Four prominent specialists in psychiatry and neurology have informed Jessi H. Bankston, dismissed state hospital director, that Gov. Ear K. Long still needs hospital treatment.
A letter from the four medical men, all of whom are on the faculty of either the Tu-lane or the Louisiana State university medical schools, reported that they had examined Long in the past week and "found individually that he was in need of continued hos-pitalization."
Bankston released a copy of :he letter for publication within 40 minutes after Long left the 22nd judicial district court freed Tom his commitment to the Southeast Louisiana hospital.
Signers of the letter were Dr. Robert Heath, professor and chairman of the department of >sychiatry and neurology at Tu-ane; Dr. Charles Watkins, professor and chairman of psychiatry and neurology at LSU; Dr. Richard Paddison, professor of neurology at LSU, and Dr. Vic-or lief, instructor in psychiatry and medicine at Tulane and a certified internist. The letter said:
"At your request, within the ast week, we examined Gov. !arl K. Long and found individually that he was in need
continued hospitalization.
'Our reports were submitted individually to hospital physi-ians for their consideration.
We regret that the hospital oard has taken the action re-ealed today and feel that you ave handled the difficult situa-on in keeping with the highest medical professional ethics."
Commenting on the letter, i Bankston asserted that: "All my actions were guided by sound medical advice." PHOTO: A PICTURE OF SERIOUSNESSES Gov. Earl K. Long in these iphotos taken Friday in^ovington. In the photo at left, Long relaxes in a chair, but still shows the wear of re-cent events.
