The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-02-22

of the case and Of his views of its dag
nosis and treatment. each of the consulting
physicians, beginning with the youngest,
sh ould deliver his opinion. IL they arrive
at an agreement it will be the duty Of the
attending physician to announce the result
to the patient or to some responsible mem
Der of the family. and to carry out the plan
of treatment agreed upon.
lfin the consultation there is found to be
an essential difference OF opinion as TO dag
nosis or treatment the case should be pre-
sented to the patient or some responsible
member of the family, as plainly and intel
lieently as possible, to.make such choice, or
pursue such course as may be thought
best.
In case of acute dangerous or obscure
illness, the consulting physician should con
time his visits at such intervals as may be
deemed necessary by the patient or his
friends, by him or by the attending physi-
clan.
The utmost punctuality should be OBJ
served in the visits of physicians when they
are to hold consultations, but as profess
siona engagements may interfere or delay
one of the pal ties, the physician who first
arrives should wait for his associates
reasOnal le period, after which the consulta-
ton should be considered as postponed to
~ utN Al ~ NC lht
physician who is present, he Will, of course,
see the patient and prescribe, but If it be
the consulting physician, he should retire,
except in an emergency or when he has
been called from considerable distance, IN
which latter case he may examine the pa
tient aud give his opinion in writing and
under seal TO be delivered to his associate.
ili,--rIE RELATIONS OF PHYSICIANS TO EACH
OTHER.
All practitioners of medicine, their wives
and their children, while under paternal
care, are entitled TO the gratuitous services
oil any one or more of the faculty, residing
near them, whose assistance may be de-
sired.
6ratuitous attendance cannot, however,
&c expected from physicians called from
distance, nor may 1t be deemed obligatory
when, opposed by both the circumstances
and the preference of the patient,
The affairs of life, the pursuit of health
and the various accidents and contingencies
to which medical man is peculiarly ex-
posed may require him temporarily to with
draw from his duties to his patients and to
request some of his professional breth-
Ien TO ,oiliciate for him: compliance
WIN this request is an act OF
which should always
be performed with the utmost consdera-
tion for the interests and character of the
family physician, and when exercised for u
short period all tho pecuniary obligations
Tor such service should be awarded
to him. But if member of
the profession neglect his business
IN quest of pleasure and amusement,
he cannot be considered as entitled to the
advantages of the frequent and long con-
tinned exercise of this fraternal courtesy
without awarding to the physician who Of
lciates the fees arising from the discharge
of his professional duties.
Diversity Of opinion and opposition of in
crest may, in the medical as in other pro-
esslons, occasion controversy and even
contention. Whenever such cases unfortu-
lately occur, and cannot be Immediately
they should be referred to
ne arbitration of sufficient number of
physicians before appealing to a medical
society or the law for settlement.
III medical controversies are brought be-
lore the public in newspapers or pamphlets
by contending medical writer's, and give
rise to or contain assertions or insinuations
injurious to the personal character or pro-
Iessional qualifications of the parties, the
effect is to lower in the estimation of the
public, not only the parties directly IN
volved, but also the medical profession as a
whole. Such publications should, there
lore, be brought to the notice of .he county
societies having jurisdiction, and discipline
as the case may seem to require.