New Britain herald., 1914-07-03
CHANDELIERS DECISION
 fAV0RS LOCAL YOUTH
Orient Music Co Must Pay Harold
 Reed Benefits and His Expenses. CHIROPRACT0R NOT A PHYSICIAN

Bills of Doctors Selected By Reed
 Prove Futile.-NfcDonald Satisfied
 to Be Relieved.-Brief Items.
 Contending that a chiropractor is not physician within the meaning of the workingman's compensation act, Commissioner George B. Chand- Ter yesterday afternoon gave deci- sion in favor of Harold E. Reed of this town against the Aetna Life In- surance company of Hartford with which the Orient Music company of <Forestville, the claimants employers, carried policy. The commissioner instructed the company to pay Reed $5 a week from May 27 until the time he was able to go to work. Helals6 ordered that the claimant be reifna bursed for $S1.43, the expenses which he incurred in connection with the case. 1sc c>e 2 Statewide interest has been taken in Reeds claim as it was the first Of it's kind to be brought before the for settlement. While sA hearing was given several weeks
 ng.a MT. Chandler reserved his de-
 0ntil yesterday, making a thor
 i2xestigation in the meantime.
 &ed who was nineteen years old. "A I'LL injured on January 29 while at work in the Orient company's plant. He fell down a flight of stairs and sustained injuries which rendered him unconscious. After first aid" treatment was given Dr. c. w. Kent of Forestville and Dr. c. W. Moody of Plainville attended him.
 Undefs the law the employer has the right to select his own physician for examination of the injured man and the Orient people had Dr. w. A. Wooding of New Britain, a chiroprac- tor, calL at the Reed house. He made two subsequent visits and a few days after the accident pronounced Reed able to go to work. Had he fol- lowed this advice the young man would have been unable to get com pensation. Dr., Moody declared that he was not, fit for labor at the time and Reed declined to return to the factory.
 A short time later pneumonia de- veloped, pr. J.. c. Tanner, who was then called in, claiming that the dis ease was caused by pressure of a rib which had been injured in the acci- dent. At the hearing before the commissioner this claim was disputed by the insurance company's doctors.
 The insurance company disallowed Reeds claim on the grounds that pr. Wooding had pronounced him able to return to work a few days after the accident.
 Commissioner Chandler in his find ing ruled that a chiropractor is not a physician within the meaning of the compensation act and as the com pany neglected to provide a compe- tent doctor or surgeon in accordance with the law it is liable to all ex- penses incurred by Reed for medical attendance within thirty days after the accident.
 While admitting that Reed as an individual had a right to employ practitioner of any of the numerous schools or cults, he questioned the company's privilege of doing like- wise.
 After describing the various exper- iments that are being made concern ing the treatment of body ills, the commissioner makes this comment regarding the departure from the course of treatment generally accept ed by society: While it is not without the limits of possibility that some person or group of persons, either by reasoning or on theoretical grounds, or by experimentation, or even accident, might discover a new and better method than that gen. orally practiced or taught. such a contingency is highly improbable, and an employer under this act who pro- vides a practitioner of any such novel methods, contrary to the pre- vailing standard of society and the preference and custom of the injured employees fails to conform to the provisions of Section of Part B. thereof
 The decision has been awaited here with interest for some time. Reed had planned to appeal to the courts if the commissioner had decided against him as he had no faith what ever, in chiropractors and was averse to receiving treatment from Dr. l Wooding which he described as vio- lent manipulations of the body. Under ordinary circumstances the company would not have been com pelled to pay the bills of doctors, ex- cept those which it employed itself, but it's selection of a chiropractor to give treatment. the commissioner decided, makes it liable for the ex- pense Reed incurred in being cared for by physicians of his own choice. Mcdonald We'll Satisfied. sI feel ten pounds lighter. It takes lot of responsibility and worry off me and I am we'll satisfied" The foregoing statement was made today latives in Providence over the week. end.