The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-02-02
A DOCTORS STORY
The Problem That Grew 0ut. OF
a Queer Night Call.
A STUDY IN MEDICAL ETHICS.
It Was a Case In Which Mystery and
Suspicion Were Mixed, and It Awoke
the Question of Physicians Right
to Violate Pledge of Secrecy.

This is a story, told by well known
physician, of q problem that suddenly
confronted him and how he inter
preted the ethics of his profession and
acted on it.
II was reused one night" he said,
"by telephone call. An unfamiliar
voice asked me if | could attend q
man who had been injured. l answer
ed that 1 could If the case was III
gent, but before l could ask who waA
calling the speaker answered:
"'All right, doctor; I'll call at you
house in ten minutes with a carriage.
almost before l had time to drcsi
the doorbell rang. unlocked thu
door, and man wearing 4 long ulster
a dark hat and pair of colored glase
es entered.
Doctor he said before we start
I want to make request This case,
as l told you, is urgent. But before
we start l must have your assurance
that you will treat this visit as
confidential mission. | can't say any
more. except to add that you're run
ming no risk of any kind in help
ing me-
There was nothing about the mans
appearance that seemed suspicious.
He was quiet and self possessed.
There wasn't trace of nervousness
about him, and he was well dressed.
| thought there was no reason for re-
fusng to make the agreement
II took my hat. and we started. The
carriage 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. I'll assure you
it's all right. / want you TO blindfold
yourself before we leave the carriage
until we get inside the house
well, didn't like the look OF this,
but | was in and didn't like to back
out. BY the time the carriage stop
ped I didn't have the least idrd what
part of the town we we're ia, he had
made so many turns | put on the
blindfold, as my visitor requested. and
we went 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.
~ dressed them, told the woman
who was there what sort of care the
patient ought to have and then told
| them that I'd have to see the man at
| 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 cscap
ing. All the facts of the case ind
Gated that my patient of the night be
fore was the burglar who had been
shot. The householder recovered
quickly.
'aThe question stared at me- Did the
ethics of the medical profession allow
| me to 20 to the police and tell then
| what knew, or did my promise biuc
me to secrecy? l thought it over al
day and finally decided that had nc
I right to say anything about the mat
ter. 1 made three more trips in th'
| game manner. All this time | watch
| ed the papers. but no trace was founC
OF the burglars. When | made my
| last visit / told the man who had mrs
called me that my fee would be $50
He took from n large roll some Dill
and handed them TO me without
| word. He drove me home. and tia
| was the last / ever saw of either o
| them.
"That was a good many years age
hut I've often wondered whether di'
| right in not violating that mans con
ldence."
81 don't think you did" said a mem
Der of the group. The medical pre-
fession has no right to shield a erin
lnaL Women and children should b
L given lne ETthlteb piVtN~t.Nh
give them. but no word given a erin
D inal Is binding"
"But suppose it had turned out tina
the man was not the burglar IN que
! ton? I believe he was. but 1t migi
have been otherwise"
That's true" said a third 1T wa
all right to keep your promise so Ion
as you had no actual knowledge th;
: the man was a criminal Where 70
made your mistake was in maxim
such a ridiculous agreement in the hr
/ place"
and let n man. dangerously inju
ed. sufrerY" asked the hrst speake
Remember. when | first agreed to $
crecy the case had no particularly 81
picious appearance. | could cite
dozen different circumstances in whiS
a serious accident might happen az
which the persons connected Wi
would. with a perfect right go
great lengths 10 keep secret So cou
either Of you"