A Roll of Gauze Left Inside: Jury Awards $859 in Spokane Malpractice Suit
Mrs. Leslie Lamb endured surgery almost two years ago, only to have a roll of gauze pulled from the wound—left there by the doctor. A Spokane jury has now found for the plaintiff.
Spokane—The jury in the case of Leslie Lamb vs. Dr. C. P. Thomas found for the plaintiff and assessed her damages at $859. The plaintiff, Mrs. Lamb, who was operated on by Dr. Thomas almost two years ago, introduced testimony to show that a roll of gauze was taken from the wound made, which had been negligently sewed in the incision and left by the defendant.
“a roll of gauze was taken from the wound made, which had been negligently sewed in the incision and left by the defendant”
Medical errors were harder to litigate in 1909, but the case shows that patients could still hold doctors accountable. The $859 award—roughly $25,000 today—was a significant sum for a working family, and the gruesome detail of gauze left inside a wound remains a chilling reminder of surgical safety before modern protocols.
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