Evening star., 1941-02-14
Medical Case
Jury Dismissed
Until Monday
Judge and Attorneys
To Confer on Mass
Of Documents
BY HAROLD B. ROGERS.

by hAhOLD d. hOUEhSs
After opposing counsel clashed
several times over admissibility OF
long list of documents from the
American Medical Association in the
antitrust medical case, Justice
James M. Proctor dismissed the Dis
trict Court jury of 10 men and
women at noon today until Monday.
The jurist, however, planned, un-
less some unexpected development
took place, to confer this afternoon
with opposing counsel to decide
whether a mass of documents should
be admitted in evidence.
Attempts were made shortly after
court convened this morning to
speed up the process Of deciding
upon documents the Government IS
presenting in an effort to prove that
organized medicine ConSpired to re-
strain the trade of Group Health
Association, medical cooperative
of Government workers here.
Only Few Defendants Present.
Only q few of the 20 defendant
doctors were on hand this morning.
They had been given permission by
the jurist to absent themselves
whenever necessary.
The defendants in the case also
include four organizations Of medi-
cine, the A. M. A., the District Medl-
cal Society and others.
The parade of witnesses continued
as the Government called employees
and former employees of the A. NJ.
A. to identify documents for the
record.
Twenty-Five witnesses were brought
from Chicago to identify documents.
Lay Background.
Through introduction of these
documents the prosecution will at
tempt to lay down not only what is
known as the background" of the
conspiracy, as alleged in the indict-
ment returned in December, 1888,
but also evidence of the conspiracy
itself, which is alleged to have be-
gun in January, 1887, and running
through to the time of the indict-
ment.
Papers offered yesterday principals
ly were intended to show the oppo-
sition of the American Medical AS
sociation to group medical plans
throughout the country. The papers
included correspondence concerning
Group Health Association, the Ross
Loos Clinic, in Los Angeles; Trinity
Hospital, Little Rock, Ark; Mil
waukee Medical Center and an or
ganiZation in Cincinnati. Some Of
the documents were admitted as
evidence by Justice Proctor. Some
were rejected and still others were
withheld" for further conSidera-
ton
Justice Proctor sustained many
objections of Defense Counsel Will
liam E. Leahy, explaining at one
time that some documents would
merely cucumber the record with
immat terial matter"
Record Will Be Enormous.
Its going to be an enormous rec
ord anyway" said the jurist. and
we want to hold this record down,
and keep it free of papers which are
immaterial.'
The prosecution has prepared
photostatic copies of the papers be-
ing introduced. and is presenting to
defense counsel for examination
these photosatic copies. while Jus
tice Proctor examines the original
exhibit.
One of the pieces of evidence read
to the jury by Grant w. Kelleher Of
the prosecution staff for the prose-
cution, accused the District Medical
Society and the American Medical
| Association of an intensive cam
paign" against the principle of
| prepayment group medical prac-
tice. 1t was in the form of a record
of the House of Delegates of the A.
M. A.. showing adoption in 1888 of a
plan first used here in the District
by the local medical society TO op-
pose by various means the ma jority
report of the 48-member committee
on the Cost of Medical Care, which
had favored prepayment group
medical practice.
DR.. Michael M Davis of New York
City, who holds the degree of doctor
/ of philosophy and has specialized in
study of problems of hospital admin
/ istration and medical economics. ex-
planned the activities and report OF
the Committee on the Cost of Med
ical Care. He also testified that
| hospitals which were not approved
by the American Medical Associa-
| ton would suffer from the exclu-
sion," and would be generally re-
garded as being inferior"
Minutes and records of the Dis
| trict Medical Society were presented
by Theodore Wiprud, secretary, and
other papers were identified by Mrs.
Dorothy Everett, former employe Of
the society.