The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-13
BITTER PILL FOR DOCTORS
JUDGE LEWIS DECISION IN THE
LA CHANCE CASE

Secretary BrimhaII Says There Is
Not a Man In the Profession Who
Doesn't Take Exception to the
Ruling, and Explains why-The
Board VIII Try 1t Again on a
Minneapolis Healer.
The recent decision Of Judge Lewis in
| the case of the state board Of medical
| examiners against the alleged healer
| La Chance. has created a great deal Of
| unfavorable comment among the ply
| sicians Of the two cities. The state
| board Of medical examiners are not at
all satisfied with Judge Lewis inter-
probation of the law. They will either
bring another case in Ramsey county
or bring a test case against one Of the
several "healers" who have been oper-
ating In Minneapolis for some time
past. The fact that the state was de-
feated In the first action precludes the
possibility of taking it to the supreme
court 1t Is not against La Chance that
the board is aiming, but those Of the
state at large who are supposed to
heal chronic and other ailments, with
| out state llcence to practice.
While the court holds that La
SiNoiCe > lilOOuS OperdnQl was not the
| practice of medicine, medical men are
| united in the belief that La Chances
| operations did constitute the practice
| or medicine, -inasmuch as it is claimed
| ne purported to heal diseases. In at
tempting to prosecute La Chance it was
more as test case than an individual
| one, as numerous complaints have been
received from Minneapolis about heal
ers up there.
Another "hea1ar,' wor odvar+ieoa
| few days ago to be in Minneapolis
shortly, and it is not improbable that
! the state board of examiners will bring
a test case against them and get
| chance to have it taken to the supreme
| court.
In discussing the matter yesterday
| Secretary j. B. Brimhall, of the state
| board of medical examiners, said to The
| G. O e:
There is not a man in the medical
profession who will not take exception
| to the decision of Judge Lewis 1t
| gives such persons as La Chance
right to practice, and any one who pur-
! ports to heal diseases, practices medi-
cine. Judge Lewis himself, holds that
La Chance heals diseases, but he
Knocks out the law on the grounds that
| the wording Of the law does not cover
| La Chances case. The law, on the
subject, to my mind, is quite clear and
TeaQS as follows:
Any person shall be regarded as practic-
| ing, within the meaning of this act, who shall
append the letters IN. D." or NJ B. to his
or her name. OF for fee prescribe, direct or
| drugs or medicine or other other agency for
| the treatment, care or relief of any wound
| fracture, bodily inf1rmity or disease.
IF the other phrases of the statute
Gid not cover the case, the words, .di-
rect, or other agency, certainly applies
q Ia n na'c No
| the county attorney that he bring a
case against La Chance on the grounds
| that he is obtaining money under false
prttens.s s, but Mr.. Anderson was doubt
full about being able to do anything.
Something Of that kind may yet be
done.
TT is the object of the law, which
| creates the state board of medical ex-
aminers to protect the public, and T
might say, here, that the doctors ex-
perience no injury whatever from La
Chances methods, unless that it be
that he might be class I'd as physician,
ard since he claims to cure diseases he
certainly comes under that class and
should be licensed
In the last lines of the decision,
written by Judge Lewis, appears the
! follc wing:
!" While it may be of no benefit it GER
tsinly can result in no injury, and the
| necessity for license on the ground
Of public safety does not exist
ut is well known fact" continued
| DR.. Brimhall, that acute diseases,
| which do not tend to recovery, require
| Only the most skilled attention, and the
| dictum of the court that The ground
| for public safety does not exist is GER
| tainly not well founded. In cases of
walking typhoid or appendicitis, where
| immediate and effective measures, and
orn
! treatment by other than a skilled ply
| stefan would not be other than fatal.
| IE case of acute appendicitis, where
| the patient is taken suddenly and the
| delay of few hours in an operation
| would be fatal, La Chances alleged
| methods would result in Death
| THE safely of the public demands
! that something be done to prevent
! these healers from causing any deaths
| in the community. There are many
people who take up with such healers,
! not knowing the serious nature of their
ailment, who go for treatment and, Of
| course, their cases are only aggravat-
| ed.
1.-THE state law Of Nebraska covers
| the point quite fully, being simply a
more emphatic wording Of the intent
| of the Minnesota law. Its wording
is as follows: Operate on, profess to
| heal or prescribe, or Otherwise treat
| any physical OF mental allInenI. HOW
| ever, I think the construction Of the
Minnesota law is adequate to protect
| the public, and steps will be taken
| very soon to bring the matter to an
| other test.
| '"The local medical society will take
| no action in the matter, as it rests sole
| ly with the board of examiners who
| are appointed to look after matters of
| the public health SO far as they relate
| TO the practice of medicine"