Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.
Former First Deputy Sheriff-Coroner F. Lang Akana and his methods of running the City-County Morgue have come under heavy fire from the morgue’s new supervisor, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Alvin V. Majoska.
Akana, asked to comment upon Majoska’s statements, countered that Majoska "never made one recommendation" for a change of procedure at the morgue.
"I don’t know why he has made these accusations," Akana said.
Majoska told the Star-Bulletin today that current morgue troubles stem from a refrigeration breakdown for its four crypts on Christmas Day.
Akana said Tuesday that as far as he knew, the unit was functioning properly when he left office. The job officially changed hands Monday noon when Majoska was sworn in. Majoska said he — before formally taking the office — arranged for other hospitals to handle bodies until the refrigeration unit was repaired.
But the new chief examiner revealed he completed the deal yesterday to replace the old sulphur unit with a modern freon type. … Commenting on the practice of "stacking" bodies — putting two or more bodies in a crypt built for one — Majoska said Akana has no medical or legal training and that "the chief examiner (Majoska) will not permit the stacking of bodies.
"If it was condoned by the former supervisor, it will definitely not be done in the future as a matter of common decency."
The chief medical examiner said, "another practice of the former coroner’s office not to be continued" is the use of jail trusties to handle medical examiner cases."
Last week Robert L. Neal, City-County jail trusty, was sentenced to another year in jail for stealing a wrist watch from the body of retired Army Brigadier General Charles H. Karlstad, a traffic accident victim.
Akana said the situation at the morgue "was the same as the day we took it over, 16 years ago."
He said the department made requests for a new morgue "right along," but was turned down. …
The new chief examiner revealed that his request for a new 17-unit morgue — projected for needs over the next 10 years — has been denied by the City.
"But we’ll try again next time," Majoska said.
