Stokes v. Dailey

97 N.W.2d 676, 1959 N.D. LEXIS 91
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 10, 1959
Docket7825
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 97 N.W.2d 676 (Stokes v. Dailey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stokes v. Dailey, 97 N.W.2d 676, 1959 N.D. LEXIS 91 (N.D. 1959).

Opinion

STRUTZ, Judge.

This case has previously been before this court on an appeal from a judgment of dismissal, which dismissal was on the ground that the plaintiff had completely failed in his proof, N.D., 85 N.W.2d 745. A new trial was granted the plaintiff on such appeal on the ground that the trial court’s dismissal of the action on defendant’s motion for dismissal, at the conclusion of the plaintiff’s case, was prejudicial error.

The case thereafter was again tried to a jury in the district court of Grand Forks County. The jury returned a verdict dismissing the plaintiff’s complaint, and judgment was entered on such verdict. Plaintiff then moved for a new trial. The trial court entered its order denying plaintiff’s motion for a new trial. This appeal is from the order denying motion for new trial and from the judgment of dismissal.

The plaintiff, a licensed and practicing attorney for many years in the city of Grand Forks, consulted the defendant, a licensed physician and general practitioner in the same city, in April of 1952. The plaintiff was suffering from a skin irritation which he had endured for some years. This irritation at times became worse, and was especially evident in the vicinity of his armpits. The defendant prescribed Histadyl with Surfacaine in the form of an ointment put up in a tube.

When the plaintiff received the prescription,- he used it only once. That application caused a severe burning sensation and, after the one application, he abandoned the prescription and returned to the use of rubbing alcohol, Pragmatar, and Stag Cologne, which he had been using without medical prescription for some time.

Some eighteen month's later, in November of 1953, the plaintiff ran out of his own remedies so he again tried the Histadyl with Surfacaine which the defendant had prescribed in April of 1952. Again it caused a burning sensation. Nevertheless, he used it a second time. These applications caused the irritation to spread. The plaintiff then continued using Pragmatar, Stag Cologne, and rub *680 bing alcohol and discontinued the use of the defendant’s prescription.

Less than a month thereafter, on December 14, 1953, the plaintiff went to the clinic for a physical checkup without a definite appointment. He arrived at the clinic just at noon and was told by the defendant that the defendant did not have the time to give him a physical examination at that time. The plaintiff then asked the defendant to take a look at his arms, which were bothering him. The plaintiff and the defendant stepped into a small office and the defendant looked at the plaintiff’s arms and said, “I will give you a prescription.”

The plaintiff claims that he then advised the defendant: “Don’t give me the same stuff you gave me before because that drives my skin wild.” The defendant denies that the plaintiff made any such statement. In any event, the defendant did write out a prescription. The plaintiff had the prescription filled and went to his home where he applied it under his arms. Again, according to the plaintiff’s testimony, he experienced a burning sensation after the application of the prescription. Eight hours later, however, the plaintiff applied contents of the second prescription once more, but with the result that such application caused the irritation to spread.

The irritation under the plaintiff’s arms became worse, and the following day the plaintiff saw the defendant at the clinic. Later in the same day, the defendant stopped to see the plaintiff at his home and then asked the plaintiff to return to the defendant’s office in the afternoon, where two hypos were given to him.

The plaintiff then was taken home and went to bed. Around three o’clock the following morning, while the plaintiff was in the bathroom, he lost consciousness. He thereupon was taken to the Deaconess Hospital, where he remained as a patient until the 25th day of December, 1953, when he went home for Christmas. He again entered the hospital on January 1, 1954, and on January 7 he left Grand Forks for St. Paul, Minnesota, where he consulted Dr. Francis Lynch, a skin specialist. He entered Miller Hospital in St. Paul on January 7, and remained in the hospital until January 21, during which time he was under the care of Doctor Lynch. On January 21 the plaintiff returned to Grand Forks and on the 28th of January, in the company of his wife, he left Grand Forks for Florida. That trip was taken at the suggestion of the plaintiff and concurred in by his physician, Doctor Lynch. Plaintiff remained in Florida until March 5, 1954, when he started back for North Dakota. On the return trip, on March 10, the plaintiff stopped at St. Paul to see Doctor Lynch, and the next day he returned to his home in Grand Forks. He resumed work in his law office on March 15, in a much improved condition.

Doctor Lynch testified that, in his opinion, the aggravation of plaintiff’s skin affliction was caused by contact with Sur-facaine. He further testified that giving a prescription containing Surfacaine without giving a patch test was in conformity with' good medical practice.

On this record, the jury dismissed the plaintiff’s complaint, and the case now is before this court on an appeal from an order denying the plaintiff’s motion for a new trial and from the judgment.

Generally, in’ the absence of a special agreement, a physician does not guarantee or insure a good result, or that he will effect a cure. 70 C.J.S. Physicians and Surgeons § 47, p. 954; Ness v. Yeomans, 60 N.D. 368, 234 N.W. 75.

A physician’s implied obligation arising from his employment is only that no injury shall result from any want of care or skill on his part. Schoening v. Smith, 59 N.D. 592, 231 N.W. 278.

In this case, plaintiff alleges negligence on the part of the defendant in not using proper care and skill and in not determin *681 ing whether the plaintiff was allergic to Surfacaine before prescribing it for plaintiff’s affliction.

The question of negligence is one for the jury where there is evidence tending to show failure to exercise the requisite professional skill and care in treating and caring for the patient or in diagnosing his case. Here the jury has passed on that question. Unless appellant shows reversible error, the verdict of the jury will not be disturbed.

The appellant alleges numerous errors on his appeal, and such allegations of error may be summed up in the following:

1. Failure of the trial court to grant the plaintiff’s motion to withdraw from the consideration of the jury the question of contributory negligence, claiming there was no evidence of contributory negligence in this case.

2. Insufficiency of the evidence to justify the verdict for the defendant.

3. Misconduct of defendant’s counsel and improper argument by defendant’s counsel to jury, including prejudicial error in allowing counsel for the defendant to read from the court’s instructions during his argument to the jury.

4. Errors of law in the court’s ruling on the evidence and in instructing the jury.

One of the more serious questions raised by the appellant is on the court’s instructing the jury on contributory negligence.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Drader
374 N.W.2d 601 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1985)
Winkjer v. Herr
277 N.W.2d 579 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1979)
Wasem v. Laskowski
274 N.W.2d 219 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1979)
Roberson v. Christoferson
65 F.R.D. 615 (D. North Dakota, 1975)
Trautman v. New Rockford-Fessenden Co-Op Transport Ass'n
181 N.W.2d 754 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1970)
Leake v. Hagert
175 N.W.2d 675 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1970)
Linington v. McLean County
161 N.W.2d 487 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1968)
Muhlhauser v. Archie Campbell Construction Co.
160 N.W.2d 524 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1968)
Bartholomay v. St. Thomas Lumber Company
148 N.W.2d 278 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1966)
Haugen v. Mid-State Aviation, Inc.
144 N.W.2d 692 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1966)
State Automobile and Casualty Underwriters v. Skjonsby
142 N.W.2d 98 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1966)
Fox v. Bellon
136 N.W.2d 134 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1965)
Campbell v. Russell
132 N.W.2d 705 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1965)
Grenz v. Werre
129 N.W.2d 681 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1964)
Sahli v. Fuehrer
127 N.W.2d 900 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1964)
Benzmiller v. Swanson
117 N.W.2d 281 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1962)
Sáez v. Municipality of Ponce ex rel. Cintrón
84 P.R. 515 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1962)
Sáez v. Municipio de Ponce
84 P.R. Dec. 535 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1962)
King v. Railway Express Agency, Inc.
107 N.W.2d 509 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1961)
Sather v. Bigger
107 N.W.2d 38 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
97 N.W.2d 676, 1959 N.D. LEXIS 91, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stokes-v-dailey-nd-1959.