The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-07-18

LIS Is u story LOlQ by physician
living In a large western city of
problem that suddenly confronted him
and of how he interpreted the
ethics of his profession and acted on
It.
II was reused one night" he said,
''by a telephone call. An unfamiliar
voice asked me If could attend
man who had been injured. l an
swered that could If the case was
urgent, but before could ask who was
calling the speaker answered: All
right, doctor, I'll call at your house in
ten minutes with a carriage
Almost before l had time to dress,
the doorbell rang. / unlocked the
door, and man, wearing long ul-
ster, dark hat and pair of colored
glasses, entered.
Doctor he said, before we start
l want to make a requests This case,
as l told you, is urgent. But before
we start, | must have your assurance
that you will treat this visit as con-
fidential mission. l can't say any
more, except to add that you're run
ming no risk of any kind In helping
me. And you can name your own
fee.'
There was nothing about the mans
appearance that appeared suspicious.
He, was quiet and self-possessed-
there wasn't q trace of nervousness
about him, and he was well dressed.
The request was somewhat unusual,
but, after all, nearly everything that
we learn professionally Is held In the
strictest confidence without any def
mite understandings to that effect, SO
l thought there was no reason for re-
fusing to make the agreement.
81 took my hat and We started The
carriage, l noticed, was a closed one.
We got in, the man turned on small
electric light and then drew the blinds
over the windows.
Doctor he said, I'm going to ask
you to take this trip without knowing
where you're going. III assure you it's
all right. | want you to blindfold
yourself before we leave the carriage,
until we get inside the house.
well, l didn't like the looks of this,
but was In and didn't like to back
out OF course | wasn't at all afraid
for my own safety. BY the time the
carriage stopped didn't have the least
idea what part of town we We're in
we had made SO many turns. | put on
the blindfold, as my visitor requested,
and we went up some steps and into
house.
Upstairs, found my patient. He
had been shot twice. Revolver bullets.
they were. The wounds weren't dan.
gerous, but they were painful because
they had not been treated earlier.
II dressed them. told the woman
who was there what sort of care the
patient ought to have, and then told
least two or three times more before
/ could answer for his safe recovery.
The man with the dark glasses
quietly assented to this, but insisted
that he should bring me at night, as
he had that time. | agreed.
The next morning the papers told
of robbery, In which a householder
had been wounded, after shooting one
of the burglars, who succeeded in es-
Gaping. All the facts indicated that
my patient of the night before was
the burglar who had been shot l felt
sure l could locate the house. The
householder recovered quickly.
"The question stared at me: Did the
ethics of the medical profession allow
me to go to the police and tell them
what knew, or did my promise bind
me to secrecy? l thought 1t over al
day and finally decided that had 10
right to say anything aL0ut the nat
ter. | made three more trips in tie
rame manner and finally decided that
the man would get along without any
more calls. All this time | watched
the papers, but no trace was found of
the burglars. When l made my last
visit | told the man who had first
called on me that my fee would be
SIS. He took from a large roll two
! 800 bills and handed them to me
without word. He drove me home
and that was the last l ever saw OF
either of them.
THAT was a good many years ago,
but I've often wondered whether did
right In not violating that mans con-
fidence."
II don't think you did," said mem
Der of the group. The medical pro-
fession has no right to shield crimi-
nal. Women and children should be
given the greatest protection we can
give them-the same as on a vessel
at sea-but no word given a criminal
is binding" .a~-'". ..,~
"But suppose 1t had turned out that
the man was not the burglar in ques-
ton. believe he was. but 1t might
have been otherwise-?"
That's true" said third. 1T was
all right to keep your promise so long
as you had no actual knowledge that
the man was a criminal. Where you
made your mistake was in making
such a ridiculous agreement In ths
first place"
And let man, dangerously In
jured. suffer-" asked the first speaker.
Remember, when l first agreed to
secrecy the case had no particularly
suspicious appearance. could cite
dozen different circumstances under
which serious accident might happen
and which the persons connected with