Schellberg v. Empringham

36 F.2d 991, 1929 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1758
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJuly 30, 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 36 F.2d 991 (Schellberg v. Empringham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schellberg v. Empringham, 36 F.2d 991, 1929 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1758 (S.D.N.Y. 1929).

Opinions

KNOX, District Judge.

Plaintiff is the president and manager of an institution bearing his name, at which treatments known as colonic therapy may be received by persons who desire the same. One feature of such treatments is that colonic irrigations are administered through the medium of a tube which is passed through the entire length of the colon until it reaches the cecum. By sueh means the bowel is cleansed of its putrefactive contents, and is prepared for the implantation within it of a quantity of acidophilus cultures which are believed to be of benefit to patients in overcoming infectious elements. Sueh implantation is also effected by means of the tube. It appears from the testimony that plaintiff is the first person who ever successfully passed a tube throughout the length of the human colon in a living person. With him sueh practice is ordinary procedure.

In 1922 Sehellberg wrote two articles, giving a rather detailed account of his accomplishments with respect to such treatments. The first of these articles, entitled “The Incorrigible Colon Corrected by Medicated Irrigation,” accompanied by illustrative cuts, was published in a periodical known as the International Journal of Surgery in June, 1922. The second article was given the title of “Technique of Colon Irrigation,” and appeared in the January, 1923, issue of the same publication. All of the matter contained in said issues of the magazine was copyrighted by International Journal of- Surgery Company, one of the plaintiffs, and the publisher of the periodical. So far as the copyrights cqvered the Sehellberg articles, they were, as testified by the president of the. publishing company, [992]*992obtained with Sehellberg’s acquiescence and held in trust for the author. After the appearance of the articles in the magazine, Schellberg requested a number of reprints, which were made by the publishing company and delivered to him. Being taken to his institute, they were, from time to time, distributed to his patients and to physicians and other persons who called at the place of business in this city. Several of them’were kept on a stand in the reception room of the institution where they might be examined or ■carried away by persons visiting the establishment. The primary purpose of the distribution was to give information to persons interested in the subject discussed by the articles, and to relieve Schellberg of the necessity of orally explaining his system of treatment to those who might wish to leam about it. None of the reprints carried a notice of copyright of the printed material, but each of them carried an inscription upon its cover to the effect that it was a reprint of an article which had previously appeared in the specified number of International Journal of Surgery.

At this point it should be observed that Schellberg is also the patentee of a mechanical device for use in administering his system of colonic irrigation, and one of the reprints was used in support of the application for the patent.

During the year 1923, Schellberg developed the subjeet-matter of his previous articles into a book entitled “Colonic Therapy in the Treatment of Disease.” While it is a much more lengthy dissertation than the previously published articles, the main theme is that of the earlier literary efforts of the author. The book was duly copyrighted in the name of Schellberg.

In May or June, 1924, James Empringham, one of the defendants, presented himself at the Schellberg Institute and met its proprietor. Empringham is an Episcopalian minister, and at the time in question was superintendent of Church Temperance Society, an organization which, although it seems not to have been conducted as a part of the Episcopal Church organization, was formerly closely identified with it. The avowed purpose of the Church Temperance Society was to reform intemperance in both food and drink. As an auxiliary to the work of this society, there was another corporation bearing the name of Health Education Society, Inc. Its object was to assist in carrying out the purposes of the parent organization. To that end it maintained a clinic in this city, at which examinations were made of persons who wished to receive its aid, and certain treatments were administered. This exaet relationship between the two organizations is somewhat indefinite. As a matter of practice, their work overlapped1, and at times one seems to have done all that the other could have done had it functioned in a particular case. Empringham was secretary of Health Education Society. While each organization was, according to its literature, directed by a board of eminent divines, and was advised by a formidable array of reputed physicians and technicians, the fact is that after Empringham’s connection with the societies he was the moving spirit of both. Associated with them was the Jumel Laboratory for Social Service and Research. Its function was to make analyses of urine and feees sent to it by one of the other organizations. In 1923, Dr. Allen, who was connected with the clinic of Health Education Society, was stated to be medical director of the laboratories. At a later time, Empringham’s son seems to have been its director.

At various intervals, Health Education Society and/or the Church Temperance Society issued a pamphlet or magazine bearing the name of Health Education and/or Law Observance. Their contents were made up of articles or lectures on the subject of maintenance and preservation of health, of most of which the defendant Empringham was the author. In these publications he represented himself as a microbiologist, and as an authority on diet and right living, and eapable of making analyses of excrescences for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of dietary ailments. The publications appear to have been designed to attract customers and par tients to the clinic, where, for a relatively slight sum, a course of treatments for “deferring old age” — to use one of Empringham’s expressions — might be obtained.

With this digression as to certain attendant facts, I revert to Empringham’s call on Schellberg. The clergyman, it seems, had suffered from gastrointestinal trouble for a considerable period, and the Schellberg treatment had been recommended by a Dr. Cowett. After Empringham and Schellberg had discussed their respective activities, the former said he would like to secure treatments, but, being a minister and without ample funds, it was suggested that he receive his treatments gratis. To this Schellberg assented, and the administration of colonic irrigations and acidophilus implantations extended over several weeks. Their normal cost would have been $150' to $200'. During the course of the treatments, Schellberg gave [993]*993Empringham copies of the reprints of the articles that had been published in “International Journal of Surgery,” and upon some of the calls which Empringham made to the Sehellberg establishment he helped himself to other eopies. Sehellberg says that he presented defendant with a copy of his book. This assertion, as well as most of the rest of the Sehellberg testimony, is denied by Empringham. This much, however, is certain, viz. that Empringham, in return for the consideration received at the hands of Sehellberg, was to recommend his establishment to persons who called at the place of business of Health Education Society. Sehellberg says that Empringham requested reprints of the articles published in the Journal of Surgery for distribution to potential patients of Sehellberg who might visit the minister’s clinic.

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Bluebook (online)
36 F.2d 991, 1929 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1758, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schellberg-v-empringham-nysd-1929.