The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-01-16
A DOCTORS STORY
The Problem That Grew Out of
a Queer Night Call.
A STUDY IN MEDICAL ETHICS.


to Violate Pledge of Secrecy
| This is a story told by well known
physician, Of a problem that suddenly
| confronted him and how he inter
preted the ethics of his profession and
| acted on it.
| Il was reused one night" he said,
"by telephone call An unfamiliar
voice asked me If | could attend
man who had been injured. | answer
ed that | could if the case was ur-
gent, but before could ask who was
calling the speakeA answered:
"'All right. doctor; I'll call at your
house in ten minutes with a carriage
almost before ! had time to dress
| the doorhell rang. unlocked the
door, and man wearing long ulster.
dark hat and Il pair of colored glass
eS entered.
Doctor he said. before we start
! want to make a request. This case
as | told you, is urgent. But before
we start ! must have your assurance
that you will treat this visit as a
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-
fusing to make the agreement.
Il took my hat, and we started The
carriage was closed one. We got in;
the man turned on a 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.
We'll, didn't like the look of this,
but | was in and didn't like to back
out BY the time the carriage stop
| ped | didn't have the least idea what
| part of the town we were in, he had
|
/ bhndfold, 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, bat they were painful because
| they had not been treated earlier.
Il 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 tme. | agreed.
''The next morning the papers told of
! a robbery in which householder had
been wounded after shooting one of
| the burglars. who succeeded in escap-
| ing. All the facts of the case indi-
Gated that my patient of the night be-
fore was the burglar who had been
shot The householder recovered
quickly.
|
| 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? | thought it over all
day and finally decided that | had no
right to say anything about the mat
ter. | made three more trips in the
same manner. All this time | watch
/ - I, G,1%, fro fnt1y
of the burglars. When | made my
last visit / told the man who had first
called NE that my fee would be $50
He took from a large roll some bills
and handed them to me without a
word He drove me home, and that
was the last / 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.'
Il don't think you did," said men,
ber of the group. The medical pro-
fession has no right to shield Grim
inal. Women and children should be
given the greatest protection we can
give them, but no word given a Grim
inal is binding"
But suppose it 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 ridiculous agreement In the first
place"
"And let a man, dangerously injur-
| ed suffer?'' asked the first speaker.
"Remember, when l first agreed to Sc
crecy the case had no particularly sus-
picious appearance | could cite a
dozen different circumstances in which
serious accident might happen and
which the persons connected with
would. withSa perfect right, go 10
great lengths to keep secret. So could
either Of you"
| Which of the shree was right?-Ne1
York Telegraph.