Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners v. Craft

93 So. 2d 298, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 681
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 4, 1957
DocketNo. 4344
StatusPublished

This text of 93 So. 2d 298 (Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners v. Craft) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners v. Craft, 93 So. 2d 298, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 681 (La. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

Plaintiff filed this suit in which it sought to enjoin the defendant from the alleged practice of medicine as defined by LSA-R.S. of 1950, Title 37, Section 1261. Judg[299]*299ment was rendered in favor of the defendant dismissing plaintiff’s suit from which an appeal was perfected to this court.

The learned judge of the District Court has favored us with an exhaustive and interesting opinion covering the law, a discussion of practically all prior jurisprudence and the facts, with which we are in complete accord and, therefore, adopt his reasons for judgment. We will discuss, after quoting the lower court’s reasons, the objection and criticism to these reasons as set forth in the brief of the plaintiff.

“Alleging that defendant is holding himself out to the public as being engaged in the business of diagnosing, treating, curing or relieving bodily or mental diseases, conditions, infirmities, deformities, defects, ailments and injuries in human beings other than himself, and is examining such persons for such purpose and is prescribing and administering external treatment to such persons for such purpose, which acts, it alleges, constitute the practice of medicine as defined by [LSAjR.S. 37:1261, plaintiff seeks injunctive relief, under [LSAjR.S. 37:1286, prohibiting such acts on the part of defendant, and the recovery of $100 penalty and $50 attorney’s fees, provided by the same Section.

"The rule nisi was issued April 19, 1956, and made returnable on June 4, 1956.

“Defendant answered the petition on May 8, 1956. Other than admitting the authority of plaintiff to bring the suit and that defendant has obtained no certificate or permit to practice medicine, as required by [LSAjR.S. 37:1270, the answer generally denied the material allegations of plaintiff’s petition.

“When the trial of the rule nisi was called for hearing on June 4, 1956, it was stipulated that the answer filed be considered both as an answer to the rule and to the merits and that the trial be had both on the rule and the merits, so that if an injunction should be issued, it be in the form of a permanent one.

“The case was submitted without argument or the filing of briefs, but from the evidence adduced by the respective sides it seems clear that while plaintiff contends that the labors performed by defendant were those of a chiropractor, hence, under the jurisprudence they constitute the practice of medicine, as the term is defined by' [LSAjR.S. 37:1261, defendant contends; that he does not practice chiropractic and does not hold himself out to the public as-being engaged in the business of diagnosing,, etc., the other things which the petition alleges he was doing, his labor consisting solely of those of a masseur, such as the Court of Appeal, Second Circuit, in [Louisiana] State Board of Medical Examiners v. Martindale, 83 So.2d 544, held not to be subject to the Medical Practice Act.

“The Court is aware that it is usually considered to be the best form, in writing legal opinions, to first relate the facts upon which the opinion Í9 based, and then to apply the applicable law to those facts, but in this particular case, because the evidence of both sides is so obviously directed toward attempting to bring the case under a particular interpretation of the law, it seems more logical to first discuss the law, The Medical Practice Act, as now embraced in Title 37, Sections 1261 et seq. of the 1950 [LSA] Revised Statutes, and the jurisprudence insofar as it concerns the issues involved in this case.

“Section 12 of Article VI of the present Constitution [LSA] directs the Legislature to provide for the protection of the people from unqualified practitioners of medicine. Similar provisions are to be found in the Constitutions of 1879, 1898 and 1913.

“The State has had many different Acts dealing with the practice of medicine, Act 320 of 1855, Sections 66 and 67 of the Revised Statutes of 1856, Act 114 of 1869, Sections 2677-2685 of the Revised Statutes of 1870, Act 31 of 1882, Act 55 of 1886, Act 49 of 1894, Act 244 of 1908, Act 16 of 1912, Act 56 of 1914.

[300]*300“Pursuant to the constitutional mandates subsequent Legislatures passed various Medical Practice Acts, namely: Act 31 of 1882, Act SS of 1886; Act 49 of 1894; Act 244 of 1908; Act 16 of 1912; Act 56 of 1914, and Act 54 of 1918, the latter two being the source of the present law, which is now Title 37, Sections 1261 et seq. of the 1950 [LSA] Revised Statutes. Even prior to the constitution of 1879, the Legislature had passed a number of Acts on the subject, see Act 320 of 1855 (Sections 66 and 67 of the Revised Statutes of 1856), Act 114 of 1869 (Sections 2677-2685 of the Revised Statutes of 1870).

“I;n a study of the question of what acts constitute the ‘practice of medicine’, as that term is defined by the present law, [LSA] R.S. 37:1261, as taken from Section 9 of Act 54 of 1918, it is important to note the difference between the definition of that term, as contained in the present Statute, and that as contained in Section 13 of Act 56 of 1914.

“Section 13 of Act 56 of 1914 reads as follows:

“ ‘Any person shall be regarded as practicing medicine within the meaning of this Act who shall append the letters M.D. or M.B. to his or her name, or shall prescribe, direct, or apply, or shall profess or publicly advertise that he prescribes, directs or applies for the alleged purpose of treating, curing or relieving any bodily or mental disease, infirmity, deformity, defect, ailment, or injury in any person other than himself, any drug, instrument, or force, whether physical or physic, or of whatever nature, or any other agency or means, or who shall examine any such ,'person for such purposes; whether such drugs, instrument, force or other agency or "means is to be applied or used by the patient or..by any other person ; and whether such prescribing, directing, or applying, be for compensation of any kind or be gratuitous; and any officer of agent, or employee or member of any corporation association or partnership which does or professes or publicly advertises that it does examine for, cure, treat, or relieve such diseases, ailment, deformities, defects, injuries or infirmities, in any of the modes mentioned in this section shall be regarded as practicing medicine under the provisions of this Act.’

“Section 1261 of Title 37 of the 1950 [LSA] Revised Statutes, taken from Section 9 of Act 54 of 1918, reads as follows:

“ ‘As used in this Part, “the practice of medicine, surgery, or midwifery” means the holding out of one’s self to the public as being engaged in the business of diagnosing, treating, curing, or relieving any bodily or mental disease, condition, infirmity, deformity, defect, ailment, or injury in any human being other than himself whether by the use of any drug, instrument or force, whether physical or psychic, or of what other nature, or any other agency or means; or the examining either gratuitously or for compensation, of any person or material from any person for such purpose whether such drug, instrument, force, or other agency or means is applied or used by the patient or by another person; or the attending of a woman in childbirth without the aid of a licensed physician, surgeon or midwife; or the using of any other title other than optician, to indicate that he is engaged in the business of refracting . or fitting glasses to the human eye.’

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Bluebook (online)
93 So. 2d 298, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 681, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/louisiana-state-board-of-medical-examiners-v-craft-lactapp-1957.