The evening times., 1897-11-26
DOCTORS AND CLERGYMEN
Their Deep Interest in Medical
Association Resolutions.
TIE QUESTION OF COURTESY
1t Has Been Resolved That Only In
digent Ministers and Physicians
Who Have Devoted Their Entire
Time to Practice Are Entitled to
Gratuitous Service.

The Medical Association OF the District
is considering two very important sub
jects. They are comprised in the follow ing
resoluticns, adopted by the society at its
10 st meeting, and the report of the standing
committee. The first was:
That tine standing cntlmittee inquire
into the extent to which professional
courtesy is taken advantage of by phyIi
clans not engaged in active practice AMI
c!ergynen, and to report such rscomir.i-
dations as they mag deem proper"
On this the standing committee reports
la part as follows
IN the opinion of the standing com ait
tee neithe, the regulations nor system Of
ethics OF the Medical Association OF the
District of Columbia contemplate that
gratuitGus services should he extended TO
indi yiduals, whether they belong to the
clergy or any other class. except from
motives Of charity and benevOlence.
Poverty md professional bIotl.erhpod
and certain Of the public duties referred
to In the first section OF the articles :el nag
to the duties OF the profession to the pubin
are alone recognized as presenting va'ti
claims for Cratuitous services.
I'm the opinion or the standing commit
tee the term professional Brotherhood as
herein used can only apply to men who
have devoted their lives to the practice uf
medicine
Tbs committee also presents Tor cnn-
si,iaration at the next meeting OF the 30
ciety tie following resolutions:
1. Resolved, That clergymen are not en-
titled to gratuitous services except Wien
they are III INDECENT circumstances.
2. Resolved, That graduates of medicine
are nut entitled to gratuitous ser ices TN
less they devote their entire time o the
practice of medicine, or by reason Df age
or infirrnity have retired from the reg'ii ir
practice If medicine, Or unless such ;sra'l
yates Of medicine, like other individuals,
are ia INDECENT circumstances.
Any member wilifully violating these
resolutions shall De deemed guilty OF vio-
Iating articles III and 3 of the regul ations
of tnis association.
The adoption of these resolutions seems
certain. md they Will doubtless cause col.
siderable comment. as the physicians en-
gagged In the departments and elsewhere
have always maintained that they Were
entitled to all the cUurtesies of the pro-
fession.
On May II, S97, theassociation adopt
ed resolutions which sought to control to a
large extent the hospitals of the District.
These regulations provided that ,vary in
stitution for medical charity shall require
from every applicant for relief writteu
certificate, except in emergency cases. And
that the latter shall not be kept in the hos
pitfalls longer than necessary.
Three Of these resolutions are.
Sixth-That in future the members Jf
themed!cnl sta II of hospitals when attend
ingmeiical or surgical cases in private pay
rooms shall insist upon proper pa yment for
their services, except in the >case of such
patients who are clearly unafse 10 pay for
same.
Seventh That whenever the medical
staff or a ma Jorit Y thereof of hospital OF
dispensary resigns. and when, after .,ue
hearing, this association finds that the
rcSirnotions were for Just and suffic:cht
cause. it shall be forbidden for any mem
ber of this association to accept a position
on the sta ff Of said hospital or dispensary.
Eighth-That whenever -one or more
members of the medical staff OF hospital
or dispensary are dismissed, and When,
after due investigation, this association
finds that such dismissal was without
just and sufficient cause. it shall he Tor
hidden for any member of this associa ton
to fill the va cane Y created thereby,
These regulations were considered very
arbitrary by many. especially those Calling
on tie members of the staff to resign in
case their demands We're not complied
with, So at the last meeting of the a,
sociation il was determined to bring the
matter &c Il speedy settlement and the fol
lowing resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That the standing c,mnIittee
institute an immediate inquiry as 10 what
institutions have signified willingness tn
abide ny these regulations and to notify the
members of the attending staff II the
various hospitals and dispensarie.s who a-e
at the same time members of this associa
tion that unless the rules adopted May11,
1897 are complied with on or before
January /, 1898, such members should be
deemed guilty Of violating the regula-
tions OF this association and shall be
liable to SUCH discipline as the members Of
the association may Direct