Bruns v. White

14 Ohio Law. Abs. 217, 1933 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1665
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 30, 1933
DocketNos 2241, 2246 & 2254
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 14 Ohio Law. Abs. 217 (Bruns v. White) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bruns v. White, 14 Ohio Law. Abs. 217, 1933 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1665 (Ohio Ct. App. 1933).

Opinion

HORNBECK, J.

. The questions presented in this case are interesting and of importance. 'To restate the facts, as developed in the petition and to discuss the many legal questions so ably presented by counsel for the parties in the case would require an opinion more extended than the law as we conceive it requires.

We would hesitate to entertain an action to enjoin the defendant board upon the claim of prejudice. This is the only board in the State of Ohio empowered to pass upon and determine questions involving the suspension or revocation of certificates of license to optometrists. Should it be possible for an optometrist charged with an act, the consequences of which would permit revocation of his license, to avoid a hearing by claim of prejudice, the ability of the board to function might be completely impaired. If it could not act, then there would be no other body under the law which would have any authority in its stead to perform the duties delegated to it.

The rights of any individual against whom charges were made of violation of §1295-31, GC, in all cases wherein the board had jurisdiction would be properly preserved by saving the record and perfecting appeal. We do not find that the process for appeal set up by this statute is unreasonable or incapable of application.

The regulation of the practice of optometry, the setting up of the Board, the definition of the science, and qualifications required of applicants, the grounds for granting and refusing a certificate of license, the causes for the revocation of a license all are creatures of statutory enactment.

We are not considering the extent to which the state might have exercised its police power but how far it has seen fit to exercise this prerogative. We do not say, nor do we believe it is necessary to say that the legislature could not. have authorized the promulgation of the rules of the State Board of Optometry under consideration. Police power, as defined in Wooster v Arbenz, 116 Oh St 281, 3rd syl., is:

“The police power is the power to guard the public morals, safety and health and to promulgate the public convenience and the common good and is one of the powers not surrendered to the federal. government and therefore remains with the states respectively.”

And in Leonard v State of Ohio, 100 Oh St, 456, the court says:

“The measure of police power available to the government is the measure of public need, whether it apply to health, safety, protection or general welfare, except as qualified by state and federal constitution.”

Thus, we have a very different question if the State of Ohio has by legislative aq[219]*219tion directly or indirectly sanctioned the prohibition on the means and method of the practice of optometry included within the rules under consideration.

Nor is it necessary to determine whether or not optometry is in a technical sense a profession.

In Saunders v Swann (Tenn.), 292 SW, 458, the court made distinction between oculists and optometrists, designating the former as a learned profession relating to practice of medicine and surgery in treatment of eye diseases, and the latter as occupation or- vocation calling for degree of mechanical skill and experience in fitting glasses to eye.

The science of optometry, though it may require much preparation and skill, is not commonly known as one of the learned professions. Without statutory intervention there would be no protection of the law to optometrists except that which would apply to any business man. A well defined ethical code of practice might well grow up in this profession and a failure to observe it place a member beyond the pale of ethical conduct, but without legislative action there would be no legal method of enforcing such conduct upon any member of the profession. It fs necessary, therefore, to look to the statute and to the statute alone for the scope of the power of the State Board of Optometry. This is found, as it relates to revocation of license, in §1295-31, GO, as follows:

“The board * * * may cancel, revoke or suspend the operation of any certificates by it granted to any person guilty of fraud in passing the examination or at any time guilty of felony or gross immorality, grossly unprofessional or dishonest conduct, guilty of fraudulently advertising a price of spectacles or eye glasses, by cards, circulars, statements or otherwise, with intent to deceive or mislead the public, or addicted to the use of ardent spirit, or stimulants, narcotics or any' other substance which impairs the intellect and judgment to such an extent as to incapacitate one for the performance of the duties of an optometrist.”

The charge against each of the plaintiffs is

“(1). That he has been guilty of grossly unprofessional conduct in this, to-wit:

That he has aided and abetted a corporation in the violation of law to practice Optometry, well knowing that said corporation had no power of authority to do so. That he has violated Rules 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 of the Rules and Regulations of the Ohio State Board of Optometry.

(2) That he has been guilty of dishonest conduct iri this to-wit:

Aiding and abetting a corporation to practice Optometry and violation of the rules hereinbefore set forth.

(3) That he has been guilty of fraudulently advertising a price of spectacles or eye glasses with intent to deceive or mislead the public in this to-wit:

That he in connection with-, a corporation, located at-, have put in the various newspapers in the City of --■ certain advertising which is fraudulent and which has a tendency, to deceive and mislead the public.”

The rules of the defendant board out of which the present controversy arose are as follows:

Rule 5: “An optometrist shall not advertise a price or prices of glasses complete, a spectacle frame or mounting, an eye glass frame or mounting, or an opthalmic lens used in the practce of optometry, nor shall he be associated with or remain in the employ of any person who does such advertising.”
Rule 6: “An optometrist shall not have any professional connection with, accept employment from or lend his name to any person not duly licensed to practice optometry in the State of Ohio, and who holds himself out as offering optometric services or facilities.”
Rule 7: “An optometrist shall not have any professional connection with, accept employment from or lend his name to any partnership, firm, association or corporation which holds itself out as offering optometric services or facilities. This, however, shall not prohibit employment by, or the forming of partnerships between, optometrists duly licensed in the State of Ohio.”
Rule 8: “An optometrist shall not make any division of his fees or other charges with any person, firm, partnership, association or corporation.”
Rule 10: “An optometrist shall not advertise any claim which in the opinion of the board would have a tendency to mislead or deceive the public or advertise ‘free examinations’ or ‘examinations included,’ or similar words or phrases.”

Suffice to say that Rules 5 and 10 are much broader in import and meaning than [220]*220is authorized by the statute.

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Related

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57 N.E.2d 425 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1943)

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Bluebook (online)
14 Ohio Law. Abs. 217, 1933 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1665, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bruns-v-white-ohioctapp-1933.