The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-08
must FOLLOW THE STATUTE
DR.. G.. H. Ripley Asks That Permission
be Given to Insert Acute in Mar
riage Certificates But Attorney GEN
eral Says No

Or. George Fl. Ripley, president of
the state board Of medical examiners,
has made an effort to save the physi-
clans of the state from getting in
wrong in connection with issuing GER
tificates under the eugenic marriage
law and while he failed in having the
attorney general agree to change in
the reading of the certificate he secured
from the attorney general an opinion
which will go a long way toward safe
guarding physicians who may issue GER
tifcates to bridegrooms.
DR.. Ripley, in letter suggested to
the attorney general that the physi-
clans be given the right to insert the
word acute in the certificate so that
when it was issued it would read that
the applicant for the marriage license
was free from all acute venereal
disease. With the insertion of this
word it was held by the head of the
state board that the examinations
might be made by physicians and GER
tifcates issued without the physician
making himself liable to prosecution
should a future diagnosis prove that
bridegroom was tainted with disease.
Evidently this suggestion did not meet
with favor from the attorney general S
office. On Wednesday evening DIR.
Ripley received the following letter
from the attorney general which seems
to dispose of the question.
Replying to your communication of
the 10th inst in which you ask whether
the word acute may be inserted in
the certificates of the physicians given
under the eugenics law SO that it will
certify the person examined to be free
from all acute venereal diseases, will
say that the law requires the certi-
ficate to be in the form therein stated
and 1t is my opinion that no change
can be made in such form. have re-
Gently given my opinion, however, that
the examination required by the law
does not include the Wasserman or any
other such highly scientific tests and
that physicians making this certificate
are fully complying with the law if they
have applied such tests as the ordinary
practicing physician in this state is
equipped and qualified to make and
such as a physician may reasonably be
expected to make for a $500 fee.
Reading the law as a whole, it is alb
solutely clear that the highest scientific
test was not in the mind Of the legisla-
ture and when the nature of the Was
serman test is considered, it is plain
that the legislature did not intend that
such, test must be applied before doc
tor could give a certificate required by
this law. I therefore, advise you that
any physician applying the ordinary
test at his command or at the command
OF the ordinary practicing physician Of
the state, may make the certificates re-
quired by this law without hesitation or
fear of results. y
The opinion of the attorney general
is regarded as taking the sting out of
the law and there is little doubt but
that under it the physicians of Kenosha
without exception, will proceed to
make such certificates as they may be
asked to make. DR.. Ripley holds that
this opinion relieves that physician
from the more binding problems intro
duced in the law