Baird v. National Health Foundation

144 S.W.2d 850, 235 Mo. App. 594, 1940 Mo. App. LEXIS 75
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 1, 1940
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 144 S.W.2d 850 (Baird v. National Health Foundation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baird v. National Health Foundation, 144 S.W.2d 850, 235 Mo. App. 594, 1940 Mo. App. LEXIS 75 (Mo. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

Fern Baird, plaintiff, sued National Health Foundation, a Voluntary Unincorporated Association, M.K. Kelly, Trustee thereof, Dr. Eugene Carbaugh, Dr. Glenn C. Carbaugh, and Dr. J. Earle Donaldson, defendants, for damages alleged to have been suffered by her as a result of the negligence of defendants in treating her for an illness. Plaintiff had a verdict and judgment against all defendants, from which judgment said defendants have appealed.

The record facts in this case, by reason of the large number of defendants, as well as the various dates and sets of circumstances surrounding the various transactions, are rather difficult to set out briefly and intelligibly. Because of the above-stated situation, and because the plaintiff had the verdict, we will state the facts most favorable to plaintiff and will not attempt to state facts unfavorable to her claim. That is the universal rule after verdict.

The National Health Foundation, hereinafter referred to as Foundation, is a voluntary association which contracts with various people, who thereby become members, to furnish medical service to such members. Such members are issued a certificate by the Foundation through M.K. Kelly, its trustee; and such certificate holders agree to pay a monthly premium as consideration for such membership and for such medical services as are mentioned therein. Plaintiff was a member in good standing on January 8, 1938, and until February 15, 1938. According to the terms of the certificate issued to her, M.K. Kelly, trustee, was required to, and did, execute same for and on behalf of the Foundation. She had the power to, and did, employ a Medical Director, who alone could furnish the medical services contracted *Page 602 for under the certificate. The Medical Director so appointed and acting was Dr. Eugene Carbaugh, hereafter referred to as Dr. Eugene.

The Medical Director was authorized to, and did, employ other physicians as his assistants, to assist him; and he had the power to designate all "physicians, surgeons, dentists and hospitals," to render the medical services mentioned. Dr. J. Earle Donaldson and Dr. Glenn C. Carbaugh, hereafter referred to as Dr. Glenn, and Dr. Donaldson, were duly appointed and acting assistants to the Medical Director. The Foundation's office, with M.K. Kelly in charge thereof, was the same office as that of Dr. Eugene, Dr. Glenn, and Dr. Donaldson. The telephone numbers of said doctors, of said Foundation, and of the trustee, M.K. Kelly, were identical. When a private patient called one of said doctors he called that number; and when a member of the Foundation called the trustee, or any of said doctors, he called that number. Said doctors were paid by the Foundation. The established custom, in dealing with the request of members for medical attention, was for the member to call the Foundation, and request the services of one of the doctors on the staff; or Miss Kelly would assign one of them to the member.

On January 8, 1938, plaintiff went to the offices of the Foundation and requested the services of Dr. Glenn, who physically examined her. She complained of general lassitude and soreness in the wrists. Dr. Glenn examined her wrists and throat. He found the throat irritated, although same was not then sore, treated it, advised her to gargle, and told her that she should have her tonsils out within a few weeks. He prescribed medicine for her to take. She went home and to bed. She followed his instructions. Her condition of soreness of muscles in the wrists grew in intensity and spread to her arms and shoulders, thence through her body, down her legs and into her feet. She was running a temperature and was drowsy and "dopey." Her hands and fingers, as well as her limbs, swelled conspicuously. Her pain increased until she was almost hysterical at times. She was unable to get to the bathroom unaided. Her color became grayish and her fingers were so swollen as to "distend."

The above was her condition on January 12, when Dr. Glenn was called and he came out. He told her that she would just have to wear it out, and to continue taking the same medicine he had prescribed. From that time on until about the 19th her condition grew progressively worse. The Foundation, or one of the doctors, was called a time or two by plaintiff's husband and mother, and they insisted that plaintiff was not improving but was growing worse; and they requested that something more be done. No doctor came but they were told to come down and get more of the medicine prescribed by Dr. Glenn.

On the 19th or 20th plaintiff's relatives requested a visit by Dr. *Page 603 Glenn but Dr. Donaldson came instead. He did not touch plaintiff but merely asked how she felt. She told him she felt worse. He stood at the foot of the bed and never examined her. The swelling was then pronounced and black spots had appeared on plaintiff's body, limbs and hands. Her throat was swollen and very sore. He prescribed a different medicine for her and left. She then could not bear the weight of bed clothes and lay between two pillows with the sheet over the pillows. He made no report of his call, or of the results thereof, to the Foundation. Indeed, no record of calls, or of examinations, symptoms found, treatment given, or anything else, was ever produced by any of the defendants in this case. It was not even claimed that any such records were kept, although it was claimed by defendants that such records were customarily kept by them.

On January 22, Dr. Eugene came to see plaintiff and made an examination of her. He came as a result of a call made the night before by plaintiff's husband who told him of her condition in detail. He made an examination of plaintiff and told her to continue the same treatment, that she would have to wear it off.

Her condition grew progressively worse until the 29th when she was unable to feed herself. Her arms and legs were immobile except when moved by some other person. Her pain was such that she cried. It took her fifteen minutes to be taken a few feet to the bathroom. The black blotches had increased in number and size. Her limbs and arms were swollen greatly. She could eat but little. She was in a drowsy semi-coma almost all of the time. In the meantime none of defendant's doctors had called nor had plaintiff been advised at any time by any of them that they would not call, nor that they had quit the case. Neither had the Foundation called or sent any other doctor, or offered so to do.

At this time plaintiff's husband requested Dr. Laurenzana to take over the case as a private physician. He came on the 29th, stripped plaintiff's clothes and gave her a methodical examination from head to foot. She was running a temperature, had extreme muscular soreness, and was in a semi-coma. He caused a blood count to be made and took a throat smear for microscopical examination. His diagnosis was that she was suffering from hemolytic streptococcus caused by a throat infection; that the germs were in the blood stream and were destroying the red corpuscles; and that her tissues were watery, making her much heavier than normal. He prescribed a compound of sulfanilamide and also ordered light ray treatments. Within about five days she responded to the treatment and eventually virtually recovered, although, at time of trial, May, 1939, he was still treating her.

Dr. Laurenzana testified that the disease of hemolytic streptococcus infection could certainly have been discovered, upon proper examination, as early as the 18th or 19th; and that it should have been anticipated *Page 604 and suspected, from symptoms present at that time, as early as the 8th day of January.

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Bluebook (online)
144 S.W.2d 850, 235 Mo. App. 594, 1940 Mo. App. LEXIS 75, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baird-v-national-health-foundation-moctapp-1940.