New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-16
THE NEW MEDICAL CODE.

,,,us OF DR CORNELIUS X. AGNEW.
- rr,xxs OF THE EXCLUSION OF THE
>vwvopK DELEGATES TO THE AMERICAN MhD-
,c,, .ssoc1ATIoN-THE CHANGE IN THE CODE
~ ru,s sTArE-ACTIoN NOT LIKELY ~ DIN
REsCINDED,
Dr n r Acnew. of No. 266 Madson-ave, was
so,ocate from the New-York State Medical Society,"
ond also from the County Medical Society, to the
,acent convention of the American Medical Associ"
tion in st. Paul, MINI. TRIBUNE reporter saw
DIR. Agnew yesterday and inquired as 10 the causes
which led TO the non admission to the convention
of the delegates from the New-fork state Meuioai
Society In reply Dr. Agnew said:
"In February, 1881, the Medical Society Oh 'i0
State of New-York appointed a committee CONSIST
ing of DIR. w. C. Wey chairman, c. K. Agnew, o
Oakley Vanderpoel w. s. Ely and VI. c. Plharu' "
revise the code of its ethics. 1t acted in so dos III
strict conformity with the privilege WHICH IL i">
always enjoyed. The committee. aiter ii'qucn'
consultations reported revised code 10 the Sooic''
At its meeting in 1882. In order TO insure al III
tanicent discussion OF the report the committee
had II printed and given 10 every no"i
her in attendance. 1t was freely uiscuSSou
ard adopted by the society by large majority A
substitute for the report of the committee was also
1iscpssed NJ the same time but although il received
very large vote it failed to pass for the want OF
two-thirds The report Of the committee winch
was adopted by the society as its code OF ethlcs'
gave permission to its members, and to members OF
county and other societies ia the State In animation
with it, TO consult with legally qualified prac'i-
tioners Previously members of the society had peeh
dehorred from consulting with any practitioners
whose practice was based on an exclusive
dogma This prohibition had originally been III
stitued to prevent the members OF the society loni
holding consultations with any medical practitioner
T. ka TO of he GO-ca
school, When the prohibition was originally instl-
tinted in the early DAYS of the acrimonious discus
sions between so-called allopaths and homGopaths,
little or no attempt had been made IN this country
TO ]egisate on matters relating to the pracuce Vi
medicine: but since that time in most OF our
State. the qualifications emitting men TO
practce medicine have been determined By statutes.
and the old definition of regular physicians mas
undergone n change At the time of the formation
of the old code of the New-York State Society the
term regular was appropriated by members of the
old school exclusively, and all who attempted 10
practice medicine upon any other principles than
those of that school were said to ce Irregular,
md in moments of irritation they were denounced
as quacks or FOOLS
FORCE OF THE TITLE REGULAR"
"When by legislation States undertook to detne
who were entitled TO practice medicine the force oil
the old title OF regular became necessarily modified
and regular practitioner, in the very nature Oh
things and before the law, came to be medlcal
man who had complied in his medical curriculum
examinations and diploma or certificate, with the
requirements of the law In this State regular
practitioner, then is an indiyidual-it may be a man
or n wonap-who having obtained authority from
n legally constituted medical body, and en-
tered his name in the Office of the
County Clerk in the county in which he proposes to
practice enters upon his duties thus legally forth
ll..t A|lI
10 denOunce practitioner oil another
school as quack would expose him to
suit for libel and such suits have actually been In
1.-THE object Of the Medical Society Of the State
Of w-YOTk. then was 10 place its members rlght
before the Jaw. Furthermore, there is involved III
HE matter a question of personal liberty, the State
Society holding by its action that all Its members,
and members of societies ID aihllalOn Herewith,
were competent to decide with whom they would
consult without RENTING the question of cOnScl~
ence so plainly involved, TO the rulings of the old
code which had many points of resemblance TO
the mandates of mere trade union The trends
of the revised code have no desire to consult with
homGopaths. or ecectlcs or any 0ther practitioners
of therapeutics. They have been almost
universally, stsnchy loyal to the Ola co !ie
mandates But the opinion had ausen in the State
that the restrictions of the old code were no longer
benehcent; that they limited the influence OF the
regular profession IN securing sanitary and other
legislation TO protect the public, and encouraged
men engaged ID other schools of medical practice to
claim support and Cympathy on lne BTOunu OF per
secuuon. The advocates of the revised code be-
leve that the medical profession-w has always
claimed the title OF liberal profession - =
would advance It's best interests most asslduously
b. the removal of all those restrictions III regard to
intercourse with medical men which, however neces-
sary they may have been IN former days, have now
become unnecessary"
THE ISSUE AT ST. PAUL
"Dd YOU anticipate the action taken at the Am
erican Medical Associations meeting in refusing
admission to the NewYork delegates y asked the
reporter.
Invent on purpose to st. Paul to meet the issue
which had reason TO believe would be made.
reached there on Tuesday morning and Immediately
went 10 the Office for registration on presenting
NV credentials from the Medical Society of the
State of New-YOrk, / was told that they could not
be accepted. ] then qualified delegate from
the County of New-YCrk. Just how they could ac-
cePt my credentials from tie County Society," So
ciety i'm utilization with the State Society," really
could not imagine. 1t seemed that the Judicial
Council of the American Medical ASSOCIATION had
met the day before and determined not 10 receive
delegates frem the New York State Society on the
ground that revised code conhlcted with the tol-
lowing clause in the code of medical ethics OF the
American Medical Association:
Bat no one can considered rs regular practi-
toner associate in consultation whose practlce is
based exclusive dogma TO the rejection OF tne ac
cumuated experience Of the profession ana OF me age
actually furnished by anatomy, physiology pathology
aud organic chemistry.
1.-THE two clauses iii the revised code of the New
York State Society are as follows:
Members Of the Medical Society OF the State OF New
York and OF the medical societies in utilization there
with MAY meet in consultation legally qualified pract
tioners OF medicine Emergencies may occur In which
practitioner yield TO the demands OF humanity.
THE EXCLUSION OF TnE NEw-YoRK DELEGATES.
immediately after this action, by which the
New-York delegates were refused admission, at the
opening of the first session of the American Medical
Society some protests were read from various per
sons against the reception of delegates of the State
~ Nau w ia tina association. These protests