Kelley v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners

467 S.W.2d 539, 1971 Tex. App. LEXIS 2857
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided May 7, 1971·No. 17195·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

OPINION

LANGDON, Justice.

This appeal is from a permanent injunction granted against the defendants, William Donald Kelley, individually and d/b/a, The Kelley Research Foundation, and The Kelley Research Foundation, Inc., a corporation, for practicing medicine without a license. Trial was to the court. Findings of fact and conclusions of law were made and filed. The suit against the defendants was initiated by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners as plaintiff. The parties will be designated as plaintiff and defendants or by name as in the trial court.

The contentions of the defendants on this appeal are summarized as follows:

First — The court erred in its findings of a great many of the extensive findings of fact made by it and in its conclusions of law based thereon. Defendants assert that many of the findings of fact are insignificant and discussion and argument pertaining thereto will be omitted because the record is self-explanatory.

Second — There is a lack of evidence to establish that Kelley’s examination and testing of the two State employees constituted anything except the practice of dentistry because everything he did was within the boundaries of such practice.

Third — Finally it is contended by the defendants that (1) the publication, “One Answer to Cancer,” does not come within the Medical Practice Act and does not violate the specific terms of the Act itself; (2) it is absolutely impossible to practice medicine by the publication and distribution of a book in the absence of a doctor-patient relationship; and (3) assuming the book constitutes the practice of medicine, which is denied, the guarantee of free speech and freedom of press guaranteed by the U. S. and Texas Constitutions override the interest of the State to suppress or prohibit the publication.

We affirm.

It is undisputed that the defendant Kelley is licensed to practice dentistry in the State of Texas. It is also undisputed that Kelley is not licensed to practice medicine in this State. The same is true of The Kelley Research Foundation, Inc.

Based upon the oral argument and the brief of defendants it would appear that their primary concern pertains to that portion of the injunction which prohibits the publication and distribution of the pamphlet, “One Answer to Cancer.” Defendants say that since they have not and do not intend to practice medicine that an injunction prohibiting such practice will not affect them.

The practice of medicine is defined in Art. 4510, The Texas Medical Act, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St, as follows:

“Any person shall be regarded as practicing medicine within the meaning of this law:
“(1) Who shall publicly profess to be a physician or surgeon and shall diagnose, treat, or offer to treat, any disease or disorder, mental or physical, or any physical deformity or injury, by any system or method, or to effect cures thereof; (2) or who shall diagnose, treat or offer to treat any disease or disorder, mental or physical or *542 any physical deformity or injury by any system or method and to effect cures thereof and charge therefor, directly or indirectly, money or other compensation; provided, however, that the provisions of this Article shall be construed with and in view of Article 740, Penal Code of Texas, and Article 4504, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas as contained in this Act * *

Article 4504, V.A.C.S., provides that, “The provisions of this Chapter do not apply to dentists, duly qualified and registered under the laws of this State, who confine their practice strictly to dentistry; * *

The practice of dentistry in Texas has been defined by Articles 4543, et seq., to undertaking and offering to diagnose, treat, operate or prescribe by any means or methods for any disease, pain, injury, deficiency, deformity, or physical condition, of the human teeth, oral cavity, alveolar process, gums or jaws. (Art. 4551a).

The term “alveolar process” means the bony ridge of either jawbone, which contains the holes or sockets for the roots of the teeth.

A person who is duly licensed as a dentist is not authorized to practice medicine unless he is also duly licensed to practice medicine pursuant to Article 4495, et seq., V.A.C.S.

“One Answer to Cancer,” subtitled, “An Ecological Approach to the Successful Treatment of Malignancy” was authored by William Donald Kelley, individually and d/b/a The Kelley Research Foundation in 1967. It was copyrighted in May and in June of 1969. The Kelley Research Foundation charter was approved on December 30, 1969, a date subsequent to the hearing on the temporary injunction. The Articles of Incorporation were signed by the incor-porators, William Donald Kelley and wife, Sue Kelley, and Hood C. Hammond, on December 15, 1969. The offices of Kelley and the Research Foundation are maintained at 205 E. Worth, Grapevine, Texas. The registered agent of the corporation is the defendant, Kelley.

The address of The Kelley Research Foundation appears several times in the pamphlet in which direct solicitation is made for “contributions, donations, or gifts,” to help with research projects.

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Kelley v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, 467 S.W.2d 539, 1971 Tex. App. LEXIS 2857 (Tex. Ct. App. 1971).

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