Evening star., 1938-12-20

prevented doctors from becoming
or remaining members of the medi-
cal staff of Group Health Associa-
ton. Inc, and has prevented other
doctors from consulting with the
doctors on the medical staff of G.
H. A., and has prevented doctors
on the medical staff of G. H. A.
from treating and operating on
their patients In any of the hospitals
in or near the District of Columbia"
The Washington physicians who
were indicted by the Federal grand
jury had little comment to make.
The nearest approach to it was
made by DR.. Conklin, who said:
Il am very small part of the great
whole. and I don't think I should
take it upon myself to make state
ment It is extremely advisable, I
feel, that it come from some au-
thoritative source in the American
Medical Association.
DR.. Christie told his secretary to
answer inquiries with: mo COM
ment.'
DIR. HoOe Undisturbed.
DR.. Hooe said: Il hope to sleep
tonight just as l did last night and
I won't lose any sleep over the mat
ter. There isn't anything to say
now. have no comment to make
and I don't think of anything 1 can
say"
DR.. Edward Hiram Reede said he
felt the decision was not unex-
pected. He went on: The way the
material was presented the jurors
could but feel there was an injus-
tice," he said. Further than this he
would make no comment.
Arnold in Charge of Case.
The Department of Justice staff
presenting the case to the jury was
under direction of Thurman Arnold,
Assistant Attorney General in
charge of antitrust activities. The
staff consisted of Allan Hart, MI
Levin, Douglas B Maggs, Grant w.
Kelleher, Walton S. Allen, Philander
Claxton and Stewart Kerr.
The grand jury probe grew out of
complaints to the Department of
Justice that organized medicine had
put pressure against Group Health
Association Inc.
Quietly the Department of Justice
began an investigation of these
charges, and on August an official
announcement, signed by both Mr..
Arnold and Attorney General Homer
Cummings, put the Government on
record for the first time as de-
termined to present the case to a
grand jury as possible violation
of the Serman Antitrust Act.
Attorney General Cummings at a
press conference emphasized that
the Government did not charge a
monopoly in the case, but COM
planned of unlawful restraints of
trade, of efforts to coerce and boy
colt, efforts carried to the extent
of refusing consultations and clos
ing the doors of hospitals to physi-
clans of approved professional quail
| ifications."
1T is not within our province"
said the Attorney General, Ito see
that any one method of furnishing
medical service shall prevail over
another. 1t is our business to see
that restraints of trade and coercive
practices are stopped
1--WE do not sponsor the views of
any one group, but We seek to pre-
vent one group from penalizing or
coercing another. We are much in
the position of a referee in foot
ball game between two colleges. The
referee is not for or against either
team, but it becomes his painful duty
on occasions to impose a 15-yard
penalty for holding"
Jury Began in October. =
The grand jury began it's investi-
CATION october II, and has been
hearing long list of witnesses. Ap-
pearances have been made by rep
resentatives from the Group Health
Association, national figures with
comprehensive background of the
battle over cooperative medicine, by
officials of the American Medical
Association, the Medical Society of
the District and many physicians
and surgeons in private practice.
The A. M. A. succeeded in hav-
ing one subpoena on its records re-
duced by two-thirds, when Justice
James M. Proctor in District Court
held the demand to be unreason-
able and oppressive. But the jurist
did not hold that the subject mat
ter demanded regarding alleged
tactics of A. M. A. against other
group medicine groups throughout
the country was irrelevant, as had
been charged by A. M. A. counsel.
The A. NJ A. came into court a
second time with motion attempt
ing to quash a second and revised
subpoena more specifically demand
ing wide variety of records regard
ing medical co-operatives through
out the country. Justice Proctor
denied the motion.
The Medical Society of the Dis
trict attempted through counsel to
get Justice Proctor to call in the
grand jury for instructions from the
court as to the Sherman Anti Trust
Act. The society claimed that the
medical profession could not be con-
strued as trade" under the mean
ing Of the law. Justice Proctor re-
fused to call in the jury for 1nstruc-
tions, and it did not reappear before
him until today to make its report.
Group Health Association was
organized in November, 1887, among
employees of the Home Owners
Loan Corp.
Justice Jennings Bailey in District
Court held on July q that G. H. A.
was legal, and was not a violation
of either the Healing Arts Practice
Act or the insurance laws here.
The District government has ap-
aa pealed fl from m or1 his ruling on insur.
the medical practice issue. Three
physicians in private practice, how
| ever have pone into cO11rt in a Sena =