and many others, achieved notable results. The infant mortality rate in 1925 had been reduced to 74.7 per thousand, or about one-half what it had been before Dr. Reilly's first baby circular was printed. A new edition of the booklet, "Our Babies," was pub- lished in 1925 I)} the Department of Health, with Dr. -<{ 2 7 f>-- Herman N. Bundesen as Commissioner at that time. This new edition of "Our Babies" bore the name of the old circular. Its contents, illustrations, and general makeup, however, were much more pretentious. The book was in two colors, in a large edition costing $50,000 to print. Naturally, the cost was far in excess of the departmental funds available for such purposes, and consequently it became necessary for the Health Commissioner to solicit contributions from business men and industries of the city to defray the cost of printing. The text of the new publication was originally written by various members of the Department. It was then submitted to approximately one hundred specialists, who made certain revisions, which were incorporated in the second draft. They re- ceived no compensation for their services, which were donated to the cause of humanitv. After their revisions, the manuscript was again care- fully edited and revised by various members of the Department, illustrated by an artist carried on the pay- roll of the Department, and arranged for publication in its final form. The booklet finally was published on October 27, 1925, after being in the course of prepara- tion for nearly six months. During this time it was typewritten several times by the stenographic division of the Department of Health, and mimeographed two times in an edition of over one hundred copies for submission to various persons. Upon publication by the Department of Health, the new booklet, "Our Babies," was copyrighted by the Com- missioner, Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, in his own name. It was distributed free by the Health Department, but also sold widely in the United States to insurance com- panies, other health departments, and to the general -< 2 8 >- public through a series of chain stores. Thus it will be seen that our modern Cagliostro did not originate nor create the "Baby Literature" which he has since exploited to his own great personal advantage. In thus claiming for himself the products of the com- bined labors of men expert in various fields of medical science, we see again the disposition exhibited in the cloak room of the Sunday School to disregard property rights. But, there being now no physical necessities to drive our hero to appropriate the property of others — property which really belonged to the taxpayers who paid the salaries of the men who produced the baby litera- ture — it would appear that heredity and not environment was at the bottom of the disposition to steal. But our hero evidently was not quite sure in his own mind that it was safe to appropriate and copyright city property. For we learn from a secret "confession" which he made that he consulted attorneys to find out if he would be legally liable. In his own peculiar phraseology, when he is compelled to extemporize, he makes this interesting admission : "I copyrighted it in my own name. It was first written for Mr. Victor Lawson and first published in The Daily News, as the files will show. The files will show about it, and it was copyrighted by them. And consequently it was gotten out in lx)ok form and was sent out by me with the permission of The Chicago Daily News. I copyrighted it mainly be- cause I did not want any advertising to be con- nected with it at any time. When I went out as Health Commissioner they wanted to use that literature. I had no objection to them using it. I had no objection to them putting Dr. Kegel's name on it, but I insisted my name stay on because I was the author of that. They insisted on putting lauda- -4. 2 9 ^*°- tions in the front of the book regarding certain individnals in politics that I would not stand for. . . . And for that reason I had it copyrighted. I be- lieved I had a right to have it copyrighted. My lawyers tell me now I do have. My lawyers in that case happened to be Mr. Wrigley's lawyers, and the lawyers for The Chicago Daily News. That was Winston, Payne & Strawn, and Fisher, Boyden, Kales & Bell." On advice of counsel, we see that our hero took the labors of other men, labors extending over a period of years, paid for with taxpayers' money, and sold this in- formation to a newspaper for $4,000; had it copyrighted by the newspaper, but apparently reserved the right to use it himself, and made other profitable use of it in various parts of the country, and then broadcasted in his own publication the extraordinary titles — ''Savior of Babies. Friend of Mothers. Builder of Health. Administrator. Executive. Diplomat. Minister of Mercy. Advocate of Justice. Fighter for Right. Kindly Neighbor. Wise Father. Whole- some Citizen." — in true Cagliostroic style. On April 27, 1926, the Department began sending an illustrated, printed, monthly letter for a period of one year to every mother in Chicago upon the report of a birth. These letters were written, revised, and edited by various members of the Department of Health, and illus- trated by an artist on the city payroll. They were copy- righted, however, by the Commissioner, Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, in his own name. On December 14, 1926, the booklet, "Before the Baby Comes," was issued by the Department. It was prepared substantially in the same manner as "Our Babies." It was copyrighted by the --< 3 ^^ - Health Commissioner, Dr. Herman X. Bundesen, in his own name. In a letter from Dr. William Hall Coon, Health Com- missioner of Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Dr. Bundesen, under date of October 2, 1926, we read : ''In this connection, and while I am writing to you, I wish to call your attention to a letter received some time since from you in which you requested information concerning our monthly letters to mothers, or rather to parents, incidental to our in- fant hygiene campaign in the reduction of infant mortality. You afterwards adopted this idea, and in some of your monthly issues the phraseology is at times identical with that employed by us. We were, I believe, the first city in the United States to use these letters, and they were originated here. Although I bring this to your attention, I trust that you wnll find in it no suggestion of criticism. I am very glad that you found the idea of value, and we are complimented that you thought it worth your copying." To this letter. Dr. Bundesen replied October 5, ad- mitting that he had appropriated Dr. Coon's method and material, and giving the following reason for so doing : "Relative to the use of material from your monthly letters in the monthly letters which we are now sending out, I plead guilty, and my only excuse is that the thoughts were so clearly and concisely stated that we could not resist the temptation of making use of them. \\q are very much pleased with the results obtained from the use of these monthly letters, and already there is a reduction in our infant mortality rate over and above that which we have had during any previous year." It is estimated that the books compiled and prepared by employees of the Health Department, and copyrighted -4 3 1 }^ - by Dr. Bundescn, cost the taxpayers approximately $20,000 for salaries to these employees, to say nothing of the large sums expended through the years in creat- ing the literature which was the source from which the books w^ere compiled. The entire cost to the taxpayers would reach $200,000, it is said. Many manuscripts containing substantially the con- tents of "The Growing Child" and "Before the Baby Comes" were sent to physicians throughout the United States, at the expense of the Department of Health, for revision and correction. Suggestions were made by physi- cians who took time to examine the manuscripts and reply. In the suit pending in the Federal Court to dissolve the copyright of Dr. Bundesen on the literature stolen from the Health Department, it is stated that there were many requests for copies of "The Growing Child" and "Our Babies" at twenty-five cents a copy. The bill relates that this matter was turned over to a man named ]^Iendelsohn. It is said that Mendelsohn gave Dr. Bundesen a check for $14,000, Bundesen's share of the funds derived from the sale of baby literature. At a later date. Dr. Bundesen made his sales direct, and the amount of money derived is not reported. The city, however, did not get any of it. In any business built up over a period of years there is an intangible property right called "goodwill." It is natural to suppose that the taxpayers who furnished the funds to create and distribute the literature for the Health Department were the real owners of whatever property rights existed in the Department's "goodwill." It is impossible to estimate how great this intangible "property right" may be, but that it is very large can- not be denied. The alfection which all parents have for the faithful 3 2^' *) ■Hti)«» upenin against Dr. Hei-man Authorized by the city tho former health commissl^p?^ re- fused to return health rec^g^BTnames and date to the city hjjiC^ came to- d?iy when Cor^orati^TCounsel Ettel- jH5n filed a bill^^<«^-> $200,000 dam- Ages in the F^ _^ 'It is ch^g^^^hat Dr. Bl tyjpyrishtgia five volumes and bah^ care, which wei^lcom try cit^employes and expc - family physician who ministers to their children in time of serious illness is in some measure similar to that feel- ing which parents have for the puhlic service which the taxpayers have maintained through the years. To ap- propriate this, together with the literature itself, all bought and paid for with public funds, presents a dark chapter in medical science, which has many bright pages of un- selfish service untrumpeted by the physicians or their press agents. 4 3 4 >~ l7h**#vc<'Q'm- IVhoi Coroner Biindcsen zvas Health Com- missioner, he became notorious for his endorse- ment of commercial products. He secured large sums of money from some business organizations. He acquired considerable property during this period, paying $50,000 down on a $100,000 tract zvest of Evanston. -4 3 5 >- ?( CHAPTER III THE CANDY KID" Doctor Jack Horner Sat like a Coroner Writing ''endorsements" all day, Til his wife learned the game And is doing the same — O my ! how they make the thing pay ! — E. L. W. Q ne of Coroner Bundesen's most prof- itable side lines is his extravagant endorsement of com- mercial products. In the war between the National Con- fectioners' Association and the American Tobacco Com- pany, Coroner Bundesen was enlisted as a mercenary on the side of candy. The result was a little book, fathered by Dr. Bundesen, entitled, "The New Knowledge of Candy." There is but little that is new in the book save one "discovery" that is known perhaps only to Coroner Bundesen. It is the real function of candy — "The use of candy in the reducing diet is interesting and valuable." This endorsement is a kind of symbol of our versatile Coroner. He is the "Candy Kid" of modern medicine. The Commissioner of Health of New York City gave his endorsement to a dentrifice. When this endorsement appeared, the Medical Society of New York immediately called a meeting, and the Commissioner promptly resigned -4 3 6 ^^ - from membership in the ^Medical Society, aware that ex- pulsion would follow unless he did. Coroner Bundesen in Chicago, however, has endorsed Chairs, Kraut Juice, Cod Liver Oil, Radio, Cooking Uten- sils, Bread, or what have you. In this endorsement of these and other commodities, if he has not named the brand which paid for the endorse- ment, he has left the inference so plain that the reader, though a fool, would know which brand he meant. The Health Bulletin of the City of Chicago, written by employees of the city, printed and mailed with taxpayers' money, carried the extravagant statements of our "Candy Kid": "Sauer Kraut is equal to milk as a health food. Sauer Kraut is one of the many aids in keeping well and often ofifords relief in cases of sick headache." In the Health Bulletin for August 2, 1927, are five endorsements boosting Sauer Kraut and Sauer Kraft Juice. The reason for this enthusiasm for Sauer Kraut Juice comes to light in a letter dated June 16, 1927, addressed to Dr. Herman X. Bundesen, Commissioner of Health of Chicago : "]\ry Dear Doctor: We are ready to send out 100,000 letters on Sauer Kraut Juice, as per my conversation with you, and the letter is all set up. *'We have included a few testimonials of the most eminent physicians, but it has been held up because of the space left open for the writeup that you were to make. "Since my talk with you, I note that you are al- ready quoted in the National Kraut Packers' Asso- ciation's bulletin, which covers the use of cabbage very thoroughly. -4 3 7 >'■- "I would very much appreciate havin^i^ a line on the value of pure juice, as per the sample I suhmitted the other day, and if it is not inconsistent, or asking too much, may I have the same at your leisure. Respectfully yours, (Signed) Joseph Grein." "Drown your sorrows in a glass of sauerkraut juice. See the world at its best," says Dr. Bundesen in the Health Bulletin in August, 1927. This was worth at least $10,000 to Joe Grein. In his advertising, Joe Grein has reproduced the ex- travagant statements of Coroner Bundesen endorsing sauer kraut juice as a preventive of sickness and **sauer kraut as an equal to milk as a health food." If this propaganda can be accepted as medical gospel, its effect upon the dairy industry is immediately apparent. Cabbages can be grown easier than calves. Beat your milk pails into plowshares and turn your cow pastures into cabbage patches. Use the old churn for a kraut barrel and creameries for kraut factories. But be sure it is Joe Grein's kraut, the kind with the "Billygoat" on the can. Do not accept substitutes. Get the genuine. It costs more, but it bears the O.K. of Dr. Bundesen. Note the juice is "Different! Especially processed to retain buttermilk qualities." The "Butter" is in the pic- ture on the can. This goat is a symbol of the taxpayers who paid $300,000 for a needless Health Department in the Sanitary District and have to litigate in the Federal Court to get back baby lists and documents stolen from the City Hall by Dr. Bundesen. In the preparation of a bulletin on cod liver oil, the preliminary sheets indicate that it was prepared to boost a particular brand, "The Viking." This seemed a little '< 3 8 > "4 3 9 >- too bold, and as a suljstitute it was decided to put the cut of an old Viking on the front page. If there were any who did not see the jxjint, the intent was made perfectly clear in an ad for Viking Cod Liver Oil in the Chicago Daily N^ews. November 20, 1926, bear- ing also a ])icture of our professional endorser. From an ad for the Johnson Chair we learn that ''Rest room losses, intestinal disorders, constipation, headache, cramps, liver and kidney troubles, and far graver penalties on women" are the result of wrong posture. "To answer a crying need. Dr. Bundesen has de- voted to posture an entire edition of his weekly (you can spell it either way), "Everybody's Health." This valuable work is now available in booklet form. Send for it free. "To be up to date in management, you must be posted on Dr. Bundesen's findings. Know how sit- ting in the wrong kind of chair creates more fatigue than work does. How a chair can be made to relieve sitting fatigue instead of annoying the nerve centers. How chairs can be made to banish sitting fatigue. To allow normal blood flow in legs and torso, normal breathing and intestinal functions. "Think of the people ending the day's work still fit ! Surely the value is obvious. Send for Dr. Bun- desen's posture study now. It is of enormous im- portance to any executive." This ad carries a photograph of our hero, and one of his happy slogans, "Put Posture on the Payroll." At this time he and his army of payroll patriots were on the payroll of the Sanitary District. Everyone was on that payroll, including "Posture" and "Impostor," and of the latter. Coroner Bundesen ranked among the first. The Health Bulletin for July 12, 1927, was devoted to orange juice. Here, too, an interesting device was em- "-^4 ^^°~ -4 4 1 ^- ployed to advertise a particular brand. A large number of orange huts had sprung up in the city under the man- agement of one man. These huts had a i)eculiar type of glass for vending the juice. In the bulletin referred to, a picture of this peculiar type of tumbler appears eleven times. At the social functions of the orange juice "king" our hero was a prominent courtier. After Coroner Bundesen was ousted from the Health Department, the orange content was increased by official order. An overture from a representative of the orange juice vender to take care of the man who would be "reasonable," as was the former Commissioner, was turned down. Time would fail to tell of the endorsements of a par- ticular make of radio, toys, bread, aluminum ware, radi- ator covers, and many other commercial commodities of a s^x^cific brand. Mrs. Bundesen joined her husband in his favorite occu- pation as a professional endorser. She had this to say concerning a particular brand of aluminum cooking utensils : "Dr. Bundesen has often said that out of every dollar's worth of vegetables cooked in the old way, eighty cents' worth goes down the sink; i. e., eighty per cent of the food value is lost. This undoubtedly is the reason why many thousand of school children are suffering from malnutrition. Grown-ups, too, frequently become prematurely old because they do not get from their food the elements vital to good health. "The 'Club' method insures good health. It is no wonder the doctor is so enthusiastic about Club Aluminum." This commercial endorsement by Airs. Bundesen was . -4 4 2 K^ - later incorporated in a booklet which was used by the salesmen of this particular brand of aluminum in various parts of the country. In the advertisement there appeared, of course, the usual pictures of six children representing the Bundesen family. Mrs. Bundesen also endorsed a brand of toys, and here, too, the Bundesen half dozen had to be dragged in. Coroner Bundesen is still made the authority for vari- ous brands of commercial products, with health as the "come on" idea. If all of his remedies fail — kraut juice, orange juice, cod liver oil. Ward's bread, the Johnson chair. Club Alumium, etc., there is one new discovery set out in a large ad in the Chicago Tribune, August 2, 1930. This states that : "The Fountain of Youth resides within yourself. To those who need it there is a way of changing the germs of decay to those of youth and health." This miraculous transformation is brought about by the use of Aciduro. Believe it or not, it is on the solemn word of Coroner Bundesen. The New York Academy of Medicine has passed a resolution and has declared that the practice of giving tesimonials for commercial commodities is contrary to the traditions and best interests of the medical profession, a-nd is reprehensible because it allows the public to be imposed upon. Xo fellow^ of the Academy is permitted to give such testimonials under any circumstances. But our hero, who fled from the Chicago Medical So- ciety under fear of expulsion, is bound neither by tradi- tion nor by the rules of the Medical Society — nay, not even by the science of medicine itself. He is the "Candy Kid" of Chicago. -< 4 3 > CHAPTER IV FLATTERY USED AS BRIBERY "Among the dishonest ways of getting along is the practice of working on the self-esteem of men by praising them to such a point that they feel in- clined to favor you. Some crooks chloroform theii victims to rob them ; others just suffocate their good judgment with praise. The first method has at least the virtue of directness; the second, even at its best, is suspiciously on the other side of frankness. "We have developed in this country a habit which must be modified by honesty, and that is the habit of back slapping and indiscriminate boosting, the glad hand and the oily compliment. These never did go down with men of hard horse sense. . . . *Tf you see that a man's weakness is flattery, and you take advantage of that to manipulate his judg- ment and his will, you are following precisely the same tactics as the man who sees another's purse conveniently exposed and takes it. "If you see that a man is built of such malleable material that a friendly, complimentary advance dis- arms him and lays him open to your power, and you deliberately thus disarm him for accomplishment of your design, watever it may be, good or bad, you are working along a dangerous line ; you are exalting yourself to a place which no human being is entitled to assume toward another for reason of profit. It is a dangerous thing to descend to this kind of strategy or trikery even for the best purposes. . . . "It is the meanest kind of cadging, this passing of compliments and then waiting until the compli- -4 4 4^' Charles Fitoiwrris, Declared by Dr. Biindeseti to Be "The Greatest Chief of Police in the IVorld." -4 4 5 >- mented man is so committed by the reception of the praises that he cannot say "no" without embarrass- ment. That is the meanest kind of trickery." — Henry Ford. F JLlat lattery as bribery in business is repre- hensil)le. In poHtics it is contemptible. No one has used it with greater advantage to himself than has Coroner Bundesen. Our hero has been loudest in his praises of those who are in a position to reward him, or those who he fears may do him harm. He has been most generous in his use of superlatives. "Crief Fitzmorris, the greatest police chief in the world, because he has brains and uses them, and cannot be cor- rupted," is part of the eulogy which he delivered in 1922. Continuing, he said, "Chief Fitzmorris and I have lost to Alayor Thompson thousands of votes through the fight against social diseases. I personally have turned down a $50,000 bribe to stop the fight. The ^layor was tendered a $500,000 campaign fund if he ousted me, Ijut the money obtained through vice was refused, and the $500,000 will be used to elect a mavor controlled bv vice lords." When William E. Dever succeeded Mayor Thompson, and Morgan Collins became chief of police, he in turn became the object of Dr. Bundesen's admiration. To compliment the Mayor's wife, Mrs. William E. Dever is asked to write a foreword for the Health Bulle- tin concerning the Girl Scouts. This letter api>eared April 12, 1924. When William Hale Thompson resumed the office of -n 4 6 P'- Mayor, Mrs. Thompson was asked to write a letter on the same subject, which was published in the Health Bul- letin. An issue of the Bulletin on August 18, 1925, is devoted to yachting. This offered an opportunity to flatter ]Mr. Sheldon Clark, whose photograph is carried in the Bul- letin. A similar tril)Ute was paid to Charles E. Fox in the same issue. The Bulletin of October 25, 1927, is devoted to music, affording an opportunity to flatter Samuel Insull. Bv a very cunning device a free ad is continuously furnished, beginning April 28, 1925, for ]\Ir. Wrigley, bv introducing into the Bulletin a picture of a tower with the word "\^>igley" appearing near the top. The undertakers received flattering compliments. The life insurance men are given a boost. The Bulletin of ^larch 24, 1925. is done in colors, with abundant illustrations, and contains a fine ad for the Chi- cago & Alton Railroad. We almost said a free ad, but that, perhaps, would not be correct. In the Health Bulletin devoted to the Boy Scouts he drags in the name of one who he thinks would be in a position to embarrass him. Speaking of good citizenship, he says : *Tt means that following the splendid example of man like Col. A. A. Sprague. present Commissioner of Public Works, he (the citizen) will accept public office when the public office needs him. It means he will stand for the equal opportunity and justice which the Declaration of Independence guarantees. It means that in every duty in life he may be on the right side and loval to the best interests of the citv and nation." This flattery of Col. Sprague did not ''vaccinate" him -< 4 7 >- against doing his civic duty. Some months later, after a careful investigation, he asked the State's Attorney to indict Dr. Bundesen for stealing city materials and city labor to improve his house. A public official interceded and no indictment was returned. Often his paeans of praise took the same form when addressing himself to those who may be useful to him. Speaking at the University of Chicago, he said : ''When I see the magnificent work for the good of humanity that is being done by such men as Pres- ident ]\Iason. Gale. Laing, Judd, Hall, Jordan, Mathews, Carlson, McLean. Lynn — indeed, all of your faculty — to build what is even greater than big buildings and big bridges — namely, big minds and great characters in the coming generations, I have but one wish — to die on the same day as some of these great men, for then St. Peter will open the gates of Heaven so wide to admit them that I may get the chance to slip in sideways unnoticed." Addressing a negro audience, November 24, 1929, he took the crowd into his confidence to such an extent as to declare that one his secret ambitions was to go to Heaven with the colored people. A shrewd old colored lady in the back of the room, who was not aware of the identity of the speaker, said : "That man sure knows how to tell people what they like to hear. Who is that man, anyhow ?" This habit of flattery sometimes produces a ludicrous effect. In discussing a pa^^er at the National Medical Convention at Minneapolis, Coroner Bundesen compli- mented the author of the paper, who was head physician for the Red Cross Society, and said : 'T remember the brother well, and the wonderful work which he did at Miami." 4 8 >- ^ c c> *+-> !^ ■c. •*~ t. •-^ !< ^5 «^ ■♦".A « e ^ r-» • ^ » c ■♦^ o C-l ^ V; "^ ^'i ^ «^ ■^ '"^1 ~c !^ o -^ C:> ^ o s ^ ^ J^ CXh s=^ *;. o <5j '^ . o «-^ ■wl ^ ^ .• ^ 1-." :2i '^ <;- ■^ £ - ^ G -4 4 9 ^- To this flattering tribute the official of the Red Cross responded : "Let us cut out the bunk. I never saw Dr. Bun- desen before. I have been with the Red Cross only a year, and, of course, was not at Miami." Meeting a reporter one day, he slapped him on the back and said, "Hello, old top! Where have you been? I haven't seen you for weeks." \\ hen he had gone on his way, the reporter, who was new in Chicago, said, "Who is that man ?" and was told the identity of his friend, whom he had never seen before. Our hero has extended flattery as bribery to whole groups as well as to individuals. The 6,433 surface line trainmen are complimented by Coroner Bundesen. "]\Iy hat is off to you," he says in his complimentary epistle. His letter to the Chicago school teachers is so trans- parent in its purpose that perhaps the quotation of it in its entirety may be pardoned here. "A remarkable fact has just been disclosed by the statistics of this department : Fewer children (actu- ally 38 in number) lost their lives by motor acci- dents last year in Chicago than in 1928, whereas the total number of deaths from such accidents in the United States showed a lamentable percentage of increase. "This is a tremendous and gratifying fact, and the credit is due, in my opinion, to the school teach- ers of Chicago and Cook County ; to the Safety Education campaign ; to the Splendid activities of safety workers, and to the fine work of the wliite- belted Safety Patrol boys sponsored by the Chi- cago Motor Club, the Chicago Board of Education, and the County Superintendent of Schools. 4. 5 >° SiO School Teacher Tunis Dozvn Bundescn's Political Propaganda -4 5 1 ^^ - "Only last week, hurrying across the street with two -of our own youngsters — Betty, aged ten, and Billy, aged six — I made a short cut in the middle of the block instead of crossing at the intersection as I should. Right there and then they gave me my lesson. Billy looked at me, surprised, and said : 'Daddy, Teacher told us not to do this. We must never cross in the middle of the block.' I stood cor- rected and acknowledged it. "Then Betty spoke ujj: 'Ves, and ni\- teacher told us always, always, always to look carefully to the right and left before crossing even at the intersec- tion, and vou didn't do that.' "It is this sort of organized, conscientious, intel- ligent propaganda disseminated by you teachers, and by the children themselves — God bless them ! — that has achieved Cook County's saving in life, limb and suffering ; and this office, and I as Coroner, can do no less than give credit where credit is due, and thank you. "I am writing this letter today, respectfully to be- speak your continuing interest in this great human- itarian work, congratulating you as I do so. "Very truly yours, "Herman N. Bundesen, Coroner." "P. S. ]\Iay I suggest that it might not be a bad idea for you, as a teacher, to read in class some por- tion of this letter, especially, perhaps, the references to the Safety Patrol boys and the Betty and Billy. "H. N. B." To this letter one school teacher made the following reply : "It is not our practice to read such letters to our children — God bless them ! Are you sure you used the word 'bless' ? Teachers are not so dumb. We are not introducing politics into the schools, nor do -4 5 2 >- we make use of the public schools for advertising office seekers. "The fairy story about Betty and Billy, aged so-and-so, was read some months ago, and if you again, 'only last week' made another short cut across the street, you are not an apt pupil. Try some other method of getting your name into the homes. ''A Teacher." It is interesting to note that as a man became less serviceable to our hero he was eliminated from the pic- ture. As election time drew near, toward the end of Mayor Dever's term, his name was omitted from the front page of the Health Bulletin. Beginning November 1, 1924, only the name of Dr. Bundesen graced the front page until after the election, when that of William Hale Thompson also appeared. Following the colorful campaign, the Health Bulletin, adorned with a colored cover with flags and bunting, ex- pressed patriotism in symbols of "America First." Our cautious Coroner in his biography in the American Magazine sets forth one of his major rules of action : "I will never step on any man's toes so long as there is firm ground elsewhere. But if another man's toes cover the only ground in sight, I will step on them and step hard." When a man is useful to you, flatter him, but if he gets in your way, step on him, and step on him hard. In 1923 Dr. Bundesen got the City Council to give him $100 to be given to 100 citizens as advisers to the Health Commissioner. Each citizen chosen was given a gold (plated) star. This emblem indicated membership in a noble fraternity, a kind of ''Star and Garter" order. Bundesen had the garter, the appointees the stars. The stars had a varying influence on the health of Chicago. -4 5 3 ^'•- If the influence was not benign they became falHng stars at the end of the year. At least one was a "shooting" star. At the head of the Hst, of course, is JuHus Rosenwald, scientifically known as Sirius Roebuckius, ranking first in brilliancy. He was kept on the list because he is of the Goodkind. D. F. Kelly is a Fair star, though not as bright as Rosenwald. Some others on the list are : Willis O. Nance, politically influential. Harriet L. Vittum, Head President Northwestern University Settlement. Miss Vittum would scorn a star had she known of the "Lawndale releases." Grace Temple (Chicago Woman's Club), 1923-6. Miss Temple was not aware of Dr. Bundesen's favors to "Lawndale Ladies." Ludvig Hektoen, M.D,, Director McCormick Institute of Infant Diseases. Louis E. Schmidt, M.D., professor G. U. Surgery. Nothwestern Medical School, a "booster" for Bun- desen. Edwin O. Jordan, M.D., Professor of Bacteri- ology, University of lUinois. James A. Britton, M.D., 1924 only. Member Board of M. T. S., husband of Gertrude Flowe Britton. Dr. Graham Taylor of Chicago Commons, 1924-27. William L. Baum, M.D., Professor of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Postgraduate Medical School. Too bad he was not called to pass on the "Lawndale Ladies." Robert W. Walker, Transportation Milk Agent, C. M. St. P. & P. Railroad, 1928 only. S. J. Earned, Traffic Manager Chicago Telephone Company, 1923-26. Member Quadrangle Club and mingled socially with University of Chicago faculty. ~< 5 4 >- William Hoskins, Association of Commerce. Frederick A. Lorenz, Union League Club. — Dr. Bundesen was turned down by that club. Sarah B. Tunnicliff, Woman's City Club. Joseph K. Brittain. Chicago Real Estate Board. Alfred Johnson, National Association Stationary Engineers. H. W. Evans, Western Society of Engineers. J. H. Lewis, General ^lanagers' Association, 1923-4. Alexander W. Burke, ^LD., Examiner Catholic Order of Foresters. Rev. A. J. ^McCartney, Pastor, Evangelical Church, Kenwood. John F. Golden. ]\LD.. Professor of Surgery Loy- ola University. ^larried John P. Hopkins' niece. William E. Schroeder, ^LD., Attending Surgeon Wesley Hospital, 1923-6. Melvin Jones, President Lions International Club, 1923 only. ]\I. yi. Printz, D.D.S., Secretary of Chicago Den- tal Society. Harry Pinny, D.D.S., President of Chicago Den- tal Society. Clement W. K. Briggs, ^LD., Surgeon, Hearst Papers. Robert A. Black, ^I.D., Chief Pediatrician, Loy- ola University School of ^Medicine. Arthur D. Black, D.D.S., Dean of Northwestern University Dental School. Frank M. Phifer, ^I.D., Attending Cystoscopist of Cook County Hospital, 1923 only. E. R. ]\Iahoney, then City Editor, Chicago Eve- ning American, 1923-24. W. A. Washburn, then City Editor, Chicago Eve- ning Post. Charles R. Younger, ]M.D., Assistant Professor of Rhinology. ]^Iary C. Wheeler, Superintendent of Xurses, Illi- -< 5 5 }^ - nois Training School. 1923-5. How flattered she would have been had she known of the "Lawndale Ladies releases." Rev. M. P. Boynton, Pastor, First Baptist Church. Rev. Johnston ^levers, Pastor, Emanuel Baptist Church, 1923-6. Frank \\'. Carson, then Managing Editor, Chi- cago Herald and Examiner. Major Percy Owens, Prohibition Director, 1924-5. Paul W'estberg, President of Rotary Club, 1923 onlv. Francis X. Busch, Corporation Counsel, 1923 only. Mrs. Ira Couch Wood (Elizabeth !McCormick ^Memorial Fund), 1923 only. Of course she did not know of the releases of ''Lawndale Ladies." Rabbi Joseph Stoltz, President Rabbinical Society. Rt. Rev. D. J. Dunne, Chancellor of Chicago Archdiocese. E. S. Gillmore, Superintendent, Wesley Hospital. Mr. James Fitzmorris (father of Charley, "greatest chief of police in the world,") 1925-6. JMorris Fishbein, AI.D. (Editor Journal American Medical Association), 1925-27. We have omitted ninety from the list. Some of these stars were useful when changing from a Republican to Democratic zodiac. 4 5 6 ^■- MRS. HERMAN N. BUNDESEN 7414 OOUESBY AVENUE CHICAGO Dear little Mother: While raising my family of six children I have been almost constant- ly watching for "the per- fect toy." I think I have found it in The Patty-Lu Cushion Toys, combining as they do utility, beauty, and exceptional sanitary qualities. I see they are made of the highest grade ma- terial to stand countless washings, stuffed with v;ater-proof Kapok and wrapped in dust-proof and odor-proof Cellophane. Add to this the many uses the toys may be put to, and their own real beauty. I therefore give them my unqualified en- dorsement. Sincerely, '4 5 7 >' CHAPTER V BUNDESEN PLAYS POLITICS WITH CIVIL SERVICE X he biography of Coroner Bundesen, which appeared in the American Magazine, is as full of false- hood as cod liver oil is full of Vitamin D. A striking example is the statement made concerning his promotions through Civil Service examinations. \\t quote : "In 1913 he returned to Chicago and took the Civil Service examination which enabled him to obtain a place in the city health department. He worked in various departments, each advancement that he won resulted from taking another Civil Service exam- ination." Dr. Bundesen's record shows that he never took a legal promotional examination, and yet was advanced to the second highest rank in the medical service — namely, that of Bureau Chief. Civil Service has frequently been made the football of politics, and no one has played that kind of football any better than has Coroner Bundesen. His original appoint- ment to a position in the health department was through political preference and not Civil Service. He was, how- ever, clever enough to ''nail" his job under Civil Service -4 5 8 ^-- on March 2, 1914, as a part time health officer at $70.00 a month. It was in this huml3le position that Bundesen's talent for manipulating men and money for his personal ad- vancement began to display itself. It might be charac- terized in the language of the efficiency expert for the County, whcj expressed amazement at Bundesen's "grasp," though he applied it in a somewhat different sense. Wliile serving as Health Officer l)y political appoint- ment, Coroner Bundesen succeeded in passing a Civil Service examination for that job. and then instead of following the line of promotion and taking the examina- tion for the next highest positix^n in that grade, the Coroner next succeeded in landing the appointment of Supervising Aledical Inspector, a specially created and supposedly full-time job. The latter requirement did not bother Bundesen — it served only as a means for prevent- ing the other health officers who served part time and were engaged in the practice of medicine from aspiring to the new position. But not so with Bundesen — he knew that he could find a way of drawing the higher salary which went with the full-time job and continue trying to pick up a practice. How did he do this? Simply by getting the city to provide him with an automobile so that he could save time and make his professional calls and inspections for the city at the same time. This was the first use of city-maintained cars introduced in the service of the Health Department. Thus began what might be described as the "auto"- biography of Herman N. Bundesen. We have noted elsewhere that when he was "thrown in" on orders of George Brennan to help win an election in the Sanitary -4 5 9 }^ - District in 1928, and was given a $5,000 boost in salary over that received as Health Commissioner for the City, from which he had just l>een kicked out, our hero put in an item, in addition to his salary, of $6,000 for a new automobile, and also added $750 for maintenance, $2,280 for a chauffeur, and, of course, abundant gas and oil were consumed. Whether he used pure grain alcohol for his radiator, as the records show he did in the Health De- partment, is a matter not yet disclosed. After the death of Dr. T. B. Sachs of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, funds became more readily available in that institution, and, as a result, many salary boosts were made in that service. Coroner Bundesen, having rediscovered the Lamp of Alad- din, was quick to see the advantage of this situation and soon succeeded in getting himself appointed, without ex- amination, on February 26, 1918, General Supervisor of Quarantine (a new job), at $3,000 per year. This hurdle passed, he had the title changed on July 3, 1918, to Direc- tor of Field Quarantine of the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, and the salary raised to $3,500. Theoretically this was supposed to constitute an enlargement of Bunde- sen's functions in the Health Department and consequently no new Civil Service examination, either original or pro- motional, was held for the position. Bundesen had learned how to play political football with Civil Service — a lesson he never forgot afterwards. After Bundesen had landed this salary increase his interest in tuberculosis quarantine soon waned, and he assumed charge of typhoid quarantine, signing him- self. Epidemiologist in Charge, Director of Field Quar- antine. He acquired a private office and hung out a large -4 6 >~ sign: "Epidemiologist in Charge," to impress the other employees and especially the newspaper men and mem- bers of the City Council. Naturally no one showed lack of scientific knowledge by inquiring into the meaning or authority for the strange title. \M:en the Health Department budget was made up for 1921, his salary was provided for at the increased rate in the city appropriation, but with a new title — "Epidemiologist in Charge, Bureau of Water Safety and Typhoid Control." Prior to this time he had seen signing himself "Epidemiologist in Charge, Director of Field Quarantine," without any legal authority or official recog- nition by the Civil Service Commission or City Council. Epidemiologist comes from the Greek, "epi," upon, and "demos," the people. Thus, when his usual suctorial methods succeeded in getting his friends on the Finance Committee to appro- priate for the new title in the corporate fund, the erst- while "Director of Field Quarantine" of the ^vlunicipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium was transmogrified to "Epi- demiologist in Charge, Bureau of Water Safety Control," and Bundesen was elevated to the rank of Bureau Chief, without the formality of an examination or the risk of competition with other employes. He saw the all-embrac- ing possibilities of this new title. By a little stretching — and Bundesen was expert at stretching Civil Service titles — it could be made to embrace any and all activities of the Health Department. We have seen how Coroner Bundesen evaded the open road to promotion when he was a subordinate in the Health Department. Let us now study his abuse of the spirit, and, in many cases, the letter of Civil Service, to further -4 6 1 }^^- his own personal interests after he was appointed Health Commissioner hy ]\Iayor Thompson in 1922. For this position he had the support of Dr. John Dill Robertson, who has had many good reasons to regret the recommendation since that time, Bundesen was supported for Commissioner by Charles Fitzmorris, then "the greatest chief of police in the world/' according to Bundesen. Doc Reid was behind him, and John Richert, chairman of the finance committee, later accused with Bundesen of using city labor and city materials to improve his own home. Jack Cullerton, later chased out of the fire department for corruption, was one of Bundesen's backers. Only fifteen months of Mayor Thompson's term re- mained when Bundesen was appointed Health Commis- sioner. When it came time to make the budget for 1923, and Bundesen's future status was in doubt, he took the precaution to provide a good place for himself in the event a new Commissioner should be appointed. He hoped to remain, but prepared to retreat. He, there- fore, induced the finance committee to include in the budget the position of "Deputy Commissioner of Health and Epidemiologist in Charge," superseding the Assistant Commissioner of Health, and with a salary of $1,000 more than that hitherto provided for the latter position. At that time Bundesen had found the venereal disease control work very "productive of good results," and had some hopes of continuing in that racket. With that end in view, he placed this work in the Health Department under the direction of an Assistant Epidemiologist, but kept the position open, under temporary appointment, until the end of Mayor Thompson's second administration. »-€{ 6 2 >- ^ ;< o ^ S-A - Thus there were two iX)sitions of Epidemiologist, the one with the Deputy Commissionership tacked on, to which he hoped to be reinstated if he lost out as Commissioner of Health, and the other in charge of venereal disease control. This situation demonstrated the value of the title of Epidemiologist that Bundesen had assumed before he was appointed Commissioner of Health. For nearly two years after the expiration of his appointment by Mayor Thompson, Bundesen kept these two positions open, but when the outlook l)egan to appear more favorable for his reappointment under the Dever administration, these jobs came in handy to help things along. It is to be observed how often Bundesen has used public positions, taxpayers' money, or some other means to at- tempt to placate a possible opponent or procure a use- ful ally. Let us now observe Bundesen's manipulation of the Health Department to secure for himself the Presidency of the American Public Health Association. Col. A. A. Sprague, close friend of Mayor Dever, and one who wielded much influence in shaping Dever's policies, became the object of Bundesen's attention and concern. It may be that he was attempting to avoid the exposure which Col. Sprague brought about when he sought Bundesen's indictment for stealing materials and labor to improve his own property. At any rate, Bundesen appealed to Col. Sprague for assistance in filling the position of Epidemi- ologist and Deputy Commissioner. Naturally, Col. Sprague had a friend willing to accept a $6,500 position. After these preliminaries, and after Bundesen was sure of reappointment as Commissioner of Health, the first of Bundesen's famous examinations was held to fill this -4 6 4 ^^- important position. According to law, the examination should have been promotional, but that would exclude the man that Bundesen wanted. Consequently an orignial en- trance examination was held, for which the easy going Civil Service Commission j^ermitted Bundesen to appoint the examiners, including himself, and several of his gold star "advisers" were called also, with the result that three Bureau Chiefs in the Health Department passed the pro- motional examination, and Dr. Jacob C. Geiger, the friend of Col. Sprague, and who had been promised the job, passed first in the original entrance examination. According to law, those on the promotional list were entitled to appointment, but that did not lx)ther Bundesen, who had learned to play political football with Civil Service. His method in this case was to use pressure to get some one on the promotional list to waive appointment and also to hold out to others on the list that they would be well taken care of in the future if they gave him a free hand in getting his man appointed. Bundesen's previous experience stood him in good stead and he was able to put this proposition over according to schedule. Drs. Fred O. Tonney and Hugh O. Jones, who went along in an easy way and waived appointment, were taken care of by Bundesen — at the city's expense, as usual. Tonney was given a salary boost and $60.00 per month allowance for the upkeep of his car, and Jones, after Bundesen felt himself stronger to do things, was given an appropriation of $6,500 as Assistant Commissioner and other emolu- ments of office. Incidentally it should be noted that Dr. Geiger had only recently come to Chicago from California and that -4 6 5 >- he had friends in his home State and the U. S. Public Health Service who were very influential in the councils of the American Public Health Association. This gave Bundesen another clew^ Already he had ambitions to become the President of the American Public Health As- sociation. Bundesen w^as quick to see the possibilities of using jobs henceforth for a two-fold purpose: First, to bolster up his political standing in the city, and secondly, to win votes among the influential members of the Ameri- can Public Health Association in other parts of the coun- try in his race for presidency of that Association. The criticism of the Illinois State Board of Health of the manner in wdiich Bundesen had neglected the chlorina- tion of the water at the 68th Street Pumping Station, w4th a resultant extensive outbreak of typhoid fever on the South Side, mtade it possible for Bundesen to get funds for another good job. (See Council proceedings.) Again a local politician of value to Bundesen had a man ; also this man had most valuable connections in the councils of the American Public Health Association — namely, various members of the United States Public Health Service. After the position was created it was easy for Bundesen to get the man he wanted, for he knew what he could do with Civil Service appointments. i\ll he had to have was the appointment of the examination board, and this, on account of the "highly technical nature of the work" (one of his favorite alibies), he was readily able to get. Apparently Bundesen had just discovered that this work was highly technical, possibily from the criticism of the State Board of Health, for the man that he had assigned to supervising the chlorination during the first two years -< 6 6 >■- Repftnt of F'ase AdTerti-tciBKit Ap|)«aricc in S«ptMr.i>er ^tnd l.'s«e of Satcr^y Kveidr^ Potst s^d l.'- of his term was a temporary appointee, Tim Crowe's physician, and who was in no sense of the word a tech- nical man, nor had he any special knowledge of such matters as water sanitation. But the Civil Service Commission never went into this phase of the subject. They let Bundesen have his way. As a result, A. E. Gorman, the man he had previously selected, got the job. This is the same Gorman that was fired from the city service in 1928 for overdosing the water with chlorine. During the years that he was in service, he overdosed the water continually and prob- a])ly unnecessarily. But, nevertheless, he was the "right man." He came from ^Nfassachusetts, and there, and among his acquaintances in the United States Public Health Service, he was able to influence the votes that Bundesen needed to make him President of the American Public Health Association. In the next chapter we will see our hero stooping to even baser methods to secure for himself the coveted posi-- tion, which he in turn may use in his propaganda to sell the literature which he has stolen from other doctors and copyrighted as his own. •^6 8 >~- CH AFTER VI KICKING THE COMPETENT TO PROMOTE HIMSELF he faithful men in the Health Department who produced its literature,, developed its efficiency, and earned the respect and confidence of the people of Chi- cago, were mere pawns in the hands of Bundesen to win for himself larger emoluments, greater adulation of the press, and wider range for his lust for power. The worst deal of all was given to the late Charles B. Ball, and all in accordance with Bundesen's conception of Civil Service. Bundesen found that he could not use Ball to adjust matters in the Sanitary Bureau for poli- ticians. So Ball was detailed to study the then proposed new Constitution of the State, and a more flexible man was put in his place. When Dever took office, Ball was put back as Chief of the Bureau of Sanitation and j^er- suaded to see his friend Graham Taylor al)OUt the ad- vantages of reappointirig Bundesen Commissioner of Health. Dr. Taylor made a personal call upon the Mayor, accompanied by Julius Rosenwald and other members of the gold star advisory staff appointed just then for such purposes, and got the promise that Bundesen would not be replaced at once. -4 6 9 }>'- In the meantime, things progressed very favorably witli Bundesen's candidacv for Heahh Commissioner. Ball's services were forgotten, and more votes were needed to make Bundesen President of the Health Association. So the procedure which had worked so well in the Geiger and Gorman appointments was repeated. Ball was deposed from his position as Chief of the Bureau of Sanitation — a good salary appropriation was obtained for a new posi- tion, that of Chief of the Bureau of Sanitary Engineering. Again there was a man ''who had the necessary qualifica- tions," and according to Bundesen's viewpoint would fit into the scheme very nicely. The fact that there were two very competent men in the service — namely, Frank Chambers and John Aberly — who were eligible to promotion to fill this position did not bother Bundesen. Had he not overcome similar obstacles in appointing Geiger ? Duress had proved successful there and it could be used here, so these eligible candidates were told that they were not wanted, that their ambitions interfered with the operations of the Health Department, llie result was that they saw that nothing could be gained by taking the examination, and remained out of the contest. Bundesen appointed his Board, who gave first place to the man that Bundesen wanted — namely, J. I. Connellw He was a sewage and water engineer, appointed to a jx)si- tion where an architectural engineer and housing expert like Mr. Ball was required. But that did not matter, as long as he could help deliver the votes of health officers needed to elect Bundesen to the position that he coveted. Bundesen's publicity work in connection with milk con- trol laid the foundation for getting funds for other good ■< 7 >■ .•.".■.r;.-.*."-;-.\*7'^. K:^:::•:.:5y•:.x.:^^■.•.•^'■- jobs from his old standby, the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium. The milk men were ''milked" too for funds supposedly to print baby books though many copies were left to mold in basements. No accounting was demanded, of course, and what ''baby" got most of the fund is left to the imagination. .All during the test for tuberculin test- ing, men in the department were relied upon, but as soon as the fight was won and the chances of getting additional jobs were good, Bundesen lost no time in carrying through the general program that he was pursuing : namely, of giving patronage to prominent and influential men in all parts of the country, provided that these men could de- liver in connection with his campaign for the presidency of the national organization. So two new jobs, Director and Assistant Director, De- partment of Dairy Products, were filled by out-of-Chicago men. The examinations were held, it is reix)rted, merely as a matter of form, for the men selected were already in the city, ready and expecting to fill the jobs the follow- ing day. By this manipulation, Dr. H. C. Becker was deprived of advancement, due him on account of his long service in the work of milk inspection, and George \V. Putman was brought in fro^m Missouri and another man from Springfield, both entirely unfamiliar with conditions in the city and in the local dairy field. In fact, it is reported that Putman, the first two nights in succession, could not find his way back to his boarding place, and had to be shown the way by a clerk in the Health Department. But these men had friends in Dr. M. P. Ravenel of Missouri and H. A. Whittaker of Minnesota, both high in the coun- cils of the American Public Health Association, and very -< 11 ^- Influential with its officers. Dr. Ravenel has since been disillusioned concerning Bundesen. A. W. Hedrich, the Director of Surveys, was the man who figured the norms for contagious diseases expected to occur daily, and was given a leave of absence to do postgraduate at John Hopkins University, with a promise that his position would be kept open. But building fences for his candidacy .for President became more urgent day by day, and there was Prof. C. E. A. Winslow in Connecticut, who was needed for his influence and standing. He had a friend, named I. S. Falk, who wanted some additional salary in connection with his work at Chicago University. Bundesen was in a position to help out. He forgot his promise to Hed- rich. Anyhow. Hedrich was identified with a faction of the organization that was out of power at the time. Thus the thing to do was to give Hedrich's salary of $3,600 to Falk. The Civil Service end could be handled. The fact that Falk could work for the Health Depart- ment on Saturday mornings only was no money out of Bundesen's pocket ; it only made the favor to Winslow greater. Hence, Falk was appointed in due (Bundesen) form. So far the fates had been with Bundesen, and to add to his opportunities, it happened that Dr. Heman Spald- ing, the veteran Chief of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases, died and left another position to be peddled around the country. This was a very important one, because the occupant has charge of all the contagious disease control and quarantine work of the city. Spald- ing had been an expert on smallpox and the diagnosis of other contagious diseases. His word was considered as final in regard to the diagnosis of any case of contagious < 11 rt*..- disease regarding which there was any question or dispute. To fill this position gave Bundesen an opportunity to make a master stroke for himself, and, as usual, let the city pay the bill. In New York there was Dr. Haven Emerson, who had not vet been converted to Bundesen's candidacy. Ha ! ha ! Bundesen had a thought. He would write a letter to Emerson, telling him of the vacancy and the great importance of getting a good man to fill it, and ask him to kindly help find some one for the job. Sure enough, Emerson had a man. Naturally, he felt highly honored in being asked to recommend a doctor to supervise all the doctors and all contagious disease and quarantine work in Chicago, especially in view of the fact that Chicago prides itself on having such good medical schools, such an efficient health department, and such well-trained physicians. Naturally, it would make any one's heart beat faster to be appealed to in such a situation. Emerson hastened to write to Bundesen and recom- mend his assistant. Dr. x\lton B. Pope. Without asking for any further qualifications, Bundesen answered and asked him to send Pope to Chicago to fill the position. Upon his arrival the examination was all set. Every- body in the Health Department taking the promotional examination, including Dr. Short, the faithful and compe- tent Assistant Chief of the Bureau, failed to pass ! Pope passed first in the original entrance examination, for which local residence was waived, ahead of all Chicago physicians, and got the job. Apparently Pope was very lucky in that the examiners did not lay much stress on contagious disease experience, for the record showed that Pope had only graduated in medicine a little over a year before taking the examina- tion. As a result, his name was not yet printed in the -4 7 4 >- Directory of American Physicians at the time, nor did he hold a Hcense to practice in Illinois. The examination record did not show whether he ever diagnosed a case of smallpox, or handled any cases of other contagious dis- eases. Apparently, much stress was laid on his affiliation with Dr. Haven Emerson, and for reasons which are very obvious. Emerson supported Bundesen for President, as did all the others who got jobs in the Chicago Health Depart- ment. Bundesen was elected, and the Chicago tax payer, as usual, paid the bill. These political manipulations explain the "spontaneous" outbursts of dismay when Bundesen was kicked out in 1927. and the ''inspired" messages of praise w^hen Bunde- sen was "thrown in to win" in the Sanitary District, and became a "medical shoplifter" for syndicated stuff on health. n the Civil Service laws were ever more grossly abused in the interest of personal advancement and glorification, we are not aware of it. "4 7 5 }> - CHAPTER J^II THE RED LIGHT RACKET L incoln Steffens has described Chicago as "half free and fighting on." This writer recalls vividly the battle that was fought to close the old red light district. Under the leadership of Dr. Bell of the Midnight Church, meetings were held in the district, and ministers and others interested in this great social problem spoke from soap boxes to crowds of ^■ounf>■ men who were drawn bv curiositv to this modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Good women worked with their unfortunate sisters, helping those who desired to escape from the living death into which many of them had entered unwittingly and un- willingly. This writer went with Dr. Bell and Dr. Boynton through the district, and aided in preparing a news story wbiich shocked Chicago out of its smug tolerance of the friijhtful conditions obtaining: there. These doorways to death were brilliantly illuminated. Within were player pianos filling the night with their raucous music. In many cases there were bars where beer and stronger liquors were sold, and in these saloons the nearly naked women with the men. inducing them to visit the rooms above the saloon. Interspersed among these houses of shame there were < 76 >- , Health Commissioner Bnndcsen Quarantines Vice Resort Although he soon took the cards down, he did not lose "interest." Many "checks" zvere made on the syndicate afterward. -4 7 7 >- tenement houses, in which lived families whose little children had no other playground than the street. When the workers, under the leadership of the ^lidnight Church, assembled to talk to the young men who thronged the streets, coming in many cases from the most respectable neighborhoods of cosmopolitan Chicago, coins were often given to the children to induce them to go beyond ear- shot as speakers mounted the soap box to tell young men what they were buying for the future in these flesh markets of the city. At length, by the official order of John E. \\\ Way- man. State's Attorney, the old red light district was closed. An attempt was made to reopen the district by Council order, but the Council Chambers were jammed with phy- sicians, ministers, social and religious workers in such overwhelming protest that the plan to restore the old "levee district" was abandoned. Dean Sumner, of the Episcopal Church, and others secured a commission to investigate the health problem, and the horrible details were laid bare l^efore the eyes of the civic leaders of Chicago. Public spirited men provided funds to finance an or- ganization for the closing by injunction of buildings used for immoral purposes. This organization was known as "The Commiittee of Fifteen," and for many years did very eftective work. When Herman N. Bundesen became Health Comiuis- sioner, he inaugurated a policy which shocked the moral sense of Chicago womanhood and brought down upon his head the wrath of all those who had fought to cleanse Chicago of this hideous moral cancer. In the Chicago Tribune of August 15, 1922, is a report of the plan of Commissioner Bundesen to establish a 4 7S >- Jack Ziita Jack Ziita, Notorious Chicago Vice Monger, Murdered in 1930 in Wisconsin, -^ 7 9 >- friendly relation between the Health Department and the brothels of the city. This plan took no account of the im- moral consequences, but gave attention only to the phys- ical results of prostitution. "I am for establishing of a prophylaxis station in every brothel, but I am willing to go farther. I am willing to have the women who work in these places sent to the health department laboratories free of charge. If they can prove they are under competent medical care they will not be hospitalized. The truth will be told to them however, and the depart- ment will see that they get proper treatment. . . . "Recently the keeper of a brothel admitted to me that he has been in business in Chicago for nine years and that when this conversation took place, two weeks ago, he had sixteen women working for him. At times in the past the number has been as high as fifty, he said. "This man said that for nine years a physician has been paid to examine these women weekly. Never once in the nine years, this keeper said, has a woman been sent back to him diseased. ". . . Another leader in the underworld with whom the commissioner held a long conference on Thursday said that he had 300 women under his control in Chicago ; that these women were examined regularly and that none of them are ever found to be diseased." (Was this Jack Zuta?) It is interesting to recall at this point that Charles Fitz- morris was chief of police, and. according to Commis- sioner Bundesen, was the greatest chief of police in the world, yet here were men talking frequently with the Commissioner who were operating vice resorts with from 50 to 300 women under their control. -< 8 }^ - But if Chicago was shocked by the suggestion of August 15, the plan proposed by the Commissioner on the fol- lowing day brought forth a veritable avalanche of protest. According to the Tribune of August 16, 1922, Com- missioner Bundesen planned to enter into further partner- ship with brothels by placing slot machines in houses of prostitution for the vending of prophylactics. We quote : *'Two other suggestions are also being considered by the Commissioner. One is that slot machines be installed in brothels and public comfort stations so that individual prophylaxis sets may be obtained on the insertion of a coin in the vending machine. The other is that a prophylaxis set be included in the prace paid by patrons of brothels and that women inmates instruct men patrons in the use of the sets." This story was not twelve hours old when the storm broke about the head of Dr. Bundesen. Letters and tele- phone calls kept him on the jump. Mrs. Crandall of the Juvenile Protective Association declared Bundesen's plan to be a monumental political blinder and that 'Tt involves an understanding with dive keepers. . . . The duty of the city administration is to destroy these places." Dr. Philip Yarrow, Superintendent oi the Illinois Vigilance Association, said : "Dr. Bundesen's attitude is frank admission that the present city administration believes in a wide open town. '*We do not believe the decent, law-abiding citi- zens of Chicago are going to stand for certified prostitution and slot machine prophylaxis. An illegal partnership between the city and the brothel is ut- terly indefensible from any point of view and is abhorrent to everv sense of American decencv." -4 8 1 ^'- Mrs. B. F. Langworthy. acting president of the W^^tman's City Clul). wrote in a letter lo Dr. Bnndesen : "W'e cannot refrain from protesting against such a plan of cooperation with people violating the crim- inal code, which forhids a person using any place for immoral purposes." Realizing that he had made a mistake in offering this disgusting program to the city, our hero took another tack, less objectionahle and perhaps "just as profitable. Flaming red cards were printed to be used in "quar- antining" houses of prostitution in which inmates were found to l3e diseased. It would be well to keep in mind that the man who printed these cards was one Kallis, whose right name is Sudvoisky, son of an old time saloon keeper. We will meet him again in the Sanitary District where our hero had much business with him, as we will relate anon. It is interesting to note that these cards in very many cases remained on the houses in the districts where the syndicate operated for only two or three hours or days at a tim-e, and after the patient flew the coop. Justnvhy the red card was so effective in curing infection is one of the mysteries of medicine. A hospital for the treatment of the women from these houses, having been established by the city under the administration of a previous commissioner, women who were taken in raids were sent to this isolation hospital for treatment under orders of the Court. In this the Health Commissioner cooperated, and his staff deter- mined when the inmates were diseased and when they were cured. 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''Declaring he acted to save the woman 'from liv- ing death and babies yet unborn from blindness,' Health Commissioner Bundesen yesterday laid his hand on the shoulder of a youth at the marriage license window and led him to a hospital while a slip of a girl he was to marry begged in tears for a chance to marry him. "The story begins two weeks ago when the Tribune printed an outline of Health Commissioner Bunde- sen's plan to root out syphilis and gonorrhea. This plan included the recommendation that no couple be permitted to approach the marriage altar without a certificate of their physical fitness to become fathers and mothers. "Miss Beatrice , the girl who pleaded to sacrifice her future and the future of her children for love, during yesterday's drama, said, 'Let's start right by going over to the Health Department and Ijeing examined.' "The young man in the case, who is 28 years old and a resident of a north side hotel, demurred, but finally consented. The examination was last week, and yesterday Dr. George Wyneken, chief of the venereal disease bureau, laid a report of the young man's condition on Dr. Bundesen's desk. One line of the report read, 'Wasserman 3 pUis.' "The couple were taken to Dr. Bundesen's office and there the commissioner told them that the ex- amination of the girl proved her to be as girHsh -< 9 4 >~ as she appeared, but that her husljand-to-be was in- • fected with syphilis in an acute stage. 'You cannot marry.' was the commissioner's uhimatum. " 'There must ])e some way around it,' the girl repHed. 'How long will it be?' " 'From a few months to tv*'o years,' Dr. Bunde- sen replied. " 'It is too long. You cannot expect us to wait,' the girl answered. "Dr. Bundesen spoke of the terrible ravages of the disease, of the 'living death' of women who fall prey to syphilis. The young husband-to-be con- tented himself with repeating to the girl. 'Don't cry, dear.' Finally he suggested that nothing was to be gained by more talk and the couple left. "After waiting five minutes, Dr. Bundesen ap- peared at the marriage license window. He was just in time to arrest the man as he was shoving a ten dollar bill through the window. " 'This young man is confined in a hospital,' Dr. Bundesen said later. 'He \Vill stay there until he is cured. A recent survey showed 50.000 syphilis cases in Chicago.' " This was a publicity stunt put over by Dr. Bundesen with the aid of a friendly reporter who still keeps Dr. Bundesen before the pul^lic in a favoral)le light. On the face of the facts the thing was phony. The young people were parties to the staged farce. This writer very well remem])ers presenting him with a real case which showed him in a very dift'erent light. A man of mature years had seduced and infected a young girl, imder age. The man was an aviator connected with a private school of flying and with powerful political connections. This writer personally aided the mother in making an investigation. -4 9 5 h- The court sentenced the young girl to Geneva Home for Delinquents. We insisted that the man be isolated and treated for venereal disease. Dr. Bundesen made a pre- tense of being anxious to cooperate, but the man was allowed to escape, and Bundesen pulled his old bluff o threatening to discharge an employee, but that was the end of the story. In the storv of Dr. Jekvll and Mr. Hvde, the Doctor says: "I stood committed to a profound duplicity of life." Dr. Bundesen was learning the right kind of bait to use in making suckers of the populace — not only of the ignorant and humble, but of the educated leadership. Cagliostro, the famous "healer" of the 18th century, in Europe, deceived the nobility and made a dupe of a Cardinal. By methods less occult, Commissioner Bundesen secured his reappointment to the post of Health Commissioner under the administration of ^layor Dever. If the man has a sense of humor, he must have laughed to himself at the neat way in which he put it over Mayor Dever's spiritual advisers. In the Chicago Tribune of December 23, 1922, it was announced : "Bundesen Backs Sterilization of Defectives." << Outlines Common Sense Eugenics Law." But in 1925 when ^layor Dever had succeeded ^layor Thompson, and Commissioner Bundesen knew that he now had a chief whose religious lead- ers were opposed to the policy announced by Bun- desen. he made a complete about face. On December 14, 1925, he wrote to Father John T. Burke. C.S.P., and General Secretarv of the N'a- -4 9 6 ^- tional Catholic Welfare Conference at Washington, D. C, in which Bundesen expressed his opposition to birth control legislation. Not only did Commissioner Bundesen speak for himself, but he stated that President Walter Dill Scott, of Northwestern University, and President Max Mason, of the University of Chicago, were op- posed to such legislation. W^hether Commissioner Bundesen was authorized to '^deliver" these eminent educators, we do not know. We do know, however, that this change of atti- tude on the part of Commissioner Bundesen brought powerful influences to aid him in securing his long delayed reappointment as Health Commissioner by Mayor Dever. A group of women came to the health department to ask for a permit to operate a birth control clinic. Dr. Bundesen loudly proclaimed his opposition and de- clared he would not allow such a thing in Chicago. This heroic defense of the faith won for Dr. Bundesen the admiration and support of the church and is said to have been one of the deciding factors in securing Dr. Bundesen the appointment as Health Commissioner. Now, as a matter of fact, birth control clinics were operating in Chicago and are to this day. Dr. Bundesen knew it. When the women learned they did not need a permit they did not press the request. It must be patent to our readers that Coroner Bunde- sen's success, such as it is, has been due to the persistent work of his press agent, coupled with a disregard of medical science or ordinary honesty, and always with an eve to the main chance. -4 9 7 >- ■ CHAPTER VIII STATISTICS MADE TO ORDER I n the "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Air. Hyde," by Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll makes a written confession in the closing chapter which is the kev to his mysterious career, which baffled even his inti- mates. He said : *'\Vhen I reached years of reflection and began to look around me and take stock of my prog- ress and position in the world, I stood committed to a profound duplicity of life." In our study of the character and career of Coroner Bundesen we have come upon this trait again and again. But in none of his official acts has this characteristic been brought out more clearly than in the manipulation of statistics to glorify himself and to discredit others. His press agents have constantly reiterated the false- hood that Bundesen made the greatest reduction in the death rate of any Health Commissioner in Chicago and that the death rate was lower when Bundesen was Com- missioner than it was under any predecessor. The fault we find with this much published statement is that it is not true. We reproduce here the official figures for the six years of Dr. John Dill Robertson's service as Health Commissioner, and following these are the records for the years during Bundesen's incumbency. The mortality rate is for all causes per thousand. -< 9 8 ^ - Dr. John Dill Robertson. Commissioner : 1916 14.42 1917 14.79 1918 (flu epidemic) 17.01 1919 12.52 1920 12.77 1921 11.08 Dr. Herman X. Bundesen, Commissioner: 1922 11.18 1923 11.70 1924 11.20 1925 11.46 1926 11.68 1927 11.52 Commissioner Kegel : 1930 10.40 This is the lowest death rate in the history of the city. Let us compare the figures of Dr. Robertson and Dr. Bundesen in some of the individual diseases that have afflicted Chicago. The tuberculosis mortality in all forms per 100,000 population in 1916, the first year of Dr. Robertson's serv- ice as Health Commissioner, was 148.3. Dr. Robertson reduced that by 1921 to 83.5, a decrease of 43.6 per cent. Dr. Bundesen's first year, 1922, the rate was 78.3. That increased to 82.7 by 1927, an increase of 5.6 per cent. Dr. Robertson's rate for tuberculosis other than pul- monary, which was largely due to t.b. infected milk, was reduced from 20.1 in 1916 to 13.2 in 1921, a decrease of 34.3 ])er cent. Dr. Bundesen's first year, 1922, the rate was 10.9, but this went up in 1927 to 11.6, or an increase of 6.4 per cent. -< 9 9 >- In Dr. Robertson's first year as Health Commissioner, registered deaths from typhoid per 100.000 were 5.1. He reduced the rate by 1921 to 1.1, or 78.4 per cent. Dr. Bundesen's first year showed the same rate as Dr. Robertson's last year. There was an increase in 1923 to 1.9. in 1924 it was 1.5. and in 1925 it was 1.5, which showed a higher rate than in any of Dr. Robertson's years, except the first two. In 1924 the Illinois State Board of Health recom- mended the employment of a sanitary engineer to super- vise the safety of the water supply. The last year of Dr. Bundesen's incumbency the rate dropped to 0.7. But Dr. Bundesen's skill in manipulat- ing statistics may have had something to do with this classification. When Dr. Robertson took the Department of Health, infant mortality was very high. In 1916 the rate was 122.4 per thousand births. Dr. Robertson brought this down to 89.3 in his first year, a decrease of 27 per cent. The greatest achievement of the Department of Health in recent years is the marked and progressive reduction of the infant mortality rate. During 1930, under Dr. Kegel, this reached the low level of 53.4 per 1.000 births. For the years 1921-30 this rate was as follows: 1921 89.3 . 1922 85.5 1923 . 87.3 1924 76.9 1925 74.7 1926 66.6 1927 62.8 1928 63.8 1929 60.1 1930 53.4 -^i 1 >°~ The general death rate under Dr. Kegel for 1930 was the lowest death rate in the history of the city, register- ing 10.4. That Chicago has held its position as a city with excel- lent water, milk and food supplies and good general sani- tation is evidenced hy the exceedingly low typhoid fever death rate during the past five years, as shown in the fol- lowing table : Death Rate per 100,000 Year Population 1926 0.8 ' 1927 0.7 1928 0.5 1929 0.6 1930 0.56 There have been no milk or food-borne epidemics of typhoid fever since the outbreak due to oysters in the Winter of 1924-25, during which 129 cases of the disease occurred during Dr. Bundesen's time. No water-borne epidemic of typhoid fever has occurred since the epidemic of 1923-24, during which 244 cases of typhoid occurred as a result of infected water supplied through the 68th Street Pumping Station. Another interesting coimparison of the activities of Health Commissioners in enforcing city ordinances for the protection of health is revealed in a study of the effort to enforce the sanitary code. Dr. Robertson, in 1920, had 8,204 Board hearings, started 2,490 suits and secured convictions in 471 cases. Dr. Bundesen in 1927 had 6,234 Board hearings, started 126 suits and secured 86 convictions. It should be noted, in this connection, that Dr. Bunde- sen had a moot court, before which x^ttorney Lowell B. Mason appeared frequently on behalf of persons who -4 1 1 ]>'- desired to do things which seemed contrary to the health interests of the people of Chicago. It is interesting to recall that Attorney Mason was almost always successful. We mi^ht also remind ourselves that ^fr. Mason's asso- date in the law husiness hecame one of the incorporators, with Dr. Bundesen and Victor Klehha. of the so-called "Citizens' School of Health Instruction," which cost the taxpayers a pretty penny from the funds of the Sanitary District, and whose bulletins served as a vehicle for Cor- oner Bundesen's political propaganda. Ordinary regard for the truth would seem to be suffi- cient incentive to keep Dr. Bundesen within the facts. Fairness to a pedecessor is quite commonly observed by gentlemen. Gratitude to Dr. Robertson for recommicnding him for Health Commissioner it would seem might have kept Dr. Bundesen from manipulating statistics to make his own achievements appear greater than those of his predecessor, but gratitude is not one of the outstanding characteristics of Coroner Bundesen, especially when the person is no longer useful for the advancement of the Coroner. Dr. Bundesen has been loudly proclaimed by his press agents as the great "savior of babies." Without any blare of trumpets the present Health Commissioner of the City of Chicago has reduced the death rate among the entire population, and also among the children, in the year 1930, to the lowest point ever attained in the history of Chicago. It is very perceptible why Coroner Bundesen wished to create this extraordinary, though false, reputation. To use his own phrase, "Health is a salable commoditity" ; hav- ing built up a reputation which he did not earn, and then copyrighted the works which he did not originate, he has .been able to market stolen goods for his own advantage. -< 1 2 )^ - Bundesen's newspaper reputation made him an attrac- tive asset for the Sanitary District Trustees. It was on Make Rosenberg's representation, and with George Bren- nan's o.k. that Bundesen was "thrown in" to help win. It was an expensive gam])Ie for the taxpayers, who served as a bridge to carry Bundesen over to the office of Coroner. In the new position, that of Coroner, the habit of manipulating figures to build up a false front reasserted itself. The Daily News of January 18, 1929, in bold headlines asserts. "Bundesen Cuts $75,000 Off His Office Costs." Let us see how our hero effected this extraordinary saving. He moved one of the departments over to the County Hospital, and that Department was charged up to the County Hospital, but the employes were named by Coroner Bundesen. The cost to the taxpayers was not reduced, nor was Coroner Bundesen's political patronage reduced, but an- other campaign falsehood was broadcast, and Bundesen glowed under the praise of the press, which must have known it was promoting a falsehood. Here are the figures for the Chicago Health Department for twelve years, the first six years, from 1916 to 1921, under Dr. John Dill Robertson, the second period of six years, from 1922 to 1927, under Dr. Bundesen: Dr. John Dill Robertson — 1916 $ 959,883.00 1917 1,054,395.98 1918 1,098,211.26 1919 1.282.935.84 1920 1,482.561.00 1921 1,519,491.71 Total $7,397,478.79 -4 10 3 }> - Dr. Herman X. Bundesen — 1922 $1,560,157.00 1923 1,840,107.08 1924 1,849,288.00 1925 1,825,880.00 1926 1,954,576.00 1927 2,291,240.00 Total $9,761,091.08 It will be noted that the cost of maintaining the Health Department was increased by almost a million dollars. According to the Comptroller's figures, the Coroner's budget for 1931 will amount to $175,835.92, the highest in the history of the office. There is no record of any Coroner's fees to be found among the estimated receipts for 1931. The Coroner's fees collected in 1927 amounted to $6,998.00. Coroner Bundesen's financial statistics, like his vital statistics, must be carefully examined to ascertain the facts. When there was a temporary reduction in the number of automobile deaths in the county, Bundesen's press agents immediately attributed the achievement to the Coroner. Let us recall Coroner Bundesen's letter to the school teachers, which he suggested they read in the public schools of Chicago. He also wrote the street car conductors a flattering message. But when the death rate from automobiles mounted, in 1930, to a point never before attained. Coroner Bundesen's press agents were strangely silent about placing the re- sponsibility for the increase. -< 10 4 > Car of Coroner Bundesen, ivhich Has Frequently Been Parked Near the West Entranc of the City Hall, in the Space Usually Allotted to the Mayor's Car. -4 1 5 }^^'- CH AFTER IX TAKING TAXPAYERS FOR A RIDE everal years ago Ramsay AIcDonald, Prime Minister, was rebuffed by the people of England for accepting an automobile and its maintenance at the hands of a wealthy man of the Empire. The politicians of Chicago and Cook County have a more comfortable plan, which attracts little attention, and only seldom any criticism from the long suffering and voiceless taxpayers. Our politicians buy their cars, hire chauffeurs, pay for maintenance and repairs out of the public treasury. This abuse, beginning as a small leak at the spigot of the treasury, now pours forth with a loud gurgle from the bung. One of the first to conceive the ingenious plan of riding at the public expense was Dr. Bundesen. A stolen car, recovered and never reclaimed, was turned o\-er to Dr. Bundesen by Charles Fitzmorris, then chief of poHce. C'The greatest chief in the world," according to Dr. Bundesen at that time.) This car was conditioned in the municipal shops of William Murray, Superintendent of Equipment for the Board of Public Works. (Murray was the man who confessed systematic theft of city prop- erty at the time Col. Sprague asked the State's Attorney to probe the charges that Dr. Bundesen had improved his home with city materials and city labor.) -4 1 6 ^ - The stolen car. which was given to Dr. Bundesen, found its way later into the possession of a former prohibition official, an intimate of Bundesen. but on what terms we do not know. The car was never returned to the citv. It is interesting to recall that Dr. Bundesen and some of his doctor friends were well supplied with liquor pre- scriptions and that several barrels of liquor sent to the Iroquois Hospital was used to improve the health of ailing politicians. As soon as Dr. Bundesen became Health Commssioner an appropriation was made for a new Cadillac for the Commissioner of Health, which was probably the first time a cabinet officer was provided with a free car. Thus was begun in the political history of Chicago a supplement to the income of public officials, which has been grossly abused. When the law fixes the salary of a public official, it is certainly a distortion of the law to add an expensive car, maintenance, and the services of a driver. In the budget for the so-called Health Department of the Sanitary District, which Dr. Bundesen admits he com- piled himself, he included a car costing $5,975, with $750 for upkeep, and $2,280 for a chaufifeur. His salary was also increased from $10,000. the amount paid to the Health Commissioner of Chicago, to $15,000 in the San- itary District. The Chicago Herald and Examiner of November 27, 1928, in a caustic editorial makes the following observa- tion concerning the free car provided for Dr. Bundesen : "The chief of the Sanitary District Health De- partment got a $5,975 car as a needed adjunct, pre- sumably, to laboratory equipment necessary for improving the public's physical health despite the danger of its financial debility. This newly organ- -< 1 7 ^■- ized health department suddenly assumes in the public mind the aspect of a stop-gap in the inter- mittent political journey from commissioner of health of Chicago to coroner of Cook County." It is verv interesting- to note that the Chicae^o Daily News in enumerating the politicians who were riding free in the Sanitary District always omitted the name of Dr. Bundesen. It must be a matter of great pride to the man in over- alls, as he fights for a toehold on the steps of the street car, in an attempt to get home from the factory, to see a big, expensive car, bought with the taxes from the work- ing man's home; driven by a chauffeur whom he helps to pay ; furnished with gas and oil and repairs at the working man's expense, flash by bearing a peanut politician who would have a struggle for existence had he never been attached to the public pay roll. When Howard W. Elmore became president of the Sanitary District he set a fine example of public service by riding in his own automobile. He applied the axe to other useless expenditures and saved the taxpayers, in 1929, twelve million dollars. Air. Warren \\'right, President of the Lincoln Park Board, like Mr. Elmore, rides in his own car, and has cut down the automobile maintenance for other employees in Lincoln Park from $30,000 a year to $8,000. The law does not allow Coroner Bundesen a free car in his present position of Coroner. But he manipulated the law by appointing his chauffeur Deputy Coroner and securing an appropriation of $300 for automobile mainten- ance for the driver of Bundesen's car. Many of the other employees are given $300 a year for the maintenance of an automobile. -^ 1 8 ^- It is interesting to read the professional patter about the dear babies, and the cost of reducing medical service to the sick, and then recall that in many a home, where the income cannot proxide wholesome food for growing chil- dren, money must be doled out to provide luxuries for those who ride free at the taxpayers' expense. Coroner Bundesen has furnished the citizens of Chi- cago with many loud laughs 1)y the trappings with which he has adorned his automtobile since he became Coroner. His car is equipped with a siren and gong ; with red and green lights, and large shields indicating the high office of the occupant. The operation of vehicles with sirens or gongs is strictly prohibited except for persons in the service of the police, fire or health departments. A penalty is pro- vided of not more than $50.00 for each offense or less than $5.00 for every time that such violation continues. It is also contrary to law for persons other than those mentioned above to maintain any light other than a white light, or lights, visible in the direction in which the motor vehicle is traveling. General Smedley Butler got himself into difficulty by relating a story concerning the wild and reckless driving of II Duce of Italy. Wq will take the risk, however, of saying that many citizens have complained about the Coroner of Chicago dashing through the traffic lanes, gong and siren sounding, ignoring traffic signals to the hazard of other citizens. A French journalist paid a visit to Chicago, and wrote for his paper a melodramatic description of our Coroner, describing his dash from his office to his automobile, the emerging, apparently from nowhere, of a flock of police on motorcycles, and his wild drive through the streets. -4 1 9 >- His destination, it appears, was the home of Senator Joyce, who had been poisoned. It was another stage per- formance of the Coroner to im]:)ress a visitor and secure liis usual measure of ]nil)hcitv. Dr. Bundcscn, zvith Gloved Hands, Eating Oysters at Baltimore. Governor Ritchie, when on a visit to Chicago, intimated that Dr. Bundesen's visit to Baltimore zvas an expensive one to oyster dealers. An issue of the Health Bii!leti)i was devoted to boosting oysters a)id other sea foods after Bundcscn returned. •^110 ^ - CHAPTER X THE MYSTERIES OF MEDICINE I t is not possil)le in the compass of this first vokime of the life of Coroner Bundesen to include all the extraordinary methods he has employed during his public career. Many of the mysteries of his colorful career have been concealed under the cloak of medical science. Just why a butchershop should be insanitary if the meat cutters are not organized, but becomes safe when they join the Union of Mr. Kelly, friend of Bundesen, is too deep for the ordinary layman. The public service rendered by Maxie Eisen, one of our leading "racketeers," in visiting the fish peddlers ac- companied by one of Dr. Bundesen's health inspectors, when he was Health Commissioner, did help to build up Maxie's fish ''racket." But, what protection it gave to the health of Chicago, if any, was surely oiTset by the hazard to the physical safety, and even life, of fish peddlers who dared to defy the arrogant Eisen. Dr. Bundesen procured the passage of a health ordi- nance requiring all butcher shops to refrain from selling meat on Sunday, except the orthodox Jewish shops, which are supposed to be closed on Saturdays. This was done on the theory that there were no inspectors abroad to watch the butchers on Sunday, and. therefore, they might -4 1 1 1 >- violate the law. Since that day butchers, if they wished, could sell milk, bread, or any other foodstuffs, but not meat, on Sunday. At times inspectors were sent out to attempt to entrap unwary butchers, to enforce this dis- criminating ordinance. It goes without saying, of course, that no butcher shop is under constant surveillance of the health department. It might be pointed out. too, that the Jewish shops open on Sunday would, of course, refrain from violating the ordinances, even in the absence of an inspector. This interesting ordinance, passed to please certain con- stituents of our scientific Coroner, remains to this day as a part of the law governing Chicago. Our hero has made full use of "scientific" apparatus to enhance his colorful reputation. The murders of Chicago were to be solved by the science of ballistics. About $175,000 of "soap" money was invested in this new scheme to reduce crime. To date we know of no murder that has been solved, except on paper, by this means in Chicago. But the photograph industry has been greatly advanced, and Coroner Bundesen has received reams of publicity, and has been proclaimed as the father of this new science in Chicago. A study of the Coroner's minutes of the North Clark Street massacre would intrigue any student with a scien- tific slant. In the solution of the many crimes of violent death our hero has employed many "trained" jurors. By "trained" we mean jurors who have had large experience by reason of the fact that Coroner Bundesen used them over and over again. In the investigation of the death of Jake Lingle, an -< 1 1 2 ^'- intimate of Coroner Bundesen, six old men were im- paneled, most of whom were repeaters. They were G. Borelli, an uncle of Judge. Borelli, George Mroczkowski, Albert Kwasenski, Edward Eeles, S. H. Burk, and Fred Giesen. Coroner Bundesen's press agents have represented him as saying that he employed only ex-service men for Cor- oner's juries, and did not know who the jurors were to he until they arrived at the scene of the inquest. It is probable that the jurors in the inquests of Julius Rosenheim and Jake Lingle served in the Revolutionary War or in the War of 1812. Edward Eeles, 2326 West 23rd Street, and Fred Eisen, 7312 South Green Street, were on both the Rosenheim and Lingle juries. Eeles has served six years. Giesen usually leaves the Coroner's service during the summer to help out with the Forest Preserve, but returns to "in- questing" in the fall. Other Rosenheim jurors were J. Maher, 4040 Fifth Avenue. He has served on and ofif for four years. George Russell, 2442 Ogden Avenue, has some other job as an inspector. E. F. Rusch, 1927 West Congress Street, is a repeater. M. Lavin, 1448 Argyle Avenue, is said to be father-in- law of the owner of the Jewish Daily Forward. Eeles and Burke were laid off for a while by the Coroner. It seems they "went wrong" and recommended that a Lincoln Park policeman who killed another police officer be held to the grand jury. Maybe they got confused by the ballistics or other scientific equipment. Coroner Bundesen refused to reveal the names of the -'^f 1 1 3 }>■- Lingle jury to a St. Louis reporter. He said he feared they would l>e threatened or even skigged. But they can't be friglitened. They have been through too many wars for that — and have sat on too many Cor- oner's juries. Our hero has also employed the *'lie detector" to wring confessions from unwilling suspects. This machine has been turned upon our Coroner with rather humorous results. The following article taken from Lightnin' for No- vember, 1930, will suflice as an illustration as to how scientific apparatus may be used upon a scientist. The article was entitled, ''Who Stole the Applesauce?" Get out the Lie Detector ! Call in the scientist ! This cannot be left to ordinary, untrained minds. The persons involved are very prominent. The crime is serious. Reputations are in the balance. Medicine, Education and Journalism are involved. We propose a Commission of Seven — two from each of the three professions concerned, and they to choose the seventh man. Here is the problem they must decide : Did Walter Dill Scott, Ph.D., LL.D., President of Northwestern University, steal the "Applesauce" from Dr. Louis E. Schmidt, one of his professors, or did they both spoon it out of a common dish fur- nished by Coroner Bundesen ? In the November 10th number of "Everybody's Health," released in September from 178 West ]\Iadison Street, a vacant building formerly occupied by the Chicago Daily News, Coroner Bundesen mod- estly devotes only one-fourth of the space to himself. -< 114 ^^ - "Everybody's Health" is the organ of a school, a "Citizen School of Health Instruction." Its students have been people on Bundesen's pay roll, a public pay roll. Its "lecturers" are experts such as "Prof." T. J. Crowe, "Prof." James Whalen. and "Prof." Victor Klebba. This "School" was a feeble infant and required special nourishment. But "science" will find a way. So Dr. Bundesen just put his slim, well trained hand into the pockets of the tax payers and took out several thousands of dollars and printed "Everybody's Health" with tax payers' money. The end justified the meanness. You know there was once a pious monk who stole leather to make shoes for poor children. By fooling the postal officials the "mouth organ" of the Citizen's School i i. e.. paid for by citizens' money) got entered as second class matter. (It is that or worse.) So here we are in September with the November 10th edition. On the fourth page (there are but four) President Walter Dill Scott says a mouthful. But — funny thing I — Dr. Louis E. Schmidt said the same sweet stuff" in 1928. Dr. Schmidt edited Dr. Bundesen's campaign docu- ments when Herman was running for Coroner and fighting $672,970 worth of mosquitoes. Dr. Schmidt's document was entitled "Lest We Forget." So we didn't. Now let us put President Walter Dill Scott's "Ap- plesauce" of 1930 alongside Dr. Louis E. Schmidt's of 1928. Let "Science" decide. President Scott calls his preparation "A Personal Chat with the Author. -4 1 1 5 >' Dr. Louis E. Schmidt in 1928: "It pleases me to call my friend Bundesen a great hu- manitarian." "That word tells the story best." "But there are a host of titles that fit him also." "I doubt that even Dr. Bundesen is aware of all the honors that have come to him. But, from here and there, I have found a few, and they are these :" "Savior of Babies. Friend of Mothers. Builder of Health. Administrator. Executive. Diplomat. Minister of Alercy. Advocate of Justice. Fighter for Right. Kindly Neighbor. Wise Father. Wholesome Cit- izen." "If he is doing good for humanity he is happy. He has deep sympathy without any strain of maudlin sentiment. He does good without any air of righteousness." "For years, Dr. Bundesen has given his efforts to save the lives and health of little children. He has always felt that the progress of a nation depends much upon the health and character of its little folks." "Today, his books — 'Our Babies,' 'The Baby and You,' The Growing Child,' and 'Be- fore the Baby Comes' — are used wherever civilized man is to be found. Translated into many different languages, these splendid publications have unquestionably been the cause of saving thousands of lives and making the lives of others healthier and happier." President Walter Dill Scott in 1930: "But it pleases me simply to call my friend Bundesen a great humanitarian." "That single word tells the whole stor}' best." "There is also a host of other titles that fit him." "I doubt that even Dr. Bundesen is aware of all the honors that have come to him. But, from here and there, I have found a few, and they are :" "Savior of Babies . . Friend of Mothers . . . Builder and Rebuilder of Health . . . Ad- ministrator . . . Executive . . . Diplomat . . . Advocate of Justice . . . Fighter for Right . . . Kindly Neighbor , . . Wise Father ...and Wholesome Citizen." "If he is doing good for humanity, he is happy. And he does good without any air of righteousness. He has deep sympathy without any strain of maudlin sentiment." "And for years he has given his best efforts to save the lives and health of the little ones. He has always felt that the progress and well being of a nation depend much on the health and character of its little folks." "Today, his books — 'Our Babies,' 'The Baby and You,' 'The Growing Child,' and 'Be- fore the Bab}^ Comes' — are used almost everywhere civil- ized man is found. Translated into many different languages, millions of copies of these splendid publications have been the cause of saving thou- sands of lives and making the lives of others healthier and happier." -4 1 1 6 >■- Here is a task that will test the mental capacity of our leading educators, physicians and journalists and bring into use all the modern scientific apparatus for fact finding. But we lavmen of the "Boobus Americanus" feel we are entitled to know "Who Stole the Applesauce?" The sequel to this investigation was published in the issue of Lightnin' for January, 1931. It was entitled "Applesauce Was Warmed Over.'' The publication in our November issue of several paragraphs of gross flattery of Coroner Bundesen, taken from "Everybody's Health," Bundesen's own "puff sheet." and credited to Dr. Walter Dill Scott, created much merriment. The stuff' was identical with that printed by Dr. Louie Schmidt in 1928. The query arose, "Whole Stole the Applesauce?" It seemed unbelievable that Dr. Bundesen would print such a statement as this, for example, and credit it to Dr. Walter Dill Scott, knowing he had used it in liis campaign in 1928 and credited it to Dr. Schmidt : "I doubt that even Dr. Bundesen is aware of all the honors that have come to him. But. from here and there. I have found a few, and they are" — But there it was and a lot more like it. We thought it only just that Dr. Scott should have a chance to say who concocted the over-sweetened mixture taken from "Lest We Forget" and dished up again in "Everybody's Health." We wrote Dr. Scott for the facts. He advises us that it was taken from Dr. Schmidt. The applesauce was warmed over. Bundesen gave the impression it was fresh. \Yt are not expert in dietetics, but we think canned applesauce, two years old, reheated and served as new stuff, is in violation of the pure food laws. The passion for self-adulation should be tinctured with a little originality. -4 117 1^- CH AFTER XI THROWN IN TO WIN "This time we must throw everything in to win. Throw him (Biindesenj in." — George Brennan. T JLh( homas Carlyle in writing the story of Count Cagliostro, divides the tale into two parts, which he desig- nates as "Two Flights." He describes how this great charlatan of the eighteenth century, after being driven from one lucrative post, lands in another. Let us study the "flight" of our hero from the Health Department of the City of Chicago to the Sanitary Dis- trict. Stripped of all the romance with which Coroner Bundesen has surrounded "the flight," it is as sordid a piece of political maneuvering as any we have studied. In the fall of 1927 Mayor Thompson exhibited some canceled checks to newspaper men in his apartments in the Sherman Hotel, and said he intended to oust Bunde- sen at the next meeting of the Council. "Go ahead and fire him," they said, "but don't be a copper." The news traveled rapidly among men of the press. One of the boys called Bundesen early the next morn- ing, and broke the news to him, advising him to get busy looking for a new position before the information was published. -< 118 Commissioner Bundesen was greatly excited, and said, "What have I been doing now?" When advised of the story, he saw the necessity of acting promptly. . Carlyle thus describes Count Cagliostro, whom he calls "Beppo," in his flight from Palermo : ''Beppo, then, like a Noah's Raven, is out upon that watery waste of dissolute, beduped, distracted European Life, to see if there is any carrion there. One unguided little Raven, in the wide-weltering 'Mother of dead Dogs :' will he not come to harm ; will he not be snapt-up, drawned, starved and washed to the Devil there? No fear of him — for a time. His eye (or scientific judgment), it is true, as yet takes in only a small section of it ; but then his scent (instinct of genius) is prodigious: several endow-- ments, forgery and others, he has unfolded into talents ; the two sources of all quack-talent. Cunning and Impudence, are his in richest measure." Our hero in casting about, like Noah's Raven, for a place to light, spied the Sanitary District, which, in 1928, was infested by a flock of political vultures which plucked the body politic to the bone. Mike Rosenl>erg, then one of the Sanitary District Trustees, rushed into the ofiices of the District, and said to some of the officials, "T have a great find for you." He then went on to relate that Health Commissioner Bundesen was available, and proposed that a Health De- partment, headed by Bundesen, be created by the Sanitary District Trustees. For such a department there was neither necessity nor authority. The community was already served by a City Health Department, a County Health Department, a State Health Department, and over all of these the health service of the Federal Government. There is nothing in the act of the General Assemblv which created the -4 1 1 9 ^'^'■- Sanitary District, upon which the Trustees could legally erect a Department of Health, but necessity is the mother of invention. When Morris Eller ran for reelection, a clever artist portrayed Eller and his assistants opening the floodgates of Lake Michigan to sweep back the menacing disease germs which resem])led the dragon in deadly ferocity which was slain by Saint George. And Morris Filer's slogan was, "Vote for Morris Eller for your health." But George Brennan was lx)ss and had to be con- sulted as to the advisability of taking on the Bundesen burden. After some reflection, Brennan said, "We will have to throw everything in to win this time, so throw Bundesen in." Just what took place in the conferences between Bunde- sen and Rosenberg we are not able to state, but what followed would make it appear that Rosenbeig was not entirely unselfish in helping Bundesen to land where there was so much plunder to be shared. Rosenberg was the principal owner of a building at 9th Street and Wabash Avenue, known as the 9th and Wabash Avenue Building. Rosenberg took an option on this building, after which he secured leases for a part of it from the Sanitary Dis- trict. W^ith these leases in hand he was able to borrow sufficient money to finance the building. Ed Kelly, Chief Engineer, drew plans for remodeling one floor and part of another, and $27,784 of the tax- payers' money was spent to remodel Rosenberg's building for a Laboratory for the Sanitary District. The total rental by the District for five years amounted to $61,347. which, together with the amount spent for remodeling. ~< 1 2 >■- made a total of $89,131 of tax money spent. But the building is incorporated for only $40,000. But Rosenberg still had some empty space in his build- ing, and though Bundesen had expensive and commodious offices at the headquarters of the Sanitary District, addi- tional space was taken in Rosenberg's building, and the lease was signed for five years. The rental in the Rosen- berg Building for Bundesen's offices was $3,937.50. These offices were used principally for political pur- poses over a period of several months when Bundesen was campaigning for Coroner, to which office he was elected. Dr. Bundesen had a third suite of offices during a por- tion of 1928. These offices were in the Stevens Hotel, and served as headquarters for the men on the pay roll of Bundesen in the Sanitary District, but whose energies were devoted to a private enterprise : namely, the coming Convention of the American Public Health Association, which met in the Fall of 1928. When Mr. Howard Elmore became President of the Sanitary District, the so-called Health Department of the District was abolished, and the political headquarters in the Rosenberg Building were closed. Coroner Bundesen's account of his "flight" has no resemblance to the facts stated above. When apprised of the fact, by one of his friends, that he was to be let out of the Health Department, he said, "What shall I do? I have nothing in mind." But this is the way he described it in October, 1929 : "Well, let me see; let me get the events clear in my mind. I think I was replaced by Thompson as near as I can remember the first Wednesday in De- cember. It may have been the last Wednesday in -4 1 2 1 K^'- November. I think it was the first Wednesday in December, 1927. "The following day or two afterwards I was de- livering an address in the Palmer House at noon, an address for which I had been billed weeks ahead of time and as Health Commissioner. I think it was to the dairy people, but of that I am not quite sure. "On my way up to make the talk a reporter by the name of Xorlander came to me and said, 'The Sanitary District has just created a position for you as Director of Health? Will you accept the posi- tion ?' 'T said, T do not know anything about it. Nobody has said anything to me about that. I haven't heard a word about it.' "And that night the newspaper carried the in- formation that at the Board of Directors' meeting a position had been created as Director of Health for me. "So a few days later I told them I had a few things I wanted to straighten out, but in about a week I would be glad to take the position. "Now, they are the only ones I ever consulted with. I do not know now who made the motion or who it was that asked me to accept the position. Nor was I anxious to take the position at first in view of the fact I had other very good positions of- fered me and other connections that I wanted to keep, particularly my close associations with Mr. Rosenwald and that group." It is interesting to note the alleged reasons for the creation of another Health Department as they are set out by our hero in his private "confession" : "They (the Sanitary Trustees) wanted to safe- guard and protect public health. There was a good deal of complaint about it, about phenolic taste in -< 111 ^" the water, and he knew I had had a great deal to do with chlorination and treatment of the water dur- ing the time I was epidemiologist and Health Com- missioner, and the matter of polluting the water and the matter of safeguarding the water supply from taste and pollution were the things they were inter- ested in." (And getting baby lists for election pur- poses.) The quotation just given from the private "confession" of our hero is so similar to that of his testimony in the "Tower of Babble" as to give pretty accurate knowledge as to how his mind works when he is on his own. It is interesting to note again how quickly our hero can shift his mental machinery. While he was Health Commissioner he vociferously defended the purity of Chicago's water supply. The Chicago Tribune on July 18, 1923, editorially as- sailed Health Commissioner Bundesen for saying that trade wastes were harmless, but unpleasant. "If trade wastes are tainting the water, whether they are harmless or not, they should be eliminated. Certainly it is within the police powers of the city to see that its residents obtain water which is not only harmless but agreeable to the palate." Five years after the above editorial was published, and our hero was ejected from the City Hall, he suddenly dis- covers the necessity of eliminating trade wastes, which might have been dealt with any time during the period that he was Health Commissioner. Continuing his "con- fession," he savs : "So at once we started to make plans for doing away with the tremendously disagreeable taste that there was in the water. We had conferences with industries, the By-Products Coke Company, and various other industries. We found that one of 1--. -4. 12 3 T- them, I think it was the By-Products Coke Company or the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company — any- way the Sanitary District records will show all of that — were just building a large coke plant right at the north of the river." We will deal with the "mosquito menace" in another chapter, but it is important to notice that at the inception of this so-called Health Department the matter was dis- cussed with Dr. Bundesen : *T think the matter of the mosquito abatement was brought up at the same time. That is one of the things that were outlined where the Health De- partment might aid in preventing the spread of disease in getting rid of a nuisance, a nuisance that the Sanitary District had created." Mosquitc abatement is spoken of by our alleged sani- tarian as an "aid in preventing the spread of diseases." Any intelligent layman known that the mosquitoes in the Chicago region do not convey diseases. There are at least fifty varieties of mosquitoes in the world, but Cook County's kind are not a peril to health. "Throwing Bundesen In to \\'in" was an expensive ex- perience to the taxpayers. The cost of automobiles, chauf- feur, expensive furniture, political headquarters, postage, addressographs, exhibits for his Public Health Conven- tion, advertising. Health Bulletin, and mosquito abate- ment amounted to $921,402.20. This probably does not include everything, but it is a tidy sum for a needless health department, and is a sardonic commentary upon the "Mother, Home and Heaven" sentimentality of Coroner Bundesen, who is the professional friend of the poor. We will study some of the expenditures in the Sanitary District in suceeding chapters. ^12 4 >'- CHAPTER XII BABIES AND BALLOTS "Stealing, we say, is properly the North West passage of enjoyment; while common navigators sail painfully along torrid shores, laboriously dou- bling this or the other Cape of Hope, your adroit Thief — Parry, drawn on smooth dog-sledges, is all- ready there and back again. The misfortune is, that stealing requires a talent ; and failure in that North- west vova2"e is more fatal than in any other." — Carlyle. abies have always been a political asset. The old-fashioned politician included among his campaign activities the kissing of as many babies as possible. Woman's suffrage has increased the necessity for the politician to win the support of women voters. Coroner Bundesen determined to avail himself of the political asset inherent in the baby lists. Taxpayers' money, and the service of the employees of the Health Department, had created valuable property rights which should have been sacred from political manipulation. Let us see, however, by what mental gymnastics Coroner Bun- desen justified the theft and use of these lists. But, after all his alibis, the fact remains that he advanced his own political interests by making use of stolen property. When Dr. Bundesen was discharged from the Health Department of the city, he bethought him of the valuable -4 1 2 5 ]>'- un^si):.-. Detectives Demand Return of List; Ex-Otficial Explains It as Aid for Nev^^Jflothers 200,000 1 ^' ied '^' ported 9op- Birlh Registers; Violates Law, Say Attorneys Dr. Herman N. BuDilese] t'SpMS^ , former) accused yesterday of removing a valuable^ mailing list from his office before** t 3 he was ousted. The list includes birth recorO^ frem August 20, 1925, to Novet^^^r 2, 1927, with names and' addresses of 200,000 parents. Unless It is returned today Dr. Bund^sen faces arrest; according to Dr. Arnpl.d JJ»-.^e^.e], bis successor, ,. - Tormai aemana lor. me list was, mad9 yesterday by detectives, whoi took a letter from Df. I^egel to pr.^ Bundegen ^ <2vij? jjeme at 7414 Og\e^') by 'av._iCJa;■- lists of babies that had been born in Chicago and recorded from August 20, 1925, to November 2, 1927. These Hsts contained the names and addresses of approximately 200,- 000 parents. Our hero saw in this list great political possibilities and large financial assets. Although he was on the outside. Dr. Bundesen had an accomplice on the inside, and with the aid of this confederate the baby lists were delivered to him. When his successor. Dr. Arnold H. Kegel, discovered that this valuable property of the city had been stolen, on January 8, 1928, he made formal demand for its return. Dr. Bundesen refused to turn over the stolen documents, and invited detectives to search his home, having, of course, planted the stolen property elsewhere. The matter dragged on until the end of February, when the City Council warned Dr. Bundesen that, unless the stolen property was immediately returned, formal action would be taken against him. In the meeting of the Council one of the Aldermen said : *Tt is a strange anachronism to hear a reformer asking for condonement of a deliberate violation of the law. If we allow Bundesen to keep the list, we'll open the doors so that any one can peddle it at fifty cents a name to quacks and shysters who want to bombard mothers with advertising liter- ature." Another Alderman declared : *Tt would be a dangerous precedent to allow the former Commissioner to keep the lists." "Dr. Bundesen is connected with the Sanitary Dis- trict now," said Alderman Nelson. "They don't deal with babies — they're concerned with sewage. What service can he now render to Chicago mothers ?" -4 1 2 7 ^^- Alderman Oscar F. Xelson is quoted in the Herald and Examiner of March 1, 1928, as saying: "Dr. Bundesen, himself, told me that he could make a quarter of a million dollars a year if he would peddle the list to advertisers." On A Fay 14, 1928, the City of Chicago filed a bill in the Federal Court against former Health Commissioner Herman X. Bundesen. This bill declares that more than $200,000 of the city's funds had been used in compiling the materials which were used by Dr. Bundesen in the five volumes which he copyrighted and in listing the births recorded with the Health Department. This suit is still pending. Dr. Bundesen resorted to an ingenious method to evade the charge of stealing the city property. Let him tell it in his own way in his secret "confession" : "There has been a great deal of controversy re- garding the Hst. I maintained that baby literature should be sent to the parents. When I took the mat- ter up Mr. Tom Marshall, of Fisher, Boyden, Kales & Bell, and Mr. Laird Bell, the lawyers for the Daily News, spent a great deal of time on that and . felt that legally I had an absolute right to the names, that is to a copy of the names. But, they were not quite so sure whether I had the moral right to con- tinue to send literature to mothers who had not re- quested they be given that literature. "I thought the thing over very carefully. I took the matter up with Mr. Strong. Mr. Strong said, 'Well, you do what you think is right.' I thought the thing over and I decided that we would junk the list. We would not use it at all, except in con- nection with that group which cared to receive the names. "Mr. ^Marshall suggested we send out a little postal card. So that it might be legally correct he worded -4 1 2 8 }>- the postal card for me. The postal card was roughly worded about this way: *If you care to receive the baby literature from me and will let me know, I will be glad to send it to you.' "So I went to Mr. Buckley, of Buckley & Dement, I asked him and he said, T know what your literature is and you will probably get the maximum returns on this.' He said, 'I think you will get close to fifteen per cent.' *'So I thought the thing over very carefully and I decided that the fellow who would not follow his lawyer is like the fellow who goes to a doctor to get good news and when he gets bad news he refuses to go through with it. "So I decided that I would send out the postal cards. We sent out 101,000 postal cards. About the first five or six days we received back about 5,500 replies. Some had moved and left no address or were dead, and by that time a period of about four • or five months had elapsed and a list of 100,000 deteriorates very rapidly. "So we started the second baby literature to those who requested it." In this "confession" we have another insight into the peculiar mental machinery of Coroner Bundesen. He did not think it quite right, he says, to use the list which was taken down the back stairs of the City Hall, but he die think it right to use this list to send out postal cards to mothers in order to get a new list which he might con- sider his own personal property. If additional information were needed to convict Dr. Bundesen of larceny and embezzlement, that evidence is furnished by himself. "It (the baby list) has nothing to do as far as the Sanitary District is concerned because it was never sent to any one on the Sanitary District list and -4 1 2 9 furthermore, the bulletins we did send out were never sent out on that list at all and that list was never used for any of the bulletins. "Now, have I made that clear ?" Well, hardly. But we think we know what Dr. Bunde- sen meant. He meant to convey the impression that he never used the baby list for political purposes — the facts, however to the contrary nothwithstanding. While employed by the Sanitary District, Dr. Bundesen became a candidate for Coroner. In the Rosenberg Build- ing, one of the three offices maintained at public expense. Dr. Bundesen did much of his political work in his candidacy for the office he was seeking. The new baby list, prepared from the old list, was brought to this office as needed, and employees of the Sanitary District were engaged furnishing them for mailing purposes. Employees of the Law Department of the Sanitary District were sent to Bundesen's headquarters to sort and arrange the cards. These men were listed as investigators, and were paid $250 a month. Here, too, were assembled a bevy of ladies to aid in the same campaign. The head of this "Ladies' Aid Society" was a rather severe female, said to be from Washington, D. C. At any rate she was a capital leader and knew how to direct the dear sisters. Men assigned from the Million-Dollar Law Department to work for Dr. Bundesen were given a daily stint. The baby cards were arranged for political purposes in alpha- betical order to the fourth or fifth letter, and were also copied and arranged by streets. On the back of each card there was also the name and address of a woman who was in charije of the district. ■< 13 ^■■' The day's stint was the copying and arranging of 100 cards. Some of the investigators from the Law Depart- ment were sent over to Dr. Bundesen's political offices in the Spring, and were engaged in this labor of love until election time. They were paid $250 a month from the regular fund at the Treasurer's office at the headquarters of the Sanitary District. Some men finished their work in an hour, others played with the babies for three hours, and some worked not at all. The lovers of good horses left at an early hour so as to get to the races. For the convenience of those who did not desire to go to the tracks, arrangements were made to take their bets in the building. The employees of the Sanitary District, who had rather easy employment sorting baby lists, were given an op- portunity on pay day to make "voluntary" contributions to the campaign fund. The amount contributed was said to be $20.00 from each pay check. The employee who saw to it that the "voluntary" contributions w^ere not over- looked was do^\^l on the payroll as "Superintendent of Sanitary Waste Inspectors." His salary was $333.33 a month. It is interesting to look back to the incident when Dr. Bundesen was Health Commissioner. In the Health Bulletin of February 8, 1927, Dr. Bunde- sen reprinted from the Chicago Tribune of February 6th a "pufif" article written by James O'Donnell Bennett con- cerning one Herman N. Bundesen. Quoting Dr. Bundesen, Bennett wrote : "I felt that the only thing to do was for Chicago to educate its mothers and see that all its babies were breast fed. "^131 K-^ - "And the first step toward that end was to stop the traffic in baby decoctions and devices with its consequences of deceived mothers and ailing babies. The way to do that was to stop the publication of the Department of Health's birth list, from which the agents obtained the names that were the source of their livelihood. "By order we stopped such publication. There was loud bluster by the patented food concerns. Suits were threatened. No suit has ever been brought. This department doesn't bluff or be bluffed worth a damn. "Then the concerns tried cajolery. Each of four of them offered 50 cents a name for the daily baby list. The department declined the bribe. Some said that taking that kind of money was no crime, that it was l^eing done in this or that city and that we were damn fools not to take it. "Well, then, that's the kind of fools we are. "But is a public official a fool not to be willing to trade babies' lives for dirty money? Ask the babies' mothers." Two facts show the palpable bunk in this inspired inter- view. First, the law requires that a copy of the baby list from the Citv of Chicag^o shall be filed with the State Health Department and another with the County Clerk. This would, of course, show that Bundesen could not con- trol the situation. The second fact is that the county was not supplied with the names for some time because it owed the city $27,000 for the service, and still owes that amount, we are told. But a singular thing happened when Bundesen was kicked out of the Health Department : namely, his Dem- ocratic colleagues became very active in getting the baby lists where Bundesen could avail himself of them. Ten thousand dollars was put in the budget to pay for the lists »•# §{132 >- of 1928. Also a mandamus suit was started by Bunde- sen's friends to compel the city to tile the list with the county. Dr. Bundesen's pretense that he wished to put the knowledge of the Health Department at the disposal of all of the mothers for the sake of their babies is seen to be vulgar hypocrisy, when, on being kicked out of the Health Department, he stole the l}aby lists and copyrighted not only any contribution he may have made himself to the knowledge of the Health Department, buth the work of other physicians and former Health Commissioners, so that if mothers desire to obtain the information they can secure it by paying tribute to Bundesen. True, he magnanimously offered to let the city use free of charge the material he stole, which is something like a man stealing your purse and offering to buy you a lunch if he happens on you when are in want. Coroner Bundesen is still making use of the baby list. What colossal conceit for him to suppose that the V\'el- fare of the babies of Chicago is dependent upon the in- formation which he alone can dispense. If any added proof were needed that he secured the baby list for political purposes, that proof was provided at the Christmas season of 1930, when he flooded the city with Christmas cards bearing photographs of his house (part of it built by city labor and city material) and his family. It probably has not occurred to Coroner Bundesen that the exploitation of his family for political purposes is in extremely bad taste. '•^13 3 }> - ?« CHAPTER XIII FOR YOUR HEALTH'S SAKE" T JLhe ,he heading for this chapter, "For Your Health's Sake," appeared on the posters that flooded the cars and elevated platforms prior to the election, No- vember, 1928, when Dr. Bundesen was a candidate for Coroner and some of the Trustees were up for reelection. When Air. Howard W. Elmore became President of the Sanitary District, he stopped payment on all advertising bills incurred during the previous administration, and canceled a contract with the "L" Advertising Company, calling for an account of approximately $40,000 annually. This contract, which was signed when Dr. Bundesen was in the Sanitary District, was for three years. Mr. Elmore saved the taxpayers on this one item $80,000, with the stroke of his pen. But Dr. Bundesen and his alibi, Victor Klebba, deny having any knowledge concerning the details of this trans- action, though they o.k.'d the vouchers, as they did many other phoney bills. We quote from Dr. Bundesen's "con- fession" : "Question : You had the advertising of the elevated railroad, didn't you? "Mr. Klebba: Who did? "Answer: Your department. "Mr. Klebba: No, we did not know anything about it. -< 13 4)^^ This Is the "Front Elevation" of Coroner Biindesen and His Man Friday, Victor Klebba — Together They Have Worked the People of Cook County for Several Years. -4 1 3 5 >- "Question : Well, what are you o.k.'ing vouch- ers for advertising on the elevated railroad for? "Mr. Klebba : Because we wer'e told that that w^as to be paid for by the Health Department and the requisition should' *come from the Health De- partment. "Question : Well, whv should the Health De- partment pay for it ? Did they say ? "AIr. Klebba : We did not enter into any dis- cussion as to why the Health Department should pay for it and we insisted . . . "Dr. Bundesen : Tell him who you mean by Ve.' "^Ir. Klebba: Well, you insisted that they be o.k.'d. "Dr. Bundesen: Who did we see? "Mr. Klebba: Ed McCabe and Wheeler and each time the bills would not go through unless they were o.k.'d by the office upstairs." . . . ■ Before pursuing this interesting narrative concerning the elevated advertising, let us quote a paragraph from an ordinance governing the so-called Health Department, which was passed on January 16, 1928, and which was printed in the official proceedings of the District. This ordinance places the responsibility squarely upon Dr. Bundesen for the expenditures of his department : "That the Director of Heakh shall organize his Department and shall keep full and complete tech- nical and statistical records of all matters considered by him, and shall certify all pay rolls and sign all requisitions and vouchers relating to said work or the cost thereof, and shall when required, testify in any case, in which the Sanitary District of Chicago is interested." "Question : At the time you talked w^ith ]\IcCabe relative to the execution of these vouchers for bill posters and advertising and the dissemination of the -^ 1 3 6 }i^ - president's message and for signs, did you discuss that third paragraph of the ordinance with ]^IcCabe ? "Dr. Buxdesex : Xo. "QuESTiox : Did he with you? **Dr. Buxdesex : Xo. I do not beheve I ever dis- cussed it with anbody. It was just a matter of bills being submitted to us and we knew nothing about it and were told it. was a pro rata charge to our department. Is that about the substance of it, :^Ir. Klebba? *'Mr. Klebba: Yes. ''QuESTiox : What ? "Mr. Klebba : Yes, that is the situation. The president's message was pro rated and charged to our department. The elevated advertising was sup- posed to have been charged to the Health Depart- ment, according to them. "OuESTiox : Did vou ever see the text of the ele- ated advertising? "Dr. Buxdesex : Yes. "OuESTiox : AMiat was it? "Dr. Bl'xdesex : Yes, I saw the text of some of the elevated advertising. One of the matters had to do with typhoid fever. The copy of that was submitted to us. wasn't it? Something about con- trol ing typhoid fever ? "]^Ir. Klebba: Oh, they asked about it at one time. "Dr. Buxdesex : I think it was on a printed sheet. "Mr. Klebba: Yes, that is the only time that anybody ever talked to us. "Dr. Buxdesex* : X'o. I think there was another time right after I was appointed when they made a statement then. I do not know whether they used that on billboards. That. I did not see. I think that was in a sign that appeared — well. I don't know whether it appeared in the street cars or not. I do -4 1 3 7 }>- not think it appeared in the street cars. As near as I know, it appeared in trains. "Mr. Klebba: On the elevated platforms. ''Dr. Bcndesen: Well, it had my picture and said, *To protect your health the Sanitary District has . . .' I forget just what it was." Here is a unique method for maintenance of public health. Perhaps the reason why Chicago is such a healthy city is that Coroner Bundesen's front elevation appears so often in the daily press. "AIr. Klebba: Appointed Dr. Bundesen. "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. A copy of that was sub- mitted to us. After that no further material or copies were submitted to us. "Question : Before that material was prepared did you talk to anybody about the preparation ? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. "Question : Did Crowe or Whalen or any of those fellows say, *We are getting up some advertis- ing setting forth the fact that you have been ap- pointed Head of the Health Department' ? "Dr. Bundesen : I do not know. There may have been something like that. "]\Ir. Klebba: There was a fellow by the name of Garrity with the Elevated Advertising Company that came down when we were in temporary quarters down there. "Dr. Bundesen : It was somebody, I do not know who it was. "Question : What temporary quarters were those ? "Dr. Bundesen : When we moved in we had an office on the second or third floor until they finishec our office on the sixth floor. "ATr. Klebba: Just a desk and chair. -4 1 3 8 >- "Question : You had not been in there very long when they came in with that stufif, with that copy? "Dr. Bundesen : No, I do not think so. It was right after we came there, wasn't it ? "Mr. Klebba: I do not remember just when. "Dr. Bundesen : I think it was early in the game, though, very early." Our hero inadvertently calls the thing l)y its right name. It was a "game," and the taxpayers were the losers. "Question : Well, then, did you ever give any consideration, at any time prior to the institution of this lawsuit, as to the lawful right of the Sanitary District to expend the taxpayers' money for that sort of thing? "Dr. Bundesen : No, never any more than I did during the six years I was Health Commissioner, the lawful right for the City to spend the money the way we were spending it for the things we were doing. "Question: Well, you were not putting money on billboards, were you, when you were Health Commissioner ? "Dr. Bundesen : Well, I do not recall that we put any on billboards, no. "Question : And you were not putting signs on street cars ? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes, we were putting out signs in street cars. "Question : During the time you were Commis- soner of Health? "Dr. Bundesen : Sure. "Question: Well, what were those signs? Thev were the ones that hung in the middle of the car relative to not spitting on the floor and things for that kind. Isn't that right? "Dr. Bundesen : No. It was about antitoxin and about the activities of the Health Department. -< 1 3.9 K-*-^- We were giving antitoxin for diphtheria and influ- enza, and it said not to sneeze and in the summer- time to see that the water was boiled, and things of that kind. ''Question : x\nd there was a specific ordinance authorizing the expenditure of the money for that purpose, wasn't there? "Dr. Buxdesen : I do not know. I do not think so. "Question : Well, no question was ever raised by anv one in the Comptroller's office relative to the legitimacy of vouchers presented by you as Health Commissioner of Chicago, was there? "Dr. Bundesen : I do not know whether we ever presented any vouchers. We spent over a mil- lion dollars a year there. "Answer: I know. "Dr. Bundesen : I do not even know whether we did that on vouchers or how it was done, whether it was done by an ordinance creating the twenty per cent, or whatever the City was to get of the profits ; how it was I do not know. But, we had those in the elevated lines and in the surface lines and we had them in the buses." Here is another astonishing exhibition of the duplicity or the ignorance of Coroner Bundesen. The posters in street cars and elevated trains, gotten up by the Health Department of the City of Chicago, are printed and carried free. The Department of Health has always prepared the text, but has never been required to pay for the service. The astonishing number of things which Coroner Bun- desen did not know about his official tasks as Health Com- missioner for the City and Director of Health for the Sanitary District would fill a very large volume. ^^140 > Alfred "Jake" Lingle, Intimate Friend of Coroner Bundesen. -4 1 4 1 CHAPTER XIV FINANCING A FALSE FRONT X he l)iographer of Dr. Bundesen, ]\Ir, Xeil ]^I. Clark, begins the romance of the official career of our hero as follows : "We were sitting in Bundesen's beautifully fur- nished office." Mr. Clark did not know, of course, that Bundesen's beautifully furnished office cost the taxpayers a hand- some sum. It was a concrete illustration of ''the cohesive ties of public plunder." When Dr. Bundesen made up his budget for the so- called Health Department of the Sanitary District in January, 1928, he estimated his office equipment at $13,000. The furniture was all bought from the Sabath Desk and Supply Company, 172 West Lake Street. The pro- ]3rietor of this lucrative business has one brother in Congress and one on the Bench. His total sales to the Sanitary District for 1928 amounted to $79,061.69. It is interesting to note that the furniture for the Health Department was bought in such peculiar fashion that all the vouchers were under $500. The reason for that is that any amount of $500 or more would necessitate asking for bids, which, of course, would endanger the graft. -< 1 4 2 }>- Let us glance at the vouchers submitted for payment and o.k.'d by Bundesen on February 2, 1928 : Office furniture $496.75 Office furniture 462.00 Office furniture 433.50 Office furniture 485.00 Office furniture 472.50 Office furniture 497.75 Office furniture 7.00 Office furniture 397.75 Office furniture 423.50 Chairs, file, etc 465.00 Waste baskets, etc 435.00 Chairs, file, etc 465.00 Desk, chairs, etc 284.50 Chairs 454.50 Carpeting 489.50 Chairs, etc 493.00 Desk 497.50 Table 371.50 Lockers 295.00 Chairs 234.50 Tables, etc 315.00 These twenty-one vouchers, each under $500, payable to the Sabath Desk & Supply Company, amounted to $7,486.75. They were all submitted for payment at one time. They all bore the endorsement of Herman N. Bun- desen. Let us now examine the ingenious alibi of Coroner Bundesen in his secret "confession": "When you say Dr. Bundesen o.k.'d them, they were o.k.'d by some one signing my name." At this juncture Mr. Klebba chimed in, "I signed 99 per cent of them." Here is a handy tool to evade the responsibility of -< 1 4 3 j^- pnblic oftice — having a well-trained man Friday who can do the dirty work and take the blame. ]\Ir. Klebba took the responsibility from the shoulders of Dr. Bundesen. but he in turn passed it on to the some- body else. Let us examine the alibi : "Well, there were four machines bought at $1600 apiece, and when I sent up the requisition for the $2,400 ( for a Hooven machine), I think it was Mr. Connelly, or his secretary, perhaps it was his secre- tary, said. '\\^ell, you have to make out five bills and make them less than $500 each because we cannot pay on requisitions for over $500.' "Well, I did not question the thing at all. I made the requisitions for whatever they told me to make them. Whatever the split-up should be. I make it that way." W^onderf ul public servants ! Dr. Bundesen interposed : "Well, why did w^e pay so much for the furniture ? Tell the inside facts of that." "Well, I called Dr. Bundesen's attention to it and he and I went upstairs. "Dr. Bundesen: Who did we go to? Tell him just exactly what we did. I have been perfectly frank and told him everything. "Mr. Klebba : We went up to Eddie McCabe and the doctor raised hell and said he didn't want such an expensive furniture for his office. Eddie said. 'Now, the trustees have fine offices, and they fcfl your position is very dignified, and they want you to have furniture commensurate with the dignity of your position, and that will be all right; you just order what you want and the rest of it will all be taken care of ; or words to that effect. T do not know as thev are the exact words. -^i 1 4 4 }> - "Our bills came in. Here was a desk and chair for $475. or there might have been several other combinations, and why was there any reason for questioning it ? I see, now, of course. . . . "Dr. Bundesex : Sure. There are two interesting things to notice in connection with this clumsy alibi. In the first place. Coroner Bunde- sen admits that he made up the budget for his department in the Sanitary District, and that budget included an item of $13,000 for furniture. All this protesting, then, that he did not wish such expensive furniture is mere scenery. "The gentleman doth protest too much." and we shall see later that his protests, if they really were made, were to underlings. This man. who had been Health Commis- sioner for years, did not know enough to write a letter to the Trustees, if he was unable to see them, and tell them that he could not participate in such extravagant waste of taxpayers' money, nor join in a conspiracy to evade the law by splitting up bills amounting to thousands of dollars into vouchers of less than $500. Let us disgress a moment and study the career of Vic- tor Klebba, handy man for Coroner Bundesen. Mr. Klebba was on the payroll of the Sanitary Dis- trict, at $6,500 a year, and was brought over from the Health Department, where he had been associated with Dr. Bundesen, and was taken from the Sanitary District to the Coroner's office to serve as chief deputy. He has been with Dr. Bundesen for about six years. Air. Klebba's position in the Sanitary District was his 58th job, according to his own statement. Just what his qualifications are that entitled him to the salary of $6,500 is not quite clear, unless it be his great skill in signing -< 1 4 5 ^^- Coroner Bundesen's name so that it cannot be distinguished from the original signature. Indeed, Mr. Klebba has stated that he can take the signature of any one and in half an hour imitate it so i)erfectly that it would be ac- cepted at the bank as the original. A penman so skillful is of course very valuable where it is necessary to furnish an alibi in case one is caught in plundering the public treasury. Mr. Klebba states that in preparation for his career he had a year in theology. It is more than probable that AFr. Klebl>a has prepared many of the sermonettes which Coroner Bundesen delivers on the air. -4 1 4 6 ^,.. ?? CHAPTER X 1 THE TOWER OF BABBLE'^ A permit was granted by the City Coun- cil to ]\Ir. Cuneo. a prominent business man of Chicago, to erect a skyscraper. The Chicago Tribune objected to the erection of the proposed building, and attempted to show, among other things, that it was a menace to health. Coroner Bundesen, being under great obligation to the Tribune, and equipped with the mental agility which enables him to get on any side of a question, was called as ''an expert" by the Tribune attorneys to show the menace to health if the Cuneo Tower were erected. We are fortiniate in having an exact copy of his tes- timony, which our readers will discover is one of the fun- niest things that occurred during A. D. 1929. It will be found edifying, both to the layman and the physician to peer into the mental machinery of the sub- ject of this sketch to see how the apparatus works. ''Herman X. Bundesen, a witness called on behalf of the petitioners, having l)een first duly sworn, was examined and testified as follows: A portion of the testimony, with comments by this writer, is as follows : "( Direct examination by Mr. Fleming.) "O. \\'hat is your name? "A. Herman N. Bundesen. - 1 ~< 1 4 7 >- "Q. Tell the court in a general way your experi- ence and your training. "A. Well, I graduated from the Northwestern University Medical School in 1909; from the Army Medical School at Washington, D. C, in 1911. I was in the Health Department of the city of Chicago from 1914, I started as health officer, was assistant bureau chief and epidemiologist and then Commis- sioner of Health and at the present time I am Coroner of Cook County and health editor of the Chicago Daily News and Professor of Public Health at the University of Chicago. *'Q. What were your duties as Health Commis- sioner of the City of Chicago? "A. Well, those are set out pretty well by ordi- nance, to direct and run the Department of Health, which has for its function the control of communi- cable diseases, the safeguarding of public health by throwing protection around those things that make for disease and sickness wherever large bodies of people congregate. The control of communicable diseases, the safeguarding of the water supply and the food supply and the air supply." Throwing protection around those things that make for disease and sickness is the latest wrinkle in public health. "Q. State briefly the efifects of sunlight on the hun-fan body. "A. Well, from the point of view of health, sun- light bears a very important part. Within the skin and the body, the human body, there are substances known as chlostoral, within which are those import- ant subjects which we call ergostoral. Now, when the sunshine strikes the skin or the tissues of the body it turns the ergostoral into a Vitamin D, which is essential to life. Without Vitamin D in the system the important parts of foods which are eaten, such as calcium, phosphorous, and which Iniild bones and -4 1 4 8 T^- tissues and regulate the l^ody tissue, those substances would not be absorbed except under the influence of Vitamin D obtained either through the sunshine or artificially obtained through ultra-violet elements or through cod liver oil of the proper potency or those newer preparations which are now on the market and called radio-ergostoral and sold under that name. "O. Is sunlight disinfecting, too? "A. Yes, sunlight is disinfecting, and very im- portant. As a matter of fact, practically all health departments the world over have abolished the gase- ous disinfectants in the clearing up of communi- cable diseases of all kinds, and in lieu thereof are adopting the method of sunlight and fresh air, they being far more powerful disinfectants than gaseous disinfectants." How do they get the sunshine into north rooms ? The Coroner surely did not mean ''sunlight." "O. AMiat would you say as to the need of pure air in the protection of health in, say, the downtown district of Chicago? "A. Of course, pure air is needed in every place for the proper functioning of the body ; in the ab- sence of pure air the health is impaired in many ways ; a lack of oxygen makes it impossible for the proper amount of oxygen to be carried by the hemo- globin, which is the red coloring matter of the cor- puscles, to the tissues, and also interferes with the carrying away of the combustion of the oxidation by lack of oxygen." Parse the sentence beginning with "also interferes." "AIr. Fleming: Q. What in your opinion is the efifect of a high building, say 440 feet in height plus towers, as compared to a building 264 feet plus towers upon the sunlight in the vicinity of the build- ing, the 440 foot building? ~< 1 4 9 >- "A. You mean what sunshine will be thrown out or blotted out — is that w4iat you mean, or what ef- fect would it have if the sunlight is not there? *'Q. It would work a deprivation of sunshine or sunlight ? "A. I would take it the larger or higher the build- ing or larger the wall the more sunlight is shut out. "O. Where in your opinion are you liable to find stagnant air places — in places exposed to sunlight or in places not exposed to sunlight? "A, Not in places exposed to sunlight. Germs and things like that are more stagnant in dark places. "O. You will find germs and things like that in dark places ? "A. In dark places, there is less bacteria when there is sunshine, and sunshine acts as a disinfect- ant to germs in the sunshine. It is prevalent in our streets, so that is tJie only place we give tJie people a chance to spit. "O. Tell the court the factors or things to be ob- served in the control of communicable diseases on a city like Chicago ? *'A. The isolation of communicable diseases and the quarantining of them. "Q. And tell the court the factors about crowding. "A. And crowding always makes them spread, and makes for a spreading of communicable diseases, particularly when they are prevalent. "O. Does the density of automobile traffic have any efifect on health? "A. Yes, sir. "Q. In a city like Chicago and more particularly the downtown district ? "A. Yes, I think it does. '^O. Why? *'A. The exhaust from the carburetor particularly, the invisible exhaust known as monoxide gas, thrown up particularly in times of relatively high humidity -4 1 5 >- have marked effect on the heahh, so much so that during the time I was Health Commissioner we es- tabhshed a condition known as shoppers' headache which was essentially a headache produced by the inhalation of monoxide' gas essentially from auto- mobile exhaust. "Q. What is a carrier, Doctor? "A. You mean in medicine, a carrier ? "Q. Yes, a carrier ? **A. A carrier is a person who has in his system either his lungs or the intestinal tract, or other parts of the body the germs of the disease he may have either had the disease or he may not have had the disease or he may be sick or perfectly healthy, usual- ly, he is perfectly healthy. ''(Cross examination by Mr. Levinson.) *'0. Doctor, are there anv statistics that vou know of which compare the health of the city of Chicago in the year 1900 and that in the year 1929? "A. Yes, I think there are many of them. "Q. Do you recall those statistics well enough to be able to say whether or not generally speaking Chi- cago is or was a healthier city in 1900 that it is in 1929? Or vice versa? "A. Yes, materially so. "Q. In 1900 was it a healthier city than it is to- day? "A. Oh, no. ''O. It is the other way around, isnt it? "A. Yes. "O. That is, in the year 1929 Chicago is general- ly a healthier city than it was in the year 1900? "A. Oh, yes, materially so. "O. Much? "A. Oh, yes, as near as I can remember those figures are, it is more or less guess, but the death -< 1 5 1 rate in 1929 was about 13 per 100.000. and I pre- sume in 1990 "Q. 1900, Doctor? "A. I mean in 1900 it was closer to probably 26 per 100,000. "Q. Almost double what it is today? "A. Yes. "Q. In 1929? "A. Yes, indeed." The Coroner is a poor guesser. It was not 26 per 100.000 in 1900, but 14.68 per 1,000. "O. Has that court any effect on the air we have in this room ? "A. Very little. "Q. Why? "A. Because the rooms are artificially ventilated and the air is not brought in from the outside through these windows but is sucked in from the spaces down below. "O. Do you happen to know why "The Court : 'Just a minute. That is the theory on which this building was erected, but that has not worked for a good many years. Very little air in this court room comes from the ventilators down below, very little. It does not work. The system is out of order and has l^een for many years.' " "A. Which is probably well for the health of the court, because the ventilation plans or the ventila- tion investigation done by the New York Ventilation Commission and Duffield, has shown in those schools where artificial ventilation was. as compared with the old school with the ordinary window ventilation un- controlled and windows opened now and then, main- ly then, that they found in all of those researches there was less respiratory disease in the old style ventilated school than the modern school which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to ventilate." 1 5 2 }^ - The Coroner's boost for Mr. InsuU's kitchen ventilator should be recalled. Better open the window. "Q. Where is your office, Doctor? "A. Which office are you referring to? "Q. Either of them ; that is, you have an office in the County Building and also have an office in the Daily News Building? "A. Yes. ''Q. And your office in the Daily News Building is where? ''A. It is facing the east. I had nothing to do with picking out that office, that was assigned to me by the officials of the Daily News. And the office in the County Building was assigned to me by the custodian and that faces north and I had nothing to do with the picking of that office out although wdien I did assume the position of Coroner I endeavored to have the office changed to a more sunlight place 1)ut I was not able to. "O. Have you ever been at the corner of Randolph and State Street next to what used to be the Masonic Temple? It is now called the Capitol Building. "A. Yes, I lost several hats there. "Q. You found there was a very strong air cur- rent there. Do you know why there happens to be at that corner such a strong air current? "A. No, I don't know why it is particularly at that corner. '*0. And it has been known for years and as a matter of common knowledge that it is one of the windiest corners in the loop? "A. I don't know that it is one of the windiest corners in the loop. I have been on other corners, on Michigan Boulevard, at times there has been a great wind and I have not noticed particularly that that was windier than other corners I have been on at times." -< 1 5 3 >- It was very windy down at 910 ^Michigan Avenue last year. "O. If that corner is very windy do you know why it should be ? "A. No, I don't know; I don't know off-hand. *'Q. You have never made a study of air currents or the operation of air currents ? "A. No, sir. "O. Then you don't know as a matter of fact whether or not the erection of a very high ])ui]ding or a number of high Ijuildings on the west side of Michigan Avenue, will or will not affect the cir- culation of air on Michigan Boulevard? "A. Oh, yes. "O. You think it will ? "A. Yes, it will, it depends on what part you are talking about, it depends on what part you are talk- ing about; on the Masonic Temple, if you go on the corner at the Masonic Temple on a very windy day it will be very wind}', and if you walk a few feet north, as you do to get out of the wind, as you do in blustery weather you will find there is no current of air or wind there, so it would depend on the spot you were standing in. Along the street entrances there would be undoubtedly canyons with sweeps of air, while if you went in a little bit you would find more or less a still condition of the air depending, of course, again on whether or not there was sunshine which aids ; in the main the air and moisture and those factors will have to do with that. "O. Now, have you made a study as to the cir- culation of air in buildings caused by the improper location of elevator shafts ? "A. No, sir, not personally. "O. Now, I believe vou said congestion was a factor to be considered from the standpoint ot health ? "A. A marked factor, yes. 1 5 4 }i^'- "Q. A marker] factor? "A. Yes. "O. Has that been measured in any way by statis- tics or otherwise? "A. Well, during the times of epidemics there is always more of a danger of the spread of contagion wherever our bodies congregate and wherever bodies or people are thrown together as shown by the ever increasing number of deaths, that is, in times of epidemics when crowding existed. "Q. Do you know what the height limit of build- ings in Boston is and has been for the last ten years ? "A. No, sir, I have no idea because they are a very small group. "O. From the standpoint of the health of the tenants, then, it would be your conclusion that very tall buildings would be better, would it not ? "A. Well, for the time that the tenant occupies that top floor that was closer to sunlight it would be better for him than if he occupied it in a lozccr floor, or for the one who was on the first floor, because of ever present germs of disease, and so forth, which are blown by the wind, after they dry, in the ab- sence of sunshine through the street for a few floors, and are then readily dissipated, and the danger of getting those germs on the 50th floor would be more or less negligible, but they would be rather greater on the first and second floors, or when the man from the 50th floor came down to the first or second floors. "Q. Now, most of the light that we have in mod- ern office buildings is reflected light, isn't it? We have very little direct sunshine in the modern office buildings ? "A. You mean the artificial illumination, or are you talking about the outside light ? 'O. At what time would the direct ravs of the -4 1 5 5 ^ - sun enter the five stories of the hypothetical build- ing we are working with now. facing east? "A. Well, in the morning. ''O. What time, have vou anv idea? "A. No, from the time that the sun rises — that again depends upon what time the sun would rise, cnid then it depends on Jiozu fast the sun is moving before it has come around toward the south, and then toward the west. Several hours, probably, fac- ing east, probably until about half past ten or eleven o'clock. I should roughly say. "O. And an east and west street would get the sunshine during certain parts of the day, irrespective of the heights of the buildings? *'A. Yes. Of course, the east and zuest street zcoidd get less of the cream of tJic sunshine, because the sunshine is at its maximum efficiency around the hours of between eleven and one, I should say." The Coroner in speaking of the "cream" of the sun- shine probably was thinking of the "Milky Way." "Q. That is right. And Michigan Boulevard, therefore, from the standpoint of sunshine is the best location in the city, is it not, say from Park Row to Randolph Street? "Well, I don't know the other locations in the city. "Q. What, in your opinion, were the contributing factors to that reduction in the death rate in that period ? ^ "A. Those are definitely established by the records in the Department of Health. The marked reduc- tion in the death has occured in typhoid fever. In 1900 the death rate — there was I think 1990 deaths from typhoid fever" (No. There were 337. — Editor.) " — which is a disease due to taking the germs in through the mouth, usually through the water. -< 1 5 6 >- Through the chlorination of all of the city water and through the isolation and quarantine of car- riers, in 1923 we had but 31 deaths from typhoid fever" (No. 57 deaths. — Editor.) " — or 28 deaths from typhoid fever, and last year I think but 26 deaths from typhoid fever. "The reduction of deaths from some other food borne diseases, whereby the control of a safer food is concerned, have been reduced remarkably. The reduction of deaths, and when I sav reduction of deaths, of course, I mean per thousand population, mainly — the reduction of deaths, from scarlet fever, diphtheria, whereby we can give toxin-antitoxin or antitoxin, where the disease has been contracted, has been reduced almost to the irreducible minimum. "All of those factors that have to do with the con- trol of communicable diseases through quarantine have markedly decreased. "On the other hand, those diseases that have to do with dirty air and respiratory diseases have in- creased by leaps and bounds and they are far more prevalent now than they ever have been before, and they are the main causes of our deaths." The Coroner is away off again. In 1900 the number of deaths from respiratory diseases was 447.8 per 100,000. In 1921 it was 179.9. In 1925 it was 203.8. "0. Doctor, just a few questions. Has the tuber- culosis rate increased during the last twenty years ? "A. No, it has been cut about in half. "Q. Pneumonia, you say, has increased ? "A. Yes." In 1900 the rate was 199.5 per 100,000. In 1927 it was 93.3. "Q. Can you tell us whether that has increased among people over fifty or under fifty? -< 1 5 7 >- "A. Relatively, I can not tell you that. "O. As a matter of fact, it has increased anions^ people over fifty, has it not? "A. Well, I would have to guess at that. It has increased but where the dividing line is, I would not be able to say." Mr. Levinson, the lawyer, was right. But don't miss the answer to the next question : ''O. The average longcznty has increased in this last period of thirty years, has it not? *'A. Not very mucJi among the older aged group, hut essentially among babies and infants, and that has helped to bring the gen-eral tendency up, due to better care of children, the breast feeding, and the reduction of diarrheal diseases — for instance, diar- rheal diseases were the main cause of the deaths in children under one year of age. Now respiratory diseases are the main cause of the deaths in children under one year of age. '*0. It is a fact, is it not. Doctor, that there are more people today living over forty, compared to the general number of people, than there were thirty years ago ? "A. Not nuiterially, I don't think, in that age span. "O. Over forty? "A. Not pro rata from the number that were • there, not near in the proportion that thev are in the younger age group. The point I am trying to bring out, the essential saving of life has all been done in the younger age group from ten to eighteen, prob- ably, in my opinion. "O. If they have been saved, they grow up? - *'A. Yes, they grow ifp later on to help increase our deaths from cancer and heart disease, through tJie greater activity and factors that tliey nuiy be due to. -4 1 5 8 ^^ - "O. They grow up. so the deaths from pneumonia, cancer, heart disease, diahetes, are increased, is that right ? ''A. That is a factor in it. but are not increased to the degree where they are in respiratory diseases. "Q. What do you call respiratory diseases? "A. Respiratory diseases, essentially, I referred to flit, pneuiJiouia, hroncJiitis, and conditions of that . kindr Soon after this the court had to recess to go into cham- bers — to laugh. Judge Taylor decided to ignore all the prattle about the tower's menace to health. -4 \ 59 > CHAPTER xr; PUBLIC-PAID PROPAGANDA T he boldest boodling by Bundesen was in connection with pul)licity. ''Printing is the ^lother of CiviHzation," but in his case it is the ''Stepmother of Graft." Mr. Gore, the auditor for the Sanitary District, says in his financial report that "During the year ending De- cember 31, 1928, the expenses of the health department amounted to $248,431.86. As previously stated, these ex- penses were incurred principally for the purpose of pub- licity." Among the items listed by Mr. Gore were ''signs, ix)st- ers, and booklets," amounting to $52,512.50. At nine official meetings of the Sanitary District, Bun- desen o. k.'d 95 vouchers, all under $500, which amounted to $41,732.25. These vouchers were for printing alleged to have ])een done by ^[. Kallis, who appeared under his own name and also had a "phony" company called the Lae-Jack Company. This device was employed because Kallis was getting so many vouchers, all under $500, that it looked bad in the record for one man to be getting so much money without submitting the matter of the print- ing to bids. These bills, of course, could not be paid without the endorsement of Bundesen. That he was aware of the 1 6 >- existence of the conspiracy is evidenced by the awkward alibi which he later gives in his secret ''confession." Kallis is a brother-in-law of the late ]\Iike Rosenberg, who ''discovered" Bundesen when he was let out of the Health Department of the city. He is the son of an old saloon keeper named Sudvoisky, whose Russian name did not appeal to the artistic taste of Alort Kallis. We, there- fore, have Sudvoisky alias Kallis alias Lae-Jack allied with the pseudo scientist to skin the taxpayers out of their money. Sudvoiskv, or Kallis. and Bundesen were not stranijers to each other. It is to be remembered that Bundesen had Kallis print the flaming red card which was used in his "Red Light Racket." Let us now examine the alibi of this brass-faced, vocif- erous boodler, who again puts forward his man Klebba, who only succeeds in making matters worse. "Bundesen : Now those are the facts. \Mien they talk about $52,000 for a president's message, we did not have a darn thing to do with the president's mes- sage. We never saw the president's message before it was gotten up. We never sent a copy of the pres- ident's message out to a soul. We had a list that had nothing to do with any other list that we had and nothing was ever sent out of the president's message or anything like that from the Department of Health and we had nothing to do with the distributing of the president's message and you will find that the most of the expenditures had to do with the president's message. "The elevated advertising and bill poster advertis- ing, we did not have anything to do with that. When we refused to o.k. the bills and I had told I\Ir. Klebba that we had nothing to do with that, then we were told that was the proportion that was pro rata set aside for every department. You will not l)e -4 1 6 1 >- able to prove anything by any records, and I am not saying that in a spirit of covering anything up, don't you see, but you will find we did not have anything to do with the publicity. Our expenditure was just a small percentage of the whole, and I think I can find a memorandum of approximately what each expense went for. I think we can find it, be- cause this same statement was made to the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Tribune was going to come out with it and before the Chicago Tribune came out with it they went over and looked at the records and when Mr. Lee talked with me I said, T haven't anything to fear. If you will check back the records you will find that we have been absolutely clean in this thing,' and the Chicago Tribune man did go over there and I have a summary of the figures I gave them and I will be glad to give them to you. I think I can find them. "Dr. Bundesex : Well Boettiger himself went OA'er evervthin^ and I think if vou will talk to him he will recall the facts, that he went over there for the Tribune and went over the records and so reported back to them. He just walked in in a brutal way and he said, 'You talked to ^Ir. Lee and these statements have been made.' I asked him to go over the records and he went over the records. If you talk to Air. Lee you will find he is convinced that so far as the Department of Health was con- cerned we did not do anything but what was right in this case." It seems Air. Lee is better informed than Auditor Gore. "Bundesex : Xow I am making a definite state- ment to you and I am asking that you check up with Mr. Lee." Our hero, dependent during all of his official career upon the press for a certificate of character, deems it suf- ficient in this case if Air. Lee of the Tribune approves his endorsing vouchers for printed matter which he never --4 1 6 2 >~ saw. He admits that he put his name, or had it put there by Klebba, upon scores of vouchers for sending out the president's, Tim Crowe's, message, but says, "We didn't have a darn thing to do with the president's mes- sage" ; and, "We never sent a coj^y of the president's message out to a soul." Now let us look at Air. Klebba's alibi. He was asked, '"You approved the vouchers for the president's message at the distinct request of some one in the District who told you that the expense of printing was allocated among the various departments of the District? Is that right?" And Air. Klebba replied, *'Yes, and somebody upstairs, I think it was the auditor up there — not the auditor, one of the men who work on the books. I don't remember their names. But, one man said, when I asked how we were getting along, I said, 'Afy God, we are running way past our budget,' and he said, 'Well, that is all right. They will equalize the thing somehow.' " When asked who told him that, Klebba replied, "I think it was the fellow with the curly hair. I can't think of his name. He works on the books. I would know him if I saw him." It must be a great satisfaction to the taxpayers who paid Victor Klebba $6,500 a year and perquisites to labor in the vineyard of the Sanitary District. When there was any irregularity he was able to locate the responsibility — 'Tt was the fellow with the curly hair." When asked if he ever talked to any of the Trustees about the matters to which he and Bundesen objected, he replied, 'T never had any communication with the Trus- tees." When asked if he had ever talked to any of the Trustees about anything, he answered, "No." Perhaps we should not be too severe on Klebba, whose -4 16 3 >°- knowledge was so nebulous, when we glance at the state- ment of his chief, who received $15,000 a year; a $6,000 car; $750 to maintain it; a $2,200 chauffeur to drive it, and other valuable considerations, and who makes this illuminating statement concerning the message of Tim Crowe, president of the Sanitary District, for which the taxpayers were charged an immense sum for printing and mailing. We quote: "Yes, I thought there was a lot of fine stuff in it (the president's message). The president's message I saw had many things concerning the conduct of the Sanitary District that every citizen should know about. We did not read it in detail. I just remem- ber going over it. It was not a very elaborate book. It was a book, as I remember it, that opened up sidewise. It had a brown cover on it." Here we have "a book that opened up sidewise. It had a brown cover on it." The vouchers for printing and mailing this book were o.k.'d because somebody with curly hair said it was all right. Ain't science wonderful? If our hero denies responsibility on one page, he pres- ently forgets and assumes it on another. When asked, "What publicity did you contemplate when you made up the budget ?" Dr. Bundesen replied : "The sending out of bulletins and booklets, etc., regarding the activity of the Sanitary District so that the public might become more familiar with what the desires of the Sanitary District were. There was a great deal of controversy at the time regarding the diversion of the Lake and the matter of losing ten thousand cubic feet per second that we had, and for that reason — and that was our suggestion, and not any of the Board of Trustees' suggestion — we felt it would be a good thing from time to time to send out material and familiarize people with the -4 1 6 4 >- works and duties of the Department of Health and of the Sanitary District." Carlyle says of Cagliostro : **The man could not speak ; only babble in long winded diffusions, chaotic circumvolutions tending no whither . . . Let him begin the plainest story his stream stagnates at the first stage ; chafes, ahem ! ahem! loses itself in the earth; or, bursting over flies abroad without bank or channel, — into separate plashes. Not a stream but a lake, a wide-spread in- definite marsh. His whole thought is confused, in- extricable ; what thought, what resemblance of thought he has, cannot deliver itself, except in gasps, blustering gushes, spasmodic refluences which make bad worse." From the book with the "brown cover," the printing and mailing of which was o. k.'d by a "fellow with curly hair," there appears this juicy paragraph, which may have con- vinced our hero that it was "full of good stuff" : "Through the appointment of Dr. Herman X. Bundesen to the position of Director of Health the citizens of the entire district are assured of the services of a distinguished sanitarian whose wise counsel should prove most helpful." "^ 1 6 5 ^^ CHAPTER XVII "EVERYBODY'S HEALTH" The article published in this booklet is one of a series of lectures delivered to the Citizens' School of Health Instruction, by Mr. T. J. Crowe, Pres- ident Board of Trustees of the Sanitary Dis- trict of Chicago, as a part of the course given by that institution. It is written and published to further the objects and purposes of that school, and so that students and prospective students may be- come familiar with its facilities and courses of study. Also, in order that students may come to know the qualifications of the faculty and other lecturers, we shall publish, from time to time, brief biographies of these men and women." ■ — Preface to Lecture by T. J. Crowe IN Dr. Bundesen's ''Everybody's Health," October 8, 1928. everal thousand dollars was stolen from the taxpayers in 1928 by Herman X. Bundesen to pro- mote his political fortunes under the guise of educating the public on health and sanitation. This statement is confirmed by the official auditor of the Sanitary District, Mr. Gore, by Bundesen's secret "confession," and by public records. When Bundesen was eliminated from the Health De- partment of Chicago he had no organ of propaganda. On February 15, 1928, soon after he attached himself to the pay roll of the Sanitary District, he incorporated at -4 1 6 6 ►- Springfield a fake institution called "Citizens' School of Health Instruction." The purix)se as stated in the ap- ph'cation for the charter is as follows: "We, the undersigned, Herman N. Bundesen, Vic- tor Klebba, and Ralph J. Gutgsell, citizens of the United States, propose to form a corporation under an Act of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, entitled 'An Act Concerning Corporations,' approved April 18, 1872, and all acts amendatory thereof : and for the purpose of such organization we hereby state as follows, to-wit : "1. The name of such corporation is Citizens' School of Health Instruction. "2. The object for which it is formed is (practi- cal instruction in public hygiene) and Sanitary Science and in all matters pertaining to the public health by means of laboratory and practical demon- stration under the tuition and supervision of experts ; also popular education on these subjects by weekly bulletins, circulars, pamphlets, and other forms of publication to be distributed gratis. "3. The management of the aforesaid corporation shall be vested in a board of three directors. "4. The following persons are hereby elected as the directors to control and manage the corporation for the first year of its corporate existence, viz. : "Herman N. Bundesen, 7414 Oglesby Avenue, Chicago. "Victor Klebba, 232 E. Erie Street, Chicago. "Ralph J. Gutgsell, 4104 Ellis Avenue, Chicago. "5. The location is in the City of Chicago, County of Cook, State of Illinois, and the postof^ce address of its business office is No. 178 W. ]\Iadison Street, in the City of Chicago. (Signed) Herman N. Bundesen. Victor Klebba. Ralph J. Gutgsell. -< 1 6 7 >- The gentlemen associated with Coroner Bundesen in this plausible adventure are Victor Klebba, his man Fri- day for the past six years, and Ralph Gutgsell, office as- sociate of Lowell B. Mason. ^lason was a State Senator from Oak Park, and frequently appeared before Bunde- sen when Bundesen was holding his "Moot Court" in the Health Department, to decide whether chemicals could be ])ut in ground meat, or other matters connected with pub- lic health in which commercial interests are involved. Mr. Mason was generally successful after his presentation to our noted sanitarian. The meat of the matter is in Paragraph 2, which should be reread after the perusal of this chapter. If laughter is conducive to physical well being, then we believe that Coroner Bundensen inadvertently has contributed to pub- lic health by this alleged school. It is interesting to note who constituted the faculty of "experts" whose lectures w^ere delivered to a school that had no students nor classrooms, but were printed at the expense of the taxpayers, circulated at the cheapest pos- sible rate by deceiving the post office, and contained the most palpable political propaganda to further the fortunes of Bundesen and others who were candidates for office. In Volume I, Number 24, October 28, 1928, of "Every- body's Health," the appears an historical lecture by Mr. T. J. Crowe. The bulletin states that it is "published in the interests of higher education every Monday by the Citizens' School of Health Instruction, 178 W. ^Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois." The lecture is prefaced by a graphic sketch of the lec- turer, Mr. Crowe. We quote: "Nigh unto fifty years ago, T. J. Crowe was born ~< 1 6 8 }> - in Clinkerville, a steel mill section of Chicago. His life and rise to success are a most interesting story of struggle and achievement. "Denied the advantages of a complete education, Mr. Crowe patterned his career after the men who had reached the top under many handicaps, using his spare time to enrich his knowledge. "Living close to the river in the 'old days,' he recognized the urgent need for more sanitary con- ditions, and, even while a youth, resolved to have a hand in correcting the evils that then existed. "Before entering public life. ]\Ir. Crowe worked as a clerk in the real estate office of Paul Schneider, whose fine example was an inspiration to him. He later served as deputy chief clerk of the county clerk's office, as state bank examiner, as chief clerk of the county clerk's offi.ce, and as chief clerk of the county treasurer's office during several administra- tions. From this office he was elected to a trustee- ship of the Sanitary District — one of the goals he had so long sought. "On account of his knowledge of sanitary condi- tions and the exceptional work performed as a trustee, he was elected President of the Sanitarv Board in 1927. "His clear vision, energy and progressiveness have enabled the Sanitary District to accompHsh unusual improvements which have reflected to the greater health of Chicago and Cook County." r is amusing to note how ^Ir. Crowe got his inspira- tion to become a sanitarian, and consequently a member of the faculty of Bundesen's School of Health : "Living rlose to the river m the 'old days,' he recognized the urgent if :^d for more sanitary conditions, and. even while still a yo' th. resolved to have a hand in correcting the evils that then existed." -4 1 6 9 >■- This does not quite equal the high purpose which actu- ated Herman X. Ikmdesen to hecome a great surgeon. You will recall, gentle reader, that when a ragged urchin he was wont to climb a tree to watch emergency operations in Mercy Hospital. In his germ-laden streets rags he was regularly admitted to the operating room where the surgeons worked. ^Nlr. Crowe's lecture contains some new historical data. We learn that "In 1863, when Marquette and Joliet, those daring French missionaries, arrived in their bark canoes at the present site of Chicago, the lake waters were clear and sparkling." Either we have been misinformed about the time when these two explorers arrived, or Coroner Bundesen's proof- reader is cockeyed. Aside from this new historical in- formation and the illustrations which served as political propaganda, the contents of this lecture have been stated again and again in various ways by the different indi- viduals. The next "expert" to deliver a lecture for this school, which had neither students nor classrooms, was ^Ir. James ]\I. W'halen. Sanitary District Trustee and candidate for reelection, about three weeks after his lecture appeared in print. Mr. Whalen's lecture also was preceded by a historical sketch which included a boost for E. I. Kelly, chief engi- neer of the Sanitary District, and close friend of Coroner Bundesen. We learn from this preface that '']Mr. Whalen was an active factor in the great legal battle before the Supreme Court of the United States which resulted in the confirmation of Chicago's right to divert a sufficient volume of water from Lake ^lichigan to the Sanitary Canal to i)rotect Chicago's health." We are advised, too. 1 7 >'~ that "this lecture is one of a series delivered to the stu- dents of the Citizens' School of Health Instiuction hy Mr. James M. W'halen, as a part of their course in that institution. It is puljlished to further the ol)jects and pur- poses of that school and so that students and jjrospective students ma}- hecome familiar with the course of study." Air. W'halen's lecture contains the old padded patter al^out how the health of Chicago has heen enhanced hy the Sanitary District. This we have heen told on Ijillboards, in elevated stations, booklets and daily newspapers, and we are painfully reminded of it every time wt pay our taxes. The most outstanding lecture of 1928 was delivered by Coroner Bundesen's Man Friday, Victor Klebba. This lecture appeared on September 24, 1928, in Volume I, Number 28, of "Everybody's Health." There is no sketch of Air. Klebba's life in this issue; merelv the statement that "This lecture is one of a series delivered to the students of the Citizens' School of Health Instruction by Mr. Victor Klebba, one of the faculty, as a part of their course in that institution. It is published to further the objects and purposes of that school and so that its students and prospective students may become familiar with its course of study." It is a curious thing to discover that while Klebba is alleged to be the lecturer, the thing was written by Dorothy Cocks, and is a reprint from a magazine article pul)lished while Bundesen was Health Commissioner. This "lecture" is an over-sweetened dose of propa- ganda concerning one Herman N. Bundesen, who was a candidate for Coroner at the time. Let us see now where the money came from to pay for the publication of this privately owned bulletin, -< 17 I >- ''Everybody's Health," the organ of a school which had no students, no classroomis, and some of whose faculty we have just discussed. Auditor Gore records in his official report, "For print- ing Health Bulletin, $4,564.30." Coroner Bundesen in his secret ''confession" says that the amount ran around $5,000. In answer to the question, "What was the Citizens' School of Health Instruction ?" we note the following : "Dr. Bundesen : That was a school that had nothing to do with the Sanitary District in any way. "Question : Was it organized before or after you went with the Sanitary District? "Bundesen : Well, it was organized right after I went with The Daily News and the Sanitary District had nothing to do with the organization of it and as matter of fact at the time the trustees knew nothing about the school and probably do not know at this time anything about the school nor did at any time the Sanitary District have anything to do with it. ["The trustees knew nothing about the "school" but two of them "lectured" for it. — Ed.] "Question : Well, where were the lectures given there ? "Dr. Bundesen : Well, some of them were given in The Daily News. The majority of them were given over in The Daily News. Some of them were given at the Sanitary District, a few, and the majority of them were given where they are being given right now and have been given ever since we have been away from there. The school is going on. It has been published every week at The Daily News Fresh Air Fund Sanitarium where we have practical classes in instructing mothers how to take care of babies and other matters having to do with the gen- eral matters of health. -4. 1 7 2 K^- "QuESTiON : Well now, wait a minute ; you do not want me to understand, do you, that Tim Crowe actually delivered the lectures that appear in this Exhibit A? ''Dr. Bundesen : No, but I do want yuu to understand that he was going to deliver that lecture and that was a part of the course that was going to be given, until this whole thing was wrecked. That is what I want you to understand. "OuESTiON : Well, what was wrecked? ''Dr. Buxdesen : Well, the whole department. "OuESTiox : When was it wrecked? ''Dr. Buxdesen : Well, it started to be wrecked around there when these investigations started. This was a plan we were going to use for years. "Question : Well, now, let us stop a minute. This document was printed on October 8, 1928? ''Dr. Bundesen: Yes. "Question : It says : 'The article published in this booklet is one of a series of lectures delivered to the Citizens' School of Health Instruction.' "Dr. Bundesen : Yes, that is right. ''Question : Xow. vou do not want me to un- derstand that Tim Crowe had a single solitary thing to do with the preparation of that lecture, do you? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. I do. "Question : Well, you amaze me again. I have talked to Tim Crowe. I know Tim Ciowe and the kind of mental machinery he has got. "Dr. Bundesen : Well, you just think of the question you asked me. You said ]\Ir. Crowe did not have a single thing to do with that. That lec- ture was written. It was written bv ]Mr. Gorman and myself, and Mr. Klebba in the main. It was given to Mr. ^IcCabe and Mr. Crowe. After he read it Mr. Crowe made certain suggestions that ~< 17 3 >- were put in there. That is just exactly what I mean and those are the honest facts. "Question : Do you remember what suggestions he made ? "Dr. Bi'XDESEx: Xo, I cannot. That isn't any evasion, either. I will tell you frankly that there were not many and I have never maintained he prepared that an}- more than . . . "OuESTiON : He did not stand on his feet and deliver that lecture to anybody. "Dr. Buxdesex : Xo, he did not, but it was the intention that he should. And you have taken a school that has nothing to do except to give out publicity and you have taken two lectures out of one hundred and fifty and picked them out as an example. "Question : Will you let me have the other three that were published down there, making the whole five ? "Dr. Bundesen : Sure. Xot only that, but I will give you all those things that we published, the bulletins that were published. And none of this stuff was paid for by the Sanitary District except such stufif that had definitely and positively to do with the Sanitary District all the way through. "Question : Yes. And that same thing vou told about the lecture having been prepared by you gentlemen . . . "Dr. Bundesen : Was prepared by Whalen. "QuESTiox : ... is true as to Whalen. "Dr. Buxdesen : Yes. "QuESTiox : All right. Xow, let me ask you ; I have said in the bill that the Citizens' School of Health Instruction had no persons whomsoever en- rolled as students thereof at any time. Xow, that is right, isn't it ? "Dr. Buxdesex : N'o, it is not. fe -4 17 4 ^'- "OuESTiON : You did have students enrolled? *'Dr. Bundesen : Yes, we did. I might tell vou further that the formation of this school was on the same basis as the formation of the school that was formed twenty years ago in the Health Depart- ment. And it was conducted on the same basis as the school was conducted in the Health Department and is now conducted in the same way, and that these two bulletins were submitted and passed on by the Post Office Department and that the Post Of- fice Department did suggest that in the future is- sues of that, that we refrain from putting into our stuff — it would be better ; we were not ordered to do it, but it was suggested that we refrain from put- ting in those statements . . . "Question : 'Herman X. Bundesen, Head of the Health Department of the Sanitary District' ? "Dr. Bundesen : No, no. "Question : Yes. "Dr. Bundesen : No, no. No, they did not ask that. The requirement under the second class privilege was that we had to put down 'Herman N. Bundesen, President and Health Editor.' "OuESTioN : All rio^ht. "Dr. Bundesen: 'Herman N. Bundesen, Pres- ident and Health Editor' and not President of the Sanitary District, because the Sanitary District did not at any time ever have anything to do with this school and now hasn't anything to do with the school. "Question : But, nevertheless. Doctor, these two pamphlets sent out on October 8, 1928, with Crowe's picture, and on October 15, 1928, with Whalen's picture, just three weeks and two weeks respectively before the election of November 6, 1928, whereas thev were candidates for reelection on the Sanitary District — those pamphlets were paid for by the Sanitarv District, weren't thev ? -< 1 7 5 >°~ "Dr. Bundesen : Well, there was nothing to say that they were candidates and there isn't any- thing in there to show they were candidates and at the same time other bulletins were sent out also every week. "Question: Now, then, it is a fact, however, that everyl)ody in Chicago who read and learned knew that Tim Crowe and W'halen were both candi- dates for reelection. The newspapers were full of it at the time, weren't they? (No answer.) "Question : You say there were ten or twelve actual students? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. "Question : Who were those men, employees of the Sanitary District or who were they? "Dr. Bundesen : Somie of them were employed ])y the Sanitary District and some were not. "Question : Do you reonember the names of those offhand that were not? "Dr. Bundesen : No, but I can get it for you. "Question : xA.!! right. Now, the allegation is that it did not have a faculty at any time. Did you have a faculty? "Dr. Bundesen : Sure, we had a faculty. "Question : Who were the members of the faculty ? "Dr. Bundesen: Well, Gorman, Fishbein, Klebba, myself, Gutgsell and various men who helped in the preparation and the getting out of our stuff that we were sending out. "Question : Well, Fishbein was an employe of your department down at the Sanitary District wasn't he? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. "Question : /Vnd Gorman was and Klebba was ? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. -4 1 7 6 >- "Question : ^Iv. Klebba, have vou ever had any professional instruction in any of the three learned professions ; medicine, law . . . "Dr. Buxdesen : Or salesmanship. "Question: ... or theology? These are the three learned professions. "Mr. Klebba : Yes, I have. "Question : Tell me about it. "Mr. Klebba : I have had a year of theology. "Dr. Bundesen : Of course we do not claim we taught theology . . . "Question : Xow, isn't it a fact, Doctor, be- tween us girls now, that that bulletin was gotten up in the furtherance of Tim Crowe's campaign for reelection and Jimmie AMialen's campaign for reelection ? Xow, isn't that the fact about it ? "Dr. Bundesen : Well, it was not gotten out to hurt them in any way, but we were scrupulously careful to see that there wasn't any inference or intimation anything put in there that had to do with the election." This glimpse into the workings of a great school of Sanitation and Health Instruction by experts should create in the lay mind profound respect for the thing called "Science." It is an apt illustration of how taxpayers are robbed by specious propaganda which furthers the jwlitical fortunes of politico-medical charlatans. < 17 7 > ?? CHAPTER XVIII THE MOSQUITO ABATEMENT FARCE" he Panama Canal could not be put on the map until the species of mosquito which carried the germs of yellow fever was put off the map. Theodore Roosevelt selected a great sanitarian, Dr. Gorgas, and instructed him to draw upon the Government for as many men and as much money as he needed to clean up the Canal Zone. It is interesting to compare the size of the task, and the cost of the enterprise, under Dr. Gorgas, with the slipshod, wasteful, nay, unessential mosquito abatement in which Dr. Bundesen participated. The task of Dr. Gorgas was to wipe out a species of mosquito which carried the deadly yellow fever. Bun- desen was playing with an insect which is not a carrier of diseases. Dr. Gorgas cleaned up the entire Canal Zone, in which there were two cities of considerale size. Bundesen's al- leged campaign was carried on principally in the Des Plaines River Valley and up in the Skokie V^alley, but the great mosquito breeding region on the south side was practically ignored. Dr. Gorgas spent $400,000 a year and cleaned up the Panama Canal Zone. Bundesen and his accomplices '4 17 8 3^° «c s ^ o ■^ ^ •4<; 5;j •v -is "^ G o ■v ^1^ <; c S-, ^^ c -« O; s :^ - squander $672,870.38 in less than a year for items which we shall examine later in detail. Dr. Gorgas could point to definite physical achievement for the money he spent. For example, Frederich J. Has- kin in his book, "The Panama Canal," says : "During one year about 16,000,000 square yards of brush was cut and burned ; a million square yards of swamp was drained ; 30,000,000 yards of grass was cut; 250,000 feet of ditches were dug (i. e., over 47.3 miles) ; and some 2,000,000 linear feet of old ditches were cleaned (over ^7ii.S miles). "During the same year nearly a million garbage cans and over 300,000 refuse cans were emptied. In addition to looking after the health of the Canal Zone itself, it was necessary to care for that of the cities of Panama and Colon. In the city of Panama 11,000 loads of sweepings and 25,000 loads of garbage were removed in one year ; 3,000,000 gal- lons of water were sprinkled on the streets and as much more distributed to the poor of the city." Turn now to the Bundesen Ijoodle, and examine the items taken from the report of the Auditor, Mr. Gore : Signs $2,564.78 We reproduce on another page a sample of the signs. The names of the politicians had been painted out. Imagine Dr. Gorgas putting up such a sign to extermi- nate mosquitoes ! Mosquito oil $21,999.61 Kerosene, gas and oil 875.53 We would ex^Dect to find a much larger item for kero- sene. But kerosene was too common for our aristocratic North Shore mosquitoes. In some cases miosquito dope costing $4.50 a gallon was purchased from a West Side druggist. -4 1 8 ^ - It may have been this expensive dope that lulled some of the exterminators to sleep. Citizens report many mos- quito fighters j>eacefully sleeping in the shade of the forest preserve. Cost of field offices and storage houses $ 5,366.91 Field office expenses 4,864.24 Rental of equipment 20,545.13 Insurance 2,450.50 Photographs 5,428.00 Wearing apparel 3,976.66 Traveling expenses 3,812.23 Teaming and trucking 22,936.07 Miscellaneous supplies 2,588.00 Explosives 5,910.30 Blasting and digging ditches 158,319.45 Printing mosquito prevention literature 2,492.92 Service of special engineers 8,027.45 Main office expenses 937.50 Decoration of main office 937.50 Hardware, steel and tools 3,\63.S>6 jNIachinery repairs 982.50 Sand, gravel and cement 1,964.79 Tvphoid inoculation 1,945.00 Lumber 1,041.28 Sewer pipe 249.60 Row boat 108.50 Carpenters 3,176.90 Watchmen 3,952.47 Field inspectors 1,725.00 Inspectors 395.83 Head timekeeper 16.12 Timekeepers 3,116.80 Tool clerks 500.00 Draftsmen 750.54 Iron workers 1,027.74 Cement finishers 425.87 -4 1 8 1 ]^- Senior clerks 302.00 Clerks 2.570.83 Material clerk 100.00 Foremen 1,197.30 Sub-foremen 4,567.42 Hoist engineer 1,200.05 General engineer 38.71 Assistant engineer 1,200.05 General engineer 39.85 Air compressor engineer 125.80 Engineer 102.86 Laborers 172,421.36 Total paid $472,970.38 The ]\IcKeon Brothers' bills for mosquito control have not yet been allocated, due to the fact that the bills have not been paid. We can only report : Unitemized $200,000.00 Making a grand total for mosquitoes. .$672,970.38 Contrast with this the achievements of Dr. Gorgas in the Panama Canal Zone and then decide whether the title of this chapter is too strong. "Not since the Science of Healing opened its doors to the Science of Prevention have physicians scored a greater victory in the fight against disease and death than on the Isthmus of Panama." Not in the annals of Cook County has a fraud so huge and so brazen in the name of ''Science" been put over as Bundesen's ''Mosquito Control." Let us examine Bundesen's alibi again in his secret "confession," as we have examined his alibies with refer- ence to other Sanitary District expenditures : "Question : Well, what else was the pay roll there used for, Doctor, do you know? "Dr. Bundesen : Well, those activities that had to do with the Health Department in the work 18 2 W- of the sewage pollution of the Calumet, the work of the mosquito abatement which we handled or took part in during the summer and fall, the survey lead- ing up to those places where there were ditches and where there were low spots that had to be dredged in midchannel. "Question : Do you remember when the mosquito survey was made? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes, during the summertime. ''Question: Not before? ''Dr. Bundesen : Well, yes, we started in Febru- ary. I think it was February or March. It was in the early spring before the breeding of mosquitoes occurred. "Question : When was it you made the garage survey and the dye cleaning places, the survey of them? "Dr. Bundesen: Well, those were made around about those times. They may have been made in between and then possibly overlapping some. You see where the work would lend itself to assignments, if we had a dry spell for thirty days it was not much use to send men out to look for pools where mosquitoes might breed. If we had heavy rains then it would be well to send men out and endeavor to locate where the accumulations of pools and waters were so they could be ditched and oiled before a succeeding crop of mosquitoes would come from them, because when they once make a start they will run away. "I think the residents of the North Shore and the Skokie Valley and the Des Plaines Valley will tell you there were fewer mosquitoes that year than there have ever been before, and this year where the work has not been done it was almost impos- sible to get on the outside after dark or even in the daytime to get on the golf links, so I think that that survey was a well worth-while survey and pro- ductive of good results." ~< 1 8 3 >- The discomfort of the gentlemen on the golf links be- fore Coroner Bundesen exterminated the harmless little mosquito would certainly go a long way toward the justification of the exj^enditure of $672,970.38. We know that many humble wage earners could not meet the payments on their little homes and pay their taxes to the Sanitary District grafters, yet their votes can be secured by sending to the wonien a nicely illustrated l)aby book, stolen from the city^ and copy- ris^hted bv our hero. According to Bundesen's "confession," he decided where the mosquitoes should be "abated" ; how they should be "abated," and kept the pay roll of the men working at the "abatement." Furthermore, in his official communi- cations to the Board of Trustees he took the responsibility and claimed the credit for the work of the mosquito abatement. Let us pursue his "confession" a little further to see how the thing was handled : "Question : Well, didn't you make any expendi- tures at all for mosquito abatement in the Health Department ? "Dr. Bundesen : Practically none. Here is what happened : It was my thought that the way to handle this was that if we were going to have a raosquito abatement we should have it completely; that the men and the entire handling of the thing ought to be in my department under my jurisdiction, "We took the matter up with Mr. Miller, who is in charge of the department of — I think they call it Permanent Plants and Maintenance. "Question : Permanent Plants and Structures ? "Answer : Permanent Plants and Structures. And they decided they had the trucks and they had -4 1 8 4 >■ Office of McKcon Brothers, 2210 West Grand Avenue. McKeons received over $52,000 in 1928, and claimed $200,000 more for Mosquito Abatement. Science is expensive. -^185 >- the men and they had the materials and that they would be the service department for us. "So we started to outline a plan for them. We did not feel it would work out. \\t did not think it would be a good way of handling it. "OuESTiox : That is, by Sve' vou mean vou and Klebba? '*Dr. Bundesen : Xo, Gorman and I. We sent Gorman down to LaPrince and we presented our plan to LaPrince and he approved our plan before we went through with it. That is how far we went toward getting the right kind of a plan. We wanted to do that for this reason : In the Health Depart- ment when inspectors were sent to us we would outline the character of work they had to do and in a political position men do not want to work oftentimes. Particularly if they are statesmen. By statesmen, I mean ward committeemen. So we were constantly taking it upon ourselves to fire men and take them olTf the pay roll if they did not do a day's work every day. "Question : How many instances of that kind were there ? "Dr. Bundesen : Oh, innumerable instances, in- stance after instance. There wasn't a week that we did not lay somebody off. "Question : For not working ? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. That is, for not doing enough work or not working at all or not doing the character of work that we thought was reasonable. "We were not putting up any standard so high that the average man could not live up to it, and when we fired men we just took them off the pay roll. That is all the argument there was to it and we refused to sign the pay roll unless what we put on the pay roll stayed on the pay roll or what we took oft" stayed oft' that pay roll. -< 1 8 6 i^~ "Xow, I think you can verify that from ]\Ir. Crowe and various trustees. They never put any pressure on me to keep anybody on that I laid oft'. If they would not do the work, they stayed off. They did not put any pressure on me to keep them on. That is the reason I wanted to have the pay rolls in the mosquito abatement work under me. But, they decided it would l)e under the Permanent F^lants and Structures and we endeavored to work out a plan and it ju.^t went from 1)ad to worse. We just could not work it out and two or three times we threatened to chuck the whole thing over." (But didn't. j Here is a very interesting discovery. Bundesen in his "confession" says that he kept the time sheets but refused to sign the pay roll. Xow the pay roll for laborers amounted to $172,421.36. He states also that he em- ployed the engineers. H* the pay roll was honestly kept, why was it not signed? If it was not an honest pay roll, why didn't Bundesen write a letter to the Trustees, or inform the press, that his employers, the taxpayers, might know that they were pouring money into a den of thieves? Let us pursue the alibi : "Question : You say you bought none of the materials that were used ? "Dr. Bundesen : Xone of them. All of the charges you make in here, we had nothing to with it at all. If you check back you will see they were in the Department of Permanent Plants and Struc- tures and were not in our department at all. "Question : You want me to understand vou never had anything to do with the purchase of ma- terials regarding moscjuito abatement, neither dyna- mite . , . "Dr. Bundesen : Nothing. 18 7 >~ "Question : Nor oil ? "Dr. Bundesen : Nothing, nothing, nothing. "Question : Then all vou had to do with the mosquito abatement business was mapping the plan of campaign to overcome them, is that right? "Dr. Bundesen : Yes, and acting as the directing agent that followed the work through to see that it was being done. "Question : Well, didn't you tell them the kind of materials that you wanted? "Dr. Bundesen : Well, no, no, I du not think so. Of course, there is only one kind of material that you want and that is oil. If you want to place oil they will furnish oil. I do not even think we had anything to do with the buying of the oil. Did we? (addressing Mr. Klebba.) "AIr. Klebba : I don't know about that. "Dr. Bundesen : No, I do not think we did. "Question : What about the dynamite ? "Dr. Bundesen : We had nothing to do with the dynamite. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant places. The accepted plan was to midchannel. By midchanneling we mean getting a ditch in the middle, starting above and going down and making a ditch in the middle so the water will drain from above on down. The onlv wav vou can drain from the sides is to midchannel and the only way you can midchannel is to dynamite. "Before we took charge of it they were dynamit- ing in more or less of a haphazard way and after we got in we changed that system. We wanted it dynamited so many feet apart and so often and we went down midchannel and dynamited in the ac- cepted way of dynamiting. , . . • Let us see how much hokum there was. In the auditor's report appear the following items for blasting and dyna- miting : -4 1 8 8 Acme Blasting and Drainage Co., work as per contract $19,817.72 Commercial Powder & Dyn. Co., labor and material per contract 19,818.99 DuPont DeXemours, E. I. Co., dynamit- ing per contract 19,691.02 O'Brien, J. C, dynamiting 32,655.00 A total of $91,981.73 It is interesting to note that the Acme Blasting & Drainage Co. is not listed in the telephone book, nor is the Commercial Powder & Dynamite Co. We have not been able to find the J. C. O'Brien, but the following items, taken from the proceedings on June 21, 1928, are indicative of the method by which the coconspirators of Bundesen and Miller received their pay. The vouchers for one day payable to J. C. O'Brien are as follows: C. O'Brien, dynamiting services $490.00 C. O'Brien, dvnamiting services 490.00 C. O'Brien, dvnamitiuQ" services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 . C. O'Brien, dynamiting services 490.00 C. O'Brien, dvnamitino^ services 490.00 These gentlemen were not superstitious. There were thirteen vouchers for $490.00 each, making a total of $6,370 paid in one day. But let us see w^hat Bundesen thought of his achieve- ments. We resimie the ''confession'' : -4. 1 8 9 >■- "Question : Are you of the opinion that any- thing was accomplished in the mosquito campaign ? ''Dr. Bundesen : Yes. "Question : Why ?. "Dr. Bundesen : Because you had less mosqui- toes last year than you had in the years l^efore. There was better drainage. Any one will tell you that. Not long ago I talked to the man whose name we mentioned, Boettinger (of the Tribune), and he was playing golf on the north side" and he said, "Aly God, we are eaten up alive with mosquitoes this year." "Mr. Klebba : W^ell, in Wilmette the complaint out there was that mosquitoes this year were very heavy. "Dr. Bundesen : Yes. I do not say that 100 per cent on the dollar was gotten for the money ex- pended. I am not here to say that. I do not know on the basis of what those fellows were paid, but I do answer you in all fairness when you ask if we accomplished anything; you are damned right, we accomplished a lot in there." Having examined the "oily" alibi of Bundesen, let us now look at his rosy report to the Trustees on December 6, 1928: "Ridding the communities of the Sanitary District of mosquitoes is a problem which strikes directly at the health and comfort of its citizens. Breeding of mosquitoes was found in miany instances to be due to or allied with the drainage work of the dis- trict, and this led to a definite effort to destroy the breeding places. "This was not a haphazard campaign, in which a few stagnant pools and marshes in isolated places were drained or treated. Entire communities were surveyed, and preventative measures of permanent nature were followed through. -"^ 19 >'- "The work was done in active cooperation with the Gorgas Memorial Institute, the trustees of the North Shore and Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement Districts, and the Cook County Forest Preserve District. "These five agencies were organized into a regional mosquito abatement board for the purpose of devel- oping a comprehensive cooperative program for work to be carried out in Chicago and vicinity. A schedule for a year's work was established and has been carried out in accordance with the plans agreed upon by a board of engineers appointed from the various districts represented. Aluch progress had been made in eliminating mosquito breeding. "The outstanding work performed this season was the construction of a drainage channel through Skokie Alarsh. This marshy area has been for years a prolific breeding ground for one of the most pestiferous type of mosquito known to this section. These pests have, during the past few years invaded the north shore suburbs to such an extent that out- door life in the summertime has been almost unbear- able. Since the flood water, following the July storms, subsided there has been little or no breed- ing in this marsh." -< 19 1)^° CHAPTER XIX BUNDESEN, BOOZE, AND BUNK D oes Coroner Biindesen have any opin- ions about booze? Yes, what opinion do you want? He can supply it on short notice. When George Brennan was running for the United States Senate on a wet track, Bundesen was told he ought to do something to help the Boss. Soon after there appeared an interview, in the press, in which Bundesen said, "Aloderate drmking is the best rule for health." Continuing he said that if liquor were prepared under proper safeguards, from good materials, the moderate drinker has a better chance for health than the total abstainer. Recently Dr. Richard C. Cabot, distinguished physician and professor of social ethics at Harvard University, said : "In some respects moderate drinking is more serious to the health than immoderate drinking. If a man gets thoroughly drunk, a time comes when he can't drink any more. The dangerous driver of an automobile is not the man who is dead drunk, but the one who has had one or two drinks anc^ then thinks he is as good or a little better than he was before." Coroner Bundesen is quoted in the Herald and Ex- -4 1 9 2 >'- aminer of December 29, 1928. as saying that bootleg liquor is now safer : "Lal^els are liars, but the stuff in the bottles probably won't kill you. ''That is the boiled down verdict reached by the Coroner's office vesterdav. based on death statistics for the year 1928. "Bootleggers, Coroner Bundesen found, have be- come more skillful chemists. "Only 1 per cent of the samples we analyzed proved to be genuine, but the stuff' was not so poisonous as usual." But. only two months later, James O'Donnell Bennett needed a booze story for the Chicago Tribune, and our hero was interviewed to help furnish the copy. In Air. Bennett's mellifluous phrases he quotes Coroner Bundesen as saying that the gangsters were distillers and distrilni- tors of death unlimited. Bundesen is quoted as saying : "Fusel oil ! There's a killer. In the best whiskey there was always fusel oil. Science kept it to a minimum of less than 0.2 per cent in the distillate. But the ignorant, desperate tenement house manu- facturer for the gangsters of boozedom neither knows how nor has time to eliminate much of the fusel oil from his product." Just why bootleg liquor was "safer" in 1928, and sud- denly becomes dangerous again in 1929, can only be explained by the extraordinary mental agility of our hero. Speaking of redistilling alcohol for bootleg purposes, Coroner Bundesen is quoted as saying : "No tenement house distiller who is trying to redistill commercial or denatured alcohol as a basis for his bogus whiskey is able to get the denaturing- poisons out — and he knows that if he knows any- ~< 19 3 ^~ thing. The denaturant most frequently found in our specimens of bootleg liquor is wood alhohol. "Undiluted wood alcohol taken internally is deadly poison. "A comparatively moderate dose of it can produce dangerous effects which last three or four days. "As small a quantity as a teaspoonful has pro- duced blindness. "In the majority of fatal cases, death from wood alcohol comes within twenty-four hours, and there have l)een cases where wood alcohol killed in less than an hour." There seems to be a strange discrepancy, however, ])etween Coroner Bundesen and his former Chief Chem- ist, the late Dr. Webster. This gentleman was called to Peoria to testify on behalf of bootleggers whose concoc- tions had killed a number of victims in and about that city. Among other things Dr. Webster said : ". . •. There are some individuals who show rapid action towards the eft'ect of wood alcohol and die within a half an hour or three-fourths of an hour after taking it. These cases are very rare. The usual ones are the cases which show a delayed ac- tion. Long continued use or frequent use of wood alcohol leads to chronic type of poisoning in which the symptoms are largely those of failing eyesight. The individual becomes accustomed to the action of the alcohol and there is none of the more acute signs that I have mentioned.'' It is interesting, though perhaps not wholly germane, to follow Dr. Webster's testimony a little further : "Question : Doctor, I will ask vou whether or not it is necessary in a case of wood alcohol poi- soning to know the results of a chemical examina- tion of the organs before arriving at a conclusion as to the cause of death. "Dr. W^ebster : Yes. Absolutely necessary. It is the onlv wav that vou can tell anvthinii- about -< 1 9 4 >- what the cause of death is in case of poisoning. Nothing characteristic in the symptoms ; nothing characteristic in the pathological findings. . . . ''Question : Doctor, do you hold any position in Cook County — physician of any kind ? "Dr. Webster : Yes. I am Coroner's Chemist, whose duties are to examine all bodies dying in Cook County for the cause of death. ''Question : Have you made many examina- tions as to the cause of death in the past year? If so, about how many? "Dr. Webster : Why, I suppose somewhere in the neighborhood of five thousand." Allowing 300 working days to a year, the examination of 5,000 bodies would require 16.6 bodies every day. Working eight hours, that is more than one body every thirty minutes, almost packing house speed. "Question : Have you been paid to come down here ? "Dr. Webster: No. "Question: Expect to be paid? "Dr. Webster : Why, possibly, yes. "Question : How much ? "Dr. Webster: I don't know. My charges are usually one hundred dollars a day and expenses. "Question : Well, what will be your charges in this case ? "Dr. Webster: What will be the charge, if I make any, depends entirely upon the Coroner of the City of Chicago, whether I make any charge. "Question : You don't know whether you are going to make a charge for coming down here or not ?" "Dr. Webster: No." fit appears that Coroner Bundesen has not overlooked any source of revenue.) Although Coroner Bundesen at times bemoans the -■4 1 9 5 >- Coroner Bundcscn Is on Authority on Booze. He has tasted it, tested it, disf>ensed it, distributed it, and recommends "moderate drinking" as the best rule for health. quality of liquor marketed by Chicago bootleggers, be takes full advantage of his opportunities to procure a more wholesome article for himself and his friends. While Commissioner of Health, although his medical practice must have been very small, he exceeded his quota of prescription blanks by at least 100 per cent. He maintained a little private room in the Health Department where he dispensed liquor to visitors. ~< 1 9 6 ^ - He still has a "hideout" in the County Building, from which the public is excluded. Several barrels of liquor, seized by a state prohibition director, were sent to the Iroquois Hospital while Coroner Bundesen was Health Commissioner and consequently had charge of the hospital. The division of this liquor is an interesting story, but perhaps does not belong here. Large quantities of pure grain alcohol, tax free, were supplied to Bundesen's office, when he was Health Com- missioner, from the stock room. A colored boy was kept in charge there by Bundesen and a recent investi- gation discloses that this colored boy was ordered to deliver quantities of pure grain alcohol for Commissioner Bundesen and to a bureau chief, F. O. Tonney, one of Bundesen's favorites. Dr. Tonney is now suspended, and an investigation has brought out from the colored cus- todian that Dr. Tonney directed him in the event of a shortage to report the same, and Dr. Tonney would issue requisitions to cover the shortage. Dr. Tonney had the key to the supply. The large amount of pure grain alcohol used by Bun- desen and Tonney in the radiators of their automobiles wouUl indicate an unusually large radiator capacity. When one considers that denatured alcohol can be procured at most garages at a small price, one wonders whether it was necessary to take pure grain alcohol from the Health Department of ttie city for such a purpose. Coroner Bundesen had another hysterical dry spell after the death of George Lux, who was killed in an automobile accident. The Coroner impaneled a jury of educators. He then proceeded to enact a melodrama which oscillated between registered horror and low comedy. A press agent said ' -< 19 7 ]^- Coroner Bundesen stared aghast as witness after witness paraded such philosophy ("that when you go visiting nowadays you have to take a 1)ottle.") Just why the Coroner should be aghast is a little hard to perceive when it is known that when on a trip with others he supplied a bottle for each of his companions. And when certain aldermen were going on a junket. Commissioner Bundesen despatched a city employee to the train with a bottle for each /\lderman. Coroner Bundesen, at the inquest referred to. rebuked a girl witness for not being sufficiently serious, but he, himself, descended to low comedy later on in the inquest by dragging out that old statement about ''not wishing to walk back." The harassed girl left the witness stand and fell in a faint. Coroner Bundesen dragged in his six children, as usual, and mouthed his mock heroics : 'T just wish my six children could have been here to listen to the testimony of these participants. I am sure that if every parent would realize the im- portance of this matter, we might have a possible solution of this grave problem. "You jurors will find a tremendous increase in the drinking of moonshine by children. Witnesses have testified here today that children, yes, mere children, are not invited to parties unless they bring their own bottle of whiskey or gin." — Herald and Examiner, April 16, 1929. This gross slander was rebuked by the boys of Lane Technical High School, and could be successfully con- tradicted by the students of every high school in Chicago. At a later date, when Bundesen saw the unpopularity of his propaganda, he made a belated defense of Chicago's youth, contradicting his former position. -< 19 8 >' •T3 r-, <0 "^ 1 9 9 K^ CHAPTER XX MEDICAL SHOPLIFTING "Next, o'er his books his eyes began to roll, In pleasing memory of all he stole ; How here he sipped, how there he plunder'd snug, And suck'd all o'er, like an industrious bug." — Pope : Dunciad. ^'Health is a salable commodity. There is a good market for it all of the time with all of the people." - — BUXDESEN. .his statement is from the lips of our hero. There is much evidence to confirm his declaration. Selling health means selling information. There are property rights in ideas as well as in material things. We have come to see, however, that this regard for the pos- sessions of others has not been developed in the subject of this sketch. Passing ever his experiences in the cloak room at Sunday School, and in the laboratory in the hospital during student days, we remind our readers of the accusation by Colonel Sprague that Dr. Bundesen appropriated city labor and city materials to improve his own home. W'e know that he appropriated the labors of other men who toiled for years in the health depart- ment, and copyrighted them as his own and realized thousands of dollars from the sale of copies. We know that he appropriated funds from the public treasury ~< 2 }C^-~ while he was in the Sanitary District, and used the money, several thousand dollars, to print political propa- ganda in his own puff sheet, "Everyhody's Health." During the time that Coroner Bundesen was Health Commissioner he lifted articles from medical journals and printed them as his own. A notahle example is one en- titled, "Obesity. Walking and Automobiles," which ap- peared in Clinical ^Medicine and Surgery. May 27. 1927, which Dr. Bundesen ran under the same title on June 14, 1927. and underneath the title was printed. "By Her- man X. Bundesen. M.D., Commissioner of Health," and was printed in the Health Bulletin of the Department of Health of the City of Chicago. This writer has the issue of Clinical Medicine and Surgery in which the article ap- peared, and has. also, a copy of "Chicago's Health," in which the stolen article was reproduced. For lifting this article from the magazine mentioned al)ove. Dr. Bunde- sen got into hot water. Somehow, he weaseled out, as usual. Coroner Bundesen is now Health Editor for the Chi- cago Daily Xews. His fame as a Sanitarian and Health Editor, secured by newspaper publicity, excited our curi- osity, and a survey was made covering a period of more than six months to discover tfie sources of the articles published by Coroner Bundesen in the Daily Xews. and copyrighted, of course. The work of abstracting these articles from medical journals is, of course, not done by Coroner Bundesen him- self. He has had on the public payroll in the Sanitary District one William Fishbein. whose brother. Morris Fishbein. is editor of The Journal of the American Med- \'ictor Klebba. another man carried on the public pay- ical Societv. -4 2 1 ^■- roll, has furnished material for Coroner Bimdesen's heakh articles, and is a memher of the "faculty" of Coroner Jkmdesen's School of Health. 7\n illustration quite as amusing appears in one of the health articles appropriated hy Coroner Bundesen. It was taken from the South Carolina Food Research Journal, and was the report of an investigation of the iodine con- tent of South Carolina vegetahles. The Journal of the American Medical Association of June 29, 1929, ran a story ahout it, and pointed out the remarkahle finding. , It is a fact known even hy laymen that iodine is gener- ally supposed to ]3e derived from the ocean. But the in- vestigation just referred to seemed to contradict this theory. We quote : *'In view of the theory as to the source of iodine, it has been found that the average amount of iodine in Irish potatoes increases slightly as one proceeds from the coast toward the Blue Ridge of the Ap- palachian Mountains. This seems to oppose the theorv that the normal source of iodine in our soils is from sea spray. Mitchell has made quite extensive studies of the rivers of South Carolina, finding from two to six parts per billion of iodine in the waters of those streams. But the sample that contained the highest amount was oljtained at a point about 150 miles from the coast, and the water of the stream did not contain a corresponding amount of other sea salts as it should if all the iodine were derived from the wind-borne spray." - Coroner Bundesen ran an article on July 17, 1929. en- titled, "Iodine in Foods." So carelessly did Dr. Bunde- sen, or his aids, read the article lifted from the Medical Journal that they contradict the findings of the South Carolina Commission : -^ 2 2 W- "Studies made on potatoes showed that the closer to the sea they were grown the more iodine they con- tained." To Hft the material, copyright it, syndicate it. and sell it has become a prohtahle business for our hero. \\'ith his aids on the puljlic pay roll he has practically no expense. But this material has further uses and salable values elsewhere. It can l^e rehashed and marketed on the air ; it can be sold to candy manufacturers or other venders of commercial products. Let us now set out for the information of our readers some of Coroner Bundesen's sources. In the column to the left we set down the dates when these articles ap- peared in the Daily Xews under the caption "Health. How to Keep It" ; in the second column are the titles which Coroner Bundesen gave to these articles in the Daily Xews ; in the last column we set out the publications from which Coroner Bundesen lifted the articles, the date when they oroginally appeared, the titles and the names of the true authors. It is to be remembered that these articles were copy- righted in the Journals in which they first appeared, but to one who has copyrighted for his own use the works of other men the copyright of another presents little dif- ficulty. Quite often some allusion is made to the original writer. But in the light of what follows it is evident that the claim that Coroner Bundesen is a great authority on health is veritable hokum. -4 2 3)^ JANUARY The Daily Bundesen's News Dates Titles Jan. 3, 1929 Food Sensitive- ness — I. Jan. 9, 1929. Unusual Treat- ment of Mi- graine. Jan. 10, 1929. Improving the Child's Appe- tite—I. Jan. 14, 1929. Treatment of Heart Disease. Jan. 15. 1929. Sinus Infection in Children — I. Jan. 17, 1929. The Skin as a Protective Covering. Jan. 18, 1929. What Causes Fatigue. Jan. 19, 1929. Preventing the Common Cold. Sources Journal American Aledical Association, Nov. 24, 1928, pp. 1623-31. Food Allergy: Its Manifestations, Diagnosis and Treatment. By Dr. Albert H. Rowe. Archives of Otolarvngologv, A. M. A.. Chicago, Nov., 1928. pp. 564-6. Migrane Controlled Through Nasal Ganglion. By Dr. Lawrence K. Gundrum. Journal American Dietetic Association, Baltimore, Sept., 1928, pp. 77-85. Results of Dietary and Hygienic Con- trol of Ten Nongaining Pre- ventorium Children by Drs. N. Hord and Lydia J. Roberts. Journal A. AI. A., Chicago, Dec. 8, 1928. pp. 1761-63. Com- ments on Treatment of Heart Disease. By Dr. Jas. B. Her- rick. American Journal of Diseases of Children, A. M. A., Chi- cago. Nov., 1928. pp. 1020-36. Sinusitis in Children. B\' Dr. S. L. Ruskin. Journal of Biological Chem- istry. Baltimore, Oct., 1928, pp. 405-8. On Time of Absorp- tion and Excretion of Boric Acid in Man. By L. Kahlen- berg and N. Barwasser. American Journal of Public Health. Dec, 1928, pp. 1465-9. Industrial Fatigue. By Dr. Eugene L. Fisk. Wisconsin Medical Journal, Madison, Dec, 1928, pp. 539- 40. Aleasles and Common Colds. Bv M. G. Peterman. >i. 2 4 ]> The Daily News Dates Tan. 21. 1929. Jan. 24, 1929. Jan. Zh, 1929. Jan. 29. 1929. Tan. 31. 1929. Bundesen's Titles The Restless Babv— I. Prevention of Whooping Cough. Treatment of Xervous Heart Disease. Xew Treatment for Rheumatic Heart Disease. Source of \'itamin B. Chicago, pp. 1848-52. Infancv. Bv Sources Journal A. M. A Dec. 15. 1928. Restlessness in H. S. Lippman. Tournal A. M. A.. Chicago. Dec. 15, 1928. pp. 1861-5. Whooping Cough : \'accine Therapy or Early Diagnosis. By Drs. Louis W. Sauer and Leonora Hambrecht. Tournal A. ^L A., Chicago. Bee. 15, 1928, Treatment of Heart Disease. J. Hirschboeck. American Heart Tournal. Si^. Louis. Dec, 1928, *pp. 127-144. Treatment of Rheumatic Car- ditis Roentgen Irradiation of Heart. By Drs. Robt. L. Levy and Ross Golden. Journal of Biological Chem- istry. Baltimore, Nov., 1928. pp. 231-38. Synthesis of Vi- tamin "B" in Rumen of Cow. Bv S. I. Bechdel. H. E. Hon- eywell. R. A. Rutcher, M. H. Knutsen. pp. 1852-0/. Functional Bv Dr. Frank FEBRUARY Feb. 1. 1929 Constipation and Nervousness — I. Feb. 5, 1929. More About Ear Noises — L Feb. 6, 1929. More About Ear Noises — n. Tournal A. M. A.. Dec. 29, 1928. pp. 2049-53. CoHtis : Spastic Type. By Dr. E. L. Eggleston. Tournal A. M. A., Nov. 17. 1928. pp. 1508-11. Tinnitus Aurium : Its Incidence in En- docrine Disorders. Bv Dr. D. W. Drury. (Same.) We have the data for six months, l)ut this will suffice to reveal the method. -4 2 5 )i^ CHAPTER XXI THE LOW COST OF TALK ABOUT THE HIGH COST OF SICKNESS C oroner Buiidesen is not a mem1)er of the Chicago Medical Society nor of the Americal ^Medical Association. He fled when he saw an approaching investi- gation for unethical conduct. As usual, he gave an alibi. The alibi does not fit the facts. Coroner Bundesen gave as his reason for resigning from the Medical Association his desire to reduce the cost of medical treatment. It is impossible to imagine his con- cern for the pocket books of his fellow citizens after watching his systematic and conscienceless plundering of public treasuries to enhance his own fortunes. We have seen him appropriating the labors of other doctors, copyrighting them, and selling them for his own profit. W't have observed him appropriating funds from the public treasury to his own private use. Wt have record of his extravagant budget making. — $6,000 for a car ; $13,000 for furniture; $40,000 for printing, and $6,000 for postage. We have read from his own ''confession" his endorsement of vouchers amounting to thousands of dol- lars, about which he professed to have no knowledge. \\g have read the statement in the report of Auditor Gore, of the Sanitary District, that Bundesen spent $248,000.00, "mostly for publicity," as a coconspirator in the Mosquito Abatement Farce, he helped to waste $672,980.00. 2 6 D .- O »-] a X H V t» ^-. ~ ^^^■- «4 -A .i -4 2 7 }^- We have printed in the cokinins of Lightnin' the sources from which Bundesen "Hfted" his daily "lleahh Articles," which he has syndicated, and we have shown that these articles were taken from copyrighted journals which Bun- desen has diverted to his own use, for his own profit. The medical practice of Coroner Bundesen has heen so limited that only scant evidence is available as to what commercial advantage he would take of his patients if opportunity afforded. Perhaps one illustration will suffice to reveal Coroner Bundesen's "altruism." About 1920 some physicians were trying to cure pneu- monia by dosing the patient with sugar. In April, 1921, Mr. Archibald ]\IcKillip came to Chi- cago from London, Ontario, Canada. He was a shoe merchant and came here to buv shoes. While in Chicago he and Mrs. ]\IcKillip stopped at the Congress Hotel. Mr. ]\IcKillip was taken down with pneumonia. Dr. Herman X. Bundesen was at that time strong for sugar for pneumonia, as he is now for candy for reducing. Dr. Bundesen was then connected with the Chicago Health Department. He and two other physicians attended Mr. McKillip. Dr. Bundesen or one of the others gave the patient the pneumonia treatment. It was a success — but the patient died. The patient having died, the widow being here in a strange city, and members of the Shrine here raised such a protest (Mr. McKillip was a Potentate in a Canadian Shrine) that the physicians were so deeply touched that they collected only about $1,100.00. Dr. Bundesen, it is said, got onlv $500. --4 2 8 ^- In an article in The Forum, August, 1929, Coroner Bun- desen discussed "The High Cost of Ilhiess." With characteristic weaseHng in this article he attrihutes the excessive cost, not to the doctors' charges, but to the high cost of medical accessories. He cites the case of a salaried man who is earning $75.00 a week, whose wife had to go to the hospital for an operation. Coroner Bun- desen explains that he telephoned a good surgeon, urging him to keep his fees down, and also explained the fam- ily's finances to the superintendent of the hospital in which the surgeon practiced. The article enumerates the follow- ing items for the first week : Room $ 56.00 Two nurses (night and day) 112.00 Nurses' meals 21.00 Operating room 25.00 Anaesthetic 10.00 Laboratory work 14.00 Making a total of $238.00 We consulted one of the leading hospitals of Chicago for rates. The following are the figures given by the superintendent in charge. Single room, $6.00 to $20.00 a day. Two beds in a room, $5.00 a day. Four to six beds in a room. $4.50 a day. Operating room, $10.00. Anesthetic, $5.00 to $10.00. Nurses, $7.00 for twelve hours. Meals, $1.50 a day. It is seen, of course, that Bundesen's friend, with a $75.00 a week income, was demanding services calculated to fit the purse of wealthy patrons. Coroner Bundesen says that "People are driven ])y bun- -< 2 9 >~ dreds of thousands to try the nostrums of quacks, whose lurid advertisements l)eacon them with golden promises to regain health at low cost." Yes, the Coroner is correct, 'iliousands of gallons of sauerkraut juice have l)een drunk hy the citizens of Chi- cago because Coroner liundesen said that sauerkraut is equal to milk as a health food, and sauerkraut juice is one of the many aids in keeping well. \\'e know that Coroner Bundesen is recommending over the radio treatment for the sick, while it is supposed that the first thing in medical practice is diagnosis. This professional pity for suffering humanity is a piece of transparent hokum in the light of Coroner Bundesen's willingness to exploit the taxpayers for his own profit, endorse commercial commodities, and copyright and sell the works of other men. -^ 2 1 ti ^^•■ 1 .!2^o5>^ Par heavi uld n due pisto tS O -k^ "^ - § O £> -!i O)' ? ^ ^ s S s- ^^-^ ^^6«.r ■— i g* (^ «0 . 'O -k« if 5^. '~-^ • ^ -^ .-^ --i '^ ■^ ^ <^ -::; -^ •§- ^^« g <0 <5J O, =-gs-^-s< ^ i^ ^ <^, V ^ ^j «J =: J^ -^ -s: 1^^. S ^ Q ^• S -5; 12 .. 2 "^■^-^^'g * •?- - t^ f>. Coronc) hing, b caution_ so hea reet, fa ^ "^ t'. -"^ •^ ;= >-~^- ^^^^ ^ r- ^'-2 G^o. r i s-^ e -J ^ "~^ •- ^ g S V -. f^ "— ■'^ "3 c>.t3 - CHAPTER XXIII THE GLORY INDUSTRY "A nimbus of renown and preternatural astonish- ment envelope Cagliostro ; enchants the general eye. The few reasoning mortals scattered here and there who see through him, deafened in the universal hub- bub, shut their lips in sorrowful disdain ; confident in the grand remedy, Time." CaRLYLE on CaGIvIOSTRO. I f any additional excuse were needed for writing this sketch, that excuse was furnished on January 10, 1931, by an editorial in the Chicago Daily News. The editorial referred to was entitled, ''Genesis of a Mayoral Candidacy." The Xews makes a plea of ''confession and avoidance" in discussing the fitness of Judge John H. Lyle for the oftice of IMayor of Chicago. According to the News, certain supporters of Judge Lvle stated that there was "no argument in his favor ex- cept that the Chicago newspapers, by describing frequently incidents illustrative of his spectacular practice of de- manding heavy bonds for the release of hoodlums ar- rested for vagrancy or on other charges, have made a hero of him in the eyes of the crime-hating people of this city." These advocates of Judge Lyle for mayor insist that, "having helped to mislead the voters in regard to his ~< 2 1 5 }i^- nierits. The Daily News ought to join us in advocating his nomination." The editorial referred to makes a naive *'plea of con- fession"' in the following language : "That argument has for its basis the indisputable fact that newspaper accounts of his methods of deal- ing in court with notorious undesirables have led the public to look upon Judge Lyle as an implacable enemy of gangsters. With his well-developed sense of the dramatic, Judge Lyle has been able, thanks to appreciative newspaper reporters, to make a powerful appeal to the imaginations of law-abiding citizens. "As a source of news Judge Lyle has been con- spicuous throughout his public career in the City Council and on the bench. It is the dutv of a news- paper to publish the news. Commonplace incidents of no general interest do not come within that clas- sification. According to a threadbare saying, if a dog bites a man it is not news, but if a man bites a dog, that is news. In Judge Lyle's court the spectacle of the man biting the dog, if only meta- ])horically, always interests the reporters. Some- thing of the sort takes place when a hoodlum is led in for treatment. That the public takes a deep interest in such proceedings is apparent. "If it be true, as prominent supporters of Judge Lyle's candidacy have charged, that the newspapers by their reports of his court activities have misled the Chicago public as to the qualities and qualifica- tions of their candidate, manifestly it is the duty of the newspapers to undeceive the Chicago public on the subject of Judge Lyle." Following this "plea of confession and avoidance," ihe editorial delivers the f ollow^ing exhortation : "Manifestly, however, the voters of Chicago, be- fore they decide upon their mayoral candidates, -^ 2 1 6 should make an unbiased study of the men who ask their support at the polls." Judge Lvle is not the subject of this sketch. The Daily Xews is api)arently willing now to give what it believes to be the facts concerning his fitness for ]\Iayor. It is impossible for the voters of Chicago to make '"an unbiased" study of a candidate for Mayor, if the news- papers are constantly making a charlatan look like a hero. For nearly a decade the newspapers of Chicago have kept before the reading public misleading information concerning the true character, purpose and activities of Herman X. Bundesen. Some of them have suppressed all damaging news of him. F^or this disservice to Chi- cago the press does not yet seem to be repentant. Coroner Bundesen has a peculiar advantage over most Chicago politicians because of his profession, that of a physician. The mysteries of medicine to the layman make possible the use of propaganda which the average citizen cannot explore. Coroner Bundesen and his press agents have taken full advantage of the mysteries of medicine, although his practice of the heahng art has been most limited, and much of the information he has disseminated, upon which his reputation has been built, he appropriated from other men. Coroner Bundesen has repeatedly stated that he is not a politician. He has constantly employed methods which conscientious men in public life would scorn to use. By fawning at the feet of the great and the rich he has extracted words of praise which he has constantly repeated in publications bearing his own name as editor. He has appropriated public funds to be used in print- ing and distributing the most fulsome flattery of himself. He has used his friends in the post office to secure special mailing privileges fur his propaganda, which can only be characterized as a gross abuse of the mailing priv- ileges allowed for the classification under which he oper- ates. He has exploited the civil service to advance his per- sonal interests. He has attempted to use the public schools to spread his propaganda under the pretense of saving life. He has certified vouchers in the Sanitary District amounting to thousands of dollars for service which he secretly confesses he knew nothing about. He has moved part of his pay roll as Coroner to the County Hospital and made false claims to an extra- ordinary saving of taxpayers' money. He has made extravagant endorsement of commercial products, which in turn have kept his picture and state- ments before the reading public in the daily papers, maga- zines, booklets and billboards. He has manipulated vital statistics to the disadvantage of those who advanced his political fortunes. He has repeatedly employed professional jurors while his press agents announced that only ex-service men were used in Coroner's cases. He has been photographed, in an alleged vice war, nail- ing up red cards which sometimes came down in a few hours. He has abused those who opposed his "vice racket" as "prudes" while he was releasing scores of women in one to five days infected with venereal disease. He has been photographed pouring water from milk cans which the gullible public was led to believe was im- pure milk being destroyed to protect pul)lic health. He has been photographed, in an alleged crusade -=4{ 2 1 8 ^■- against dangerous oysters, eating the bivalves from his gloved hands. He has aided and abetted newspaper stories in which he was the heroic figure up-stage, although he and his press agents knew the matter was pure hokum. Our hero knows the newspaper truism that repetition is reputation, or, as Fontenelle says. "Show me four per- sons who swear it is midnight when it is noon, and I will show you ten thousand to believe them." When Dr. Bundesen was eliminated from the Health Department, and was ''thrown in" to the Sanitary District on the plea of ]*klichael Rosenberg and with the consent of George Brennan. and after he had been taken on by the Chicago Dailv News, there came an avalanche of in- spired propaganda from all parts of the country. Although it was forecast Ijy one of the "booster letters" that Dr. Bundesen, as Health Administrator for the San- itary District, would have "an opportunity to serve the community in improving health conditions," it is not really certain to what extent that was done as we look back upon that notable year of "mosquito abatement" and other forms of public waste. In response to a plea sent out to many cities there came reams of laudation and predictions of dire calamity to Chicago's health because of the removal of Dr. Bundesen. "The result can be only demoralization of the Department itself, and the price will be paid in human lives." This prediction has not come true, as is seen from the fact that Chicago in 1930 had the lowest death rate in its history. Although a contrary statement has been popu- larized by the press, yet the fact is that Dr. John Dill Rol^ertson reduced the death rate in Chicago to a point -4 2 1 9 }^'- lower than that attained during any period of Dr. Bunde- sen's "encumbrancv." In the disaster which visited Miami, Florida, a Chicago newspaper organized a relief train and sent it to the stricken city. One of the physicians who went along with the expedition relates that Dr. Bundesen stopped the car in which he was riding, took off his shoes and stockings, rolled up his pants, waded into a pool of water and had his picture taken. This picture was later reproduced in "Lest We Forget," a campaign document put out under the name of Dr. Louie Schmidt when Dr. Bundesen was running for Coroner. On his return, a newspaper ordered Dr. Bundesen's political superiors to meet him at the train. ^layor Dever's retort canot be printed here. When deaths by automobile accident were temporarily decreased in the county, press agents attributed the achive- ment to Coroner Bundesen. But when the death rate mounted, as it did last year, to a point higher than it had ever risen in the history of the county, the responsibility seemed to be placed elsewhere. When there was no available news to keep our hero l^efore the public, he found a way to make some. When a beauty contest of some sort is inaugurated, he is pho- tographed measuring the lower extremities of one of the entrants. A young lady enters the Pee Wee Golf Tourna- ment and Coroner Bundesen is photographed testing her heart. On remembrance dav a voun^ ladv in his office is photographed pinning a forget-me-not on the Coroner's lapel, that the public may not forget the coming candidate for Alayor. \A hen Coroner Bundesen is involved with others in a public scandal, his press agent carefully omits his name. -4 2 2 >- The Daily Xews features the expensive cars, upkeep and chaufifeurs for the wastrels in the Sanitary District, but forgets to mention Dr. Bunclesen's $6,000 car, with upkeep at $750, and a chauffeur at $2,280. In some instances, at least, we know that press agents are compensated by funds from the public treasury. One press agent on the staff of the Chicago Tribune received about $1,800 worth of free service for his family at the expense of the city, service to which he was not entitled under the law. A ^Missouri propangandist, who had the knack of get- ting free boosts in the newspapers for those who employed him, says of newspaper men: "Some of them enjoy a little drink; all of them are God's fools, grateful for the small- est service or courtesv/' Some of the newspaper men who have written ecstatic stuff about our hero were ''bottle fed" in the little back room which he maintained in the Health Department. Just what takes place in his "hideout" in the Coroner's office can be imagined, in part, from previous experience. By skillful propaganda the medical charlatan who called himself Count Cagliostro attained almost universal fame in Europe during the 18th century. Thomas Carlyle wrote one of his pungent, searching essays on Cagliostro, which contains this interesting state- ment : W' "Starting from the lowest point of Fortune's wheel, he rose to a height universally notable; that, without external furtherance, money, beauty, brav- ery, almost without common sense, or any discern- ible worth whatever, he sumptuously supported, for a long course of years, the wants and digestion of one of the greediest bodies, and one of the greediest -'< 2 2 1 }> - minds; outwardly in his five senses, inwardly in his 'sixth sense, that of vanity,' nothing straitened." Carlyle justified his searching analysis of the character of Cagliostro in the following statement : "Unparalleled Cagliostro ! Looking at thy so at- tractively decorated private theatre, wherein thou actedst and livedst, what hand but itches to draw aside thy curtain ; overhaul thy paste-boards, paint- pots, paper-mantels, stage-lamps, and turning the whole inside out, find thee in the middle thereof ! For there of a truth wert thou : though the rest was all foam and sham, there sattest thou, as large as life, and as esurient ; warring against the world, and indeed conquering the world, for it remained thy tributary and yielded daily rations." Although the stage is smaller and the actor in the Chi- cago drama of lesser fame than Cagliostro, it is our judg- ment that the task which we have undertaken in this volume, so long neglected by the newspapers, is of real im- port to the City of Chicago. INDEX Aberly, John 69 Aluminum Ware 41 America First 52 American Public Health Association 63, 65, 67, 71, 120 Applesauce 115 "Auto"-Biography. . .58, 59, 105 "Babble" 146 Ball, Charles B 68, 69 Baby Lists 124 Ballistics 112 Becker, Dr. H. C 71 Bennett, Jas. O'Donnell 130, 192 Brennan 218 Birth Control 95 Bridegroom "Arrested" ... 93 Candy Kid 35 Chair, Johnson's 39 Chambers, Frank 69 Civil Service 57 Clark, Sheldon 46 Cod Liver Oil Z1 , 39 Collins, Morgan 45 Connellv, J. 1 69 Coon, Dr. W. Hall 30 Coroner's Budget 102 Drake, Dr. C. St. Clair.... 26 Dever, Wm. E 15, 45, 52 Dever, Mrs. Wm. E 45 Egan, Dr. James A 25 "Elevated Ads". . . .133, 136, 137 Emerson, Dr. Haven IZ, 74 Evans, Dr. Wm. A 25 "Everybody's Health". 165, 200 Falk, L S 12 Fitzmorris, Chas 44-5, 61, 79 Ford, Henry . . ^ 43 "Friday Jurors" 112 Furniture 142 Geiger, Dr. Jacob C 64 Gold Stars 52 Gormap, A. T 67 Hedrich, A. W..' 72 111. Vigilance Assoc 80 Infant Alortality 99 Iodine 201 Kallis, AI 159, 160 Kegel, Dr. Arnold H 28 Klebba 142-3-4, 170 Langworthy, Mrs. B. F 81 Lawndale Releases 83 Lie Detector 114 Lingle 112, 114, 140 Alercy Hospital. .18, 19, 20, 169 Moot Court 100, 167 Mosquitoes 123, 177, 189 Orange Juice 40, 41 "Our Babies" 26-7-9, 31 Pistol Pockets 210 Pope, Dr. Alton B 1Z "President's Message" 136, 160, 162 Printing 159 Prophylaxis 80 Putman, Geo. W 71 Ravenel, Dr. M. P 71 Rawlings, Dr. Isaac D 26 Reynolds, Dr. Arthur R.... 24 Richert, John 61 Robertson, Dr. John Dill 25, 61, 97, 99 Rosenwald, Julius 53, 68 Sachs, Dr. T. B 59 Sauerkraut Juice ... .35, 36, Zl Sprague, Col. A. A. 15, 16,46, dZ, 199 Spalding, Dr. Heman 12 Statistics 97 Sterilization 95 Teachers 49 Thompson, Wm. Hale 45,52, 61 Thompson, Mrs. Wm. Hale 46 Tonnev, Dr. Fred 64 Typhoid 99, 155, 156 University of Chicago 47 Whalen, Dr. Chas. J 24 White, Katherine Field.... 26 Whittington, Dick... 12, 13, 19 Winslow, Dr. C. E. A 12 Wrigley, Wm., Jr 46 Young, Dr. George B 25 Zuta, Jack 79 7200-SI5-SB PB-31 C BT ,A