The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-24
Defer FINAL ACTION
| ON DR.. THOMAS CASE
Augusta Physician. On Petition OF
Friends and Patients, Is Placed
On Probation BY Board.
osTEoPATHs ARE AFFECTED
Decision of Attorney General As to
Practice OF Surgery--Cass OF i27
Taking Examination-Tarh Stu
dents Affected BY Requirements.

In order to give him another
chance, DIR. J. II. Thomas of Green
vile, Augusta County, charged with
Illegally using, and dispensing drugs.
was placed on probation until the
meeting in December yesterday at a
regular session of the State Board Of
Medical Examiners, held In Murphy
Hotel. At the next meeting the board
will take ANAL action in the matter of
the revocation of his license
At the meeting of the board Pc
titien bearing something like 500 sig
natures was presented. The names
on the paper were those of patients
and friends of the physician, who re-
quested that he be allowed to- con-
tinue to practice his profession.
E. L. Thomas. field secretary of the
state Board of Pharmacy. was the
first witness to be called on the
stand when the hearing opened. and
he testified that the defendant had
acknowledged To him that he was a
dope fiend. At the request of At
torney-General John Garland Pollard
the clerk of the board read the
charges preferre against the
physician by the grand jury OF Au-
gusta County at the term last Febru-
airy. The charges were to the ef-
feet that DIR. Thomas used drugs II
an alarming extent, and that II was
dangerous for him to continue TO
practice his profession. Just why the
physicians license was not revoked Is
believed to have been due to the
lengthy petition presented The mat
ter will be concluded at the next De-
cember session. and in the meantime
DR. Thomas will be on probation.
Question Decided.
Attorney General Pollard yesrer-
day handed down a decision holding
that the State Board of Medical Ex-
amners is the only body vested with
the power to decide just who shall or
shall not practice surgery in Virginia
The State board holds that profess
sional knowledge of materia me.ica
is vitality essential In this practice.
As result OF this decision ii APP
pears that osteopaths will not be al
lowed to practice surgery in this
State. The school of osteopaths does
not require the knowledge of materia
medica, and the board requires sur
geons to use medicine before ana
after operations.
There were IL applicants AHichS
them one white woman and six ne
groes. 10 practice medicine before the
State Board of Medical Examiners.
This is considered very large class.
The examinations are in progress IN
the hall of the House Of Delegates
and will last three days.
In response to a question ny the
board. the Attorney General, ruled
that students from North Carolina.
who were graduated from the Medi-
cal College of Virginia. and who pre-.
viousiy attended the North Carolina
Medical College, could not take t.e
examination until they complied with
the State laws regarding the prelim-
mary education of such students.
The students are required to have n
high school education or Its eduivai-
ent. The local medical college will
not admit students who cannot meet
these requirements, while the Medical
College ef North Carolina lis said TO
have allowed students TO matriculate
who had not secured the preliminary
education required by the Virginia
college.