State v. Armstrong

225 P. 491, 38 Idaho 493, 33 A.L.R. 835, 1923 Ida. LEXIS 99
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 31, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 225 P. 491 (State v. Armstrong) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Armstrong, 225 P. 491, 38 Idaho 493, 33 A.L.R. 835, 1923 Ida. LEXIS 99 (Idaho 1923).

Opinions

MCCARTHY, J.

— Appellant was accused by an information of the crime of knowingly, wilfully and unlawfully operating for and prescribing for a disease, injury and deformity of a certain person for a fee; the charging part of the information being as follows: That the said D. E. Armstrong on or about the 11th day of May, 1923, in the county of Ada, state of Idaho, did then and there knowingly, wilfully and unlawfully diagnose, operate for and prescribe for a disease, injury and deformity of a certain person, to wit, J. R. O’Donnell, for a certain fee and compensation, to wit, $5; the said D. E. Armstrong, then and there advertising in the daily newspapers published in Boise, Ada county, Idaho, and by printed letters on her door, by using the word “doctor” and the prefix “Dr.”; the said D. E. Armstrong then and there having no valid unrevoked license granted by the state of Idaho to perform such services. A trial by jury was waived and the case submitted on an agreed statement which set forth the following facts. Appellant had on the entrance door of her office the printed letters, “Dr. Armstrong, Chiropodist,” and caused to be inserted in two newspapers at Boise printed matter describing her by the prefix “Dr.” and stating that she was engaged in the practice of chiropody and electrolysis. On May 11th she practiced chiropody, removed two corns or calluses by a cutting operation performed with an instrument known as a scalpel, diagnosed for one J. R. 0 ’Donnell an ailment of the foot known as a “Morton toe,” and treated it by binding and strapping the foot. In each instance she received pay. She is a well-qualified chiropodist and graduate of the Chicago School of Chiropody and has practiced in Boise since 1918. She is a well qualified to diagnose, treat and prescribe for ailments and diseases of the foot included in the scope of chiropody as it is recognized in medical science and by the laws of many states other than Idaho. She is well educated and qualified to give treatments by electrolysis. She has been ready and willing to procure a license to practice chiropody but has been unable to procure one because the statutes of Idaho [499]*499do not provide for it. From a judgment of guilty of the offense charged this appeal is taken. The many assignments of error may be summed up as follows: The judgment is contrary to the evidence and the law in that (1) the evidence fails to show that appellant was engaged in any occupation for which the laws of the state of Idaho require a license, (2) the effect of the judgment is to deprive appellant of liberty and property without due process of law.

The statute upon which the information is based reads as follows:

“Sec. 1. It shall be unlawful for any person, or persons, to practice or attempt to practice, or to advertise, or hold himself or themselves out as practicing, any system or mode of treating the sick or afflicted, either man or beast, in this state, or to diagnose, treat, operate for, prescribe for, any disease, injury, deformity, or other mental or physical condition of any person, or animal, for a fee or compensation of any kind either directly or indirectly, without having at the time of so doing a valid unrevoked certificate or license issued by the state of Idaho to perform or prescribe such service.
“Sec. 2. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to hold himself or themselves out as practicing any system or mode of treating the sick, or the afflicted, man or beast, or in any sign, or in any advertisement use the words ‘doctor,’ or ‘professor,’ or the letters or prefix ‘Dr.’ or ‘Prof.’ or any other term or letters indicating or implying that he is a doctor, physician and surgeon, or practitioner, without having at the time of so doing a valid unrevoked certificate or license granted by the state of Idaho to perform or prescribe such service.” (Chap. 60, Sess. Laws 1923, p. 68.)

Respondent contends that the chiropodist practices medicine and surgery. With this we cannot agree. Chiropody has long been recognized as an independent calling. The chiropodist is one who treats diseases or malformations of the hands and feet, especially a surgeon for the feet, hands and nails; a cutter or extractor of corns and callosities. [500]*500(Century Dictionary; Webster’s New International Dictionary; Standard Dictionary.) Chiropody has been practiced as a recognized occupation since early in the 18th century. (Nelson’s Encyclopedia.) It is a well-known fact of which the court will take judicial notice that physicians and surgeons do not, and will not, do the ordinary work of the chiropodist. Under a reasonable interpretation chiropody does not involve' the practice of medicine or of surgery, either major or minor.

Until 1923 the legislature of the state of Idaho had divided the practice of the healing art into the several divisions generally recognized, such as medicine and surgery, osteopathy and chiropractic, requiring those practicing each branch of the art to undergo an appropriate examination and procure a license. It is clear that the purpose of these statutes was to protect the public health and conserve the public safety by requiring those practicing to be competent and qualified. The objects of such laws are, (1) to prevent people being mistreated by incompetents, and (2) to prevent the credulous from being misled and preyed upon. There can be no doubt that the purpose of these laws was to regulate and not prohibit. Appellant claims that the 1923 law should be given the same construction as the earlier laws. She invokes certain recognized canons of statutory construction which are approved by this court in Re Segregation of School Dist. No. 58, 34 Ida. 222, 200 Pac. 138.

“The obvious intention of the legislature in passing the statute ought to prevail as against its literal construction if the words used can be given a construction which will effectuate that intention.”

“However, the intent must be expressed by the words used and a legislative intention not expressed in some appropriate manner has no legal existence.” (In re Segregation of School Dist. No. 58, supra.)

While the general language used in sec. 1 of the act of 1923 includes medicine and surgery, those terms are not mentioned. Therefore there is no room for application of [501]*501tbe doctrines of ejusdem generis or noscitwr a sociis. The statute provides it shall be unlawful for one to treat any physical condition of any person for a fee. A corn or callus or a Morton toe is certainly a physical condition, and appellant treated such conditions for a fee. There is no ambiguity in the language used in the act and therefore no room for construction. We are confined to the intent expressed by the words used, and the intent expressed covers the case before us. We surmise that the legislature did not have chiropodists in mind when it passed this act. However, our construction of the law must be based upon the language used and not upon surmise. The trouble arises from the fact that, as often happens, the legislature used general language without anticipating all the results which might follow. When the language used in a statute has a definite, clear meaning and applies to a certain case, the courts must give effect to that meaning whether or not the individuals comprising the legislature anticipated the result. We conclude that under the stipulation of facts appellant is guilty of an offense denounced by the statute.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
225 P. 491, 38 Idaho 493, 33 A.L.R. 835, 1923 Ida. LEXIS 99, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-armstrong-idaho-1923.