Parks v. State

59 L.R.A. 190, 64 N.E. 862, 159 Ind. 211, 1902 Ind. LEXIS 25
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 7, 1902
DocketNo. 19,670
StatusPublished
Cited by69 cases

This text of 59 L.R.A. 190 (Parks v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parks v. State, 59 L.R.A. 190, 64 N.E. 862, 159 Ind. 211, 1902 Ind. LEXIS 25 (Ind. 1902).

Opinion

Gillett, J.

— Appellant was prosecuted, by affidavit and information, - for practicing medicine without a license. There were three counts in the affidavit and information. Appellant moved to quash each count thereof, but his motion was overruled, and he excepted. Upon issue joined, a trial was had that resulted in a finding of guilty as charged in each count. Judgment was rendered in accordance with the finding. A motion for a new trial, in con[213]*213nection with, a proper assignment of error, presents the further question as to the sufficiency of the evidence. The first count of the affidavit and information was in the form prescribed by statute. Acts 1901, p. 475, §8, §7323c Bums 1901. It is contended, notwithstanding, that the charge is insufficient because of uncertainty.

In Benham v. State, 116 Ind. 112, which was a prosecution for a like offense, the charge was in the same general' form, and it was held sufficient by this court. It was there said, at page 114: “We are of opinion, however, that the indictment in this case is not open to the objection that it does not state the offense charged with sufficient certainty. The offense charged against appellant herein is purely a statutory offense — that is, it was created and defined and its punishment prescribed by the provisions heretofore quoted of the above entitled act of April 11, 1885. In such a case, it has been held by this court, as a general rule, that an indictment or information will be sufficient to withstand a motion to quash, if it charge the offense in the language of the statute, or in terms substantially equivalent thereto. Howard v. State, 87 Ind. 68; State v. Miller, 98 Ind. 70; Bitter v. State, 111 Ind. 324; Trout v. State, 111 Ind. 499. In the case under consideration it is conceded on behalf of appellant that the offense charged is a statutory offense, and that the indictment charges him with such offense substantially in the language of the statute. In Eastman v. State, 109 Ind. 279, the appellant was prosecuted, as we may infer from the opinion of the court, as is the defendant in the ease in hand, for unlawfully practicing medicine without having first procured, from the proper clerk, a license so to do. In the case cited the sufficiency of the charge seems to have been challenged, and, upon this point, the court there said: ‘The offense is charged in the language of the statute, and this is sufficient. State v. Miller, 98 Ind. 70, and cases cited; Graeter v. State, 105 Ind. 271; [214]*214Antle v. State, 6 Tex. App. 202.’ ” Various acts may enter into the offense, but the acts, whether many or otherwise, constitute but one substantive offense, created by §1 of the act of 1897 (§7318 Burns 1901), namely, the offense of practicing medicine, surgery, or obstetrics without a license. As was said by this court in Shilling v. State, 5 Ind. 443: “Whenever the charge consists of a series of acts, they need not be specially described, because they are not the offense itself, but merely go to malee up the evidence of the offense.” It is proper to consider in addition the effect of the provision of the statute as to what shall be a sufficient charge. We cite as1’’ authorities bearing upon this question the following cases: Higgs v. State, 104 Ind. 261; State v. Learned, 47 Me. 426, 433; State v. Corson, 59 Me. 137; Wolf v. State, 19 Ohio St. 248; Turpin v. State, 19 Ohio St. 540; Cathcart v. Commonwealth, 37 Pa. St. 108; Goersen v. Commonwealth, 99 Pa. St. 388; State v. Morgan, 112 Mo. 202, 20 S. W. 456, and cases thére cited. As there was no relaxing of the requirement that the ultimate substantive offense should be stated, we think, especially in view of the above authorities, that there has been no denial of the right of appellant to demand the nature and cause of the accusation against him.

It appears from the evidence that at the time in question the appellant practiced magnetic healing, and had done so for eight years prior thereto; that he did not use medicines or surgery; that he held himself out as a magnetic healer, advertised as such, and styled himself “Professor;” that he was not a graduate of any school of medicine, and had no license; that he diagnosed cases entirely by the nerves; that on the 8th day of April, 1901, one Edward Garvey came to him to be treated for a lame ankle; that after examining the ankle appellant diagnosed the case as rheumatism, and proceeded to give treatment, which consisted, at least in so far as there was anything manual about it, in holding the afflicted parts and rubbing them. An [215]*215effort upon the part of appellant, while testifying as a witness, to describe magnetic healing was prefaced by the statement that “it is pretty hard to describe for people to understand.” At this point he was interrupted by the court, and the subject does not seem to have been pursued further. Appellant charged and received $1 for the-treatment that he gave said Garvey. There can be no question as to appellant’s guilt, if the act under which he was convicted is valid.

Assuming, for the time being, the validity of the statute, we do not think that any question is presented as to the sufficiency of the second and third counts of the affidavit and information. The rule of the criminal law is that when there is a good count and a bad count, and a general verdict of guilty is returned on which judgment is rendered, it will be presumed on appeal that the judgment was rendered on the good count. Powers v. State, 87 Ind. 97. It is true that the finding affirmatively appears to have been based on each count, but in a case of this kind, where there is one sufficient count, — assuming the validity of the statute, — and that count is established by evidence of a single, substantive transaction, admitted by the appellant, we think that questions as to the sufficiency of other counts of the affidavit and information are moot questions.

The prosecution in this case is based on the act of March 8, 1897 (Acts 1897, p. 255)j and its subsequent amendments. §§7318-7323e Burns 1901. Certain sections of the act of 1897 were amended by an act passed in 1899. Acts-1899, p. 247. By an act passed in 1901, §8 of the original act was amended and certain sections of said amended act of 1897 were in turn amended. Acts 1901, p. 475. The act as it now stands is too long to set out here. It will reasonably suffice to set out that portion of §8 of the act, as amended in 1901, that precedes the provision as to what a charge of violating the act shall contain. Said first portion of the section referred to is as follows: “To open an office for such purpose or to announce to the public in [216]*216any way, a readiness to practice medicine 'in any county of the State, or to prescribe for, or to give surgical assist-' anee to, or to heal, cure or relieve, or to attempt to heal, cure or relieve those suffering from injury or deformity, or disease of mind or body, or to advertise, or to announce to the public in any manner a readiness or ability to heal, cure or relieve those who may be suffering from injury or deformity, or disease of mind or body, shall be to engage in the practice of medicine within the meaning of this act: Provided, that nothing in this act shall be construed to apply to or limit in any manner the manufacture, advertisement or sale of proprietary medicines.

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Bluebook (online)
59 L.R.A. 190, 64 N.E. 862, 159 Ind. 211, 1902 Ind. LEXIS 25, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parks-v-state-ind-1902.