A COMPILATION OF THE
STATUTES OF THE COMMONWEALTH
REI, ATING TO
THE MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY,
TO (; ETHER WITH THF,
BY-LAWS,
RULES OF THE SOCIETY AND COUNCILLORS,
A NID
CODE OF ETHICS.
B O S T O N :
DAVID CLAPP & SON, PRINTERS.
1 () () 7 .

A COMPILATION OF THE
STATUTES OF THE COMMONWEALTH
RELATING TO
THE MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY,
TOGETHER WITH THE
BY-LAWS,
RULES OF THE SOCIETY AND COUNCILLORS,
AND
CODE OF ETHICS.
B O S T O N :
DAVID CLAPP & SON, PRINTERS.
19 0 7.
A COMPILATION OF THE
STATUTES OF THE COMIMION WEALTH
RELATING TO THE MASSAC II USETTS MIEDICAL SOCIETY.
IN FORCE JUNE, 1907.
I.
As health is essentially necessary to the happiness of society, St. 17°S1
e † * . I a N 1,
and as its preservation or recovery are closely connected with ch. #
S 6°C. 1.
the knowledge of the animal economy and of the properties and
effects of medicines ; and as the benefit of medical institutions,
formed on liberal principles, and encouraged by the patronage of
the law, is universally acknowledged : Be it therefore enacted
by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court
assembled and by the authority of the same, That Nathaniel
Walker Appleton, William Baylies, Benjamin Curtis, Samuel
Danforth, Aaron Dexter, Shirley Erving, John Frink, Joseph
Gardner, Samuel Holten, Edward Augustus Holyoke, Ebenezer
Hunt, Charles Jarvis, Thomas Kast, Giles Crouch Kellogg, John
Lynn, James Lloyd, Joseph Orne, James Pecker, Oliver Prescott,
Charles Pynchon, Isaac Rand, sen., Isaac Rand, Micaijah Sawyer,
John Sprague, sen., Charles Stockbridge, John Bernard Swett,
Cotton Tufts, John Warren, Thomas Welsh, Joseph Whipple
and William Whiting, be, and they hereby are, formed into, con-
stituted, and made a body politic and corporate, by the name of
The Massachusetts Medical Society; and that they and their suc-
cessors, and such other persons as shall be elected in the manner
hereafter mentioned, shall be and continue a body politic and
corporate, by the same name forever.
St. 1781,
ch. 15,
Sec. 6.
St. 1802,
ch. 123,
Sec. 2.
St. 1859,
ch. 82,
Sec. 1.
St. 1781,
ch. 15,
Sec. 5.
St. 1781,
ch. 15,
Sec. 6.
II.
The Fellows of said Society shall have full power and authority
RULES AND BY-LAWs.
to make and enact such rules and by-laws for the better govern-
ment of the said Society, as are not repugnant to the laws of this
Commonwealth; and to annex reasonable fines and penalties to
the breach of them, not exceeding the sum of twenty pounds, to
be sued for and recovered by said Society, and to their own use,
in any Court of Record within this Commonwealth proper to try
the same ; and also to establish the time and manner of convening
the Fellows of said Society.
The Fellows at their annual meeting, whenever such a number
shall be present as the regulations of the Society may require,
may revise, alter, enlarge or repeal the by-laws of the said Society
as the major part of the said Fellows may see fit, and not other-
wise.
III.
No person shall become a member of The Massachusetts Medi-
cal Society except upon an examination by the censors of said
MEMBERSHIP.
Society; and any person of good moral character found to possess
the qualifications prescribed by the rules and regulations of the
Society, shall be admitted a Fellow of said Society.
The Fellows of said Society shall have power to suspend, expel
or disfranchise any Fellows of said Society.
IV.
The Fellows shall have full power and authority to establish
the time and manner of convening the Fellows of said Society;
MEETINGs.
and to determine the number of Fellows that shall be present
to constitute a meeting of said Society; and that their meetings
shall be held in the town of Boston or such other place within
this Commonwealth as a majority of the members present in a
legal meeting shall judge most fit and convenient.
The annual meeting of the Society may be held in such one of
the principal towns or cities of the Commonwealth as the Society
or the Councillors shall from year to year determine.
V. OFFICERs.
The Fellows of the Society shall have full power and authority,
from time to time, to determine, and establish the names, number,
and the duty of their several officers, and the tenure or estate
they shall respectively have in their offices, and also to authorize
and empower their President or some other officer, to administer
such oaths to such officers, as they, the Fellows of the Society,
shall appoint and determine for the well-ordering and good gov-
ernment of the Society, provided the same be not repugnant to the
laws of this Commonwealth.
Each of the District Societies into which The Massachusetts
Medical Society has been or may be divided, may elect annually,
by ballot, from among its members, the Councillors and Censors
to which, by the by-laws of the Society, it may be entitled. The
terms of office of such Councillors and Censors may begin at such
times as shall be fixed by the rules and by-laws of the Society,
and they shall hold their respective offices until others have been
elected in their places.
At the first meeting of the Councillors, either preceding or
succeeding the annual meeting of the Society as the Society may
by its rules and by-laws determine, the said Councillors shall
proceed to appoint, from among themselves, a President, and
such other officers of the said Corporation as are and shall be
required in the rules and by-laws thereof to be so appointed.
Except as above provided, the Fellows of said Society may
from time to time elect such officers as they shall judge necessary
and convenient.
At any meeting of the said Councillors they may fill any vacant
office.
VI.
The Councillors of the said corporation shall assemble and
convene three times in the year at such times and places as the
COUNCILLORs.
by-laws of the said corporation shall direct.
The first stated or annual meeting of the Councillors shall be
held in the same place as the annual meeting of the Society of the
year shall be held, and within thirty days before or after said
annual meeting, as the Society shall in their by-laws direct.
St. 1781,
Ch. 15,
Sec. 2.
St. 1850,
ch. 20,
Sec. 1.
St. 1897,
ch. 280,
Sec. 2.
St. 1897,
ch. 280,
8éC. 1.
St. 1802,
ch. 123,
Sec. 3.
St. 1781,
ch. 15,
Sec. 2.
St. 1802,
ch. 123,
Sec. 3.
St. 1802,
ch, 123,
Sec. 3.
St. 1802,
ch. 123,
Sec. 3.
St. 1802,
Ch. 123,
Sec. 5.
St. 1781,
Ch. 15,
Sec. 3.
(5
The said Councillors shall assemble and convene at any other
times, as the by-laws of the said corporation shall direct, and
whenever notified to convene by their presiding officer; and the
meeting of the said Councillors shall be held in the town of
Boston, or as near thereto as may be.
At any meeting of the said Councillors they may perform any
duties as the by-laws of said corporation may direct.
VII. DISTRICT SOCIETIES.
The Councillors upon the application of any five members of
the said Society, may establish within such Districts and portions
of this Commonwealth as they shall think expedient, subordinate
societies and meetings, to consist of the Fellows of the said cor-
poration residing within such districts respectively, wherein the
communication of cases and experiments may be made, and the
diffusion of knowledge in medicine and surgery may be encouraged
and promoted. And the members of such subordinate societies
shall be holden to report to the Councillors of the general Society
all such cases as may be selected for their importance and utility;
and the said subordinate societies shall be subject to the regula-
tions of the general Society, in all matters wherein the general
Society shall be concerned; and the said subordinate societies
may appoint their own officers, and establish regulations for their
particular government, not repugnant to the by-laws of the general
Society; and shall be capable to purchase, and receive by dona-
tion, books, philosophical and clirurgical instruments, or other
personal property, and may hold and dispose of the same, exclu-
sively of any authority of the general Society.
VIII. SEAL.
The Fellows of the Society shall have one common seal, and
power to break, change and renew the same at their pleasure.
IX. SUITs.
The Fellows of the Society may sue and be sued in all actions,
real, personal, or mixed, and prosecute and defend the same unto
final judgment and execution, by the name of The Massachusetts
Medical Society.
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The Treasurer, for the time being, of The Massachusetts Medi-
cal Society is hereby authorized to sue, in the name of said
Society, in any action of debt, before any Court proper to try the
issue, for such sums of money as may become due to said Society
from any person being, or who has heretofore been, or who shall
hereafter become a Fellow thereof, for the annual, or other assess-
ments of said Society, or for penalties accruing under and by
virtue of the by-laws and votes of said Society, by declaring gen-
erally, against the defendant, as indebted to said Society for the
penalty accruing from the breach of any by-law thereof, or for a
sum becoming due by virtue of any legal vote of said Society,
(as the case may be) setting forth the substance only of such by-
law or vote; and the Society shall thereupon recover judgment
for so much debt or damages as they shall prove to be due, and
In O IOOI’62,
X. FUNDS.
The Fellows of the Society may, and shall forever, be deemed
capable in law of having, holding, and taking in fee simple, or
any less estate by gift, grant, devise, or otherwise, any land, tene-
ment, or other estate, real or personal ; provided, that the annual
income of the whole real estate that may be given, granted or
devised to, or purchased by the said Society, shall not exceed the
sum of two hundred pounds, and the annual income or interest of
said personal estate shall not exceed the sum of six hundred
pounds; all the sums mentioned in this act to be valued in silver
at six shillings and eight pence per ounce; and the annual income
or interest of the said real and personal estate, together with the
fines and penalties paid to said Society or recovered by them,
shall be appropriated to such purposes as are consistent with the
end and design of the institution of said Society, and as the Fel-
lows thereof shall determine.
The Society is authorized to use the annual income of their
permanent fund to defray their current expenses.
XI. SERVICE IN THE MILITIA.
The Fellows of the said corporation shall not be liable to be
enrolled or mustered in the militia of this Commonwealth.
St. 1831,
ch. 146,
Sec. 2.
St. 1781,
ch. 15,
86°C. 9.
St. 1850,
ch. 20,
Sec. 3.
St. 1802,
Ch. 123,
Sec. 7,
B Y - L. A. W. S.
ADOPTED JUNE 12, 1907.
FELLOWSHIP.
1. Applicants for admission into THE MAss ACHUs ETTs
MEDICAL SOCIETY are required to satisfy the Censors that they
are not less than twenty-one years of age ; that they are of sound
mind and of good moral character; that they possess a good
English education ; that they have received testimonials of gradu-
ation from a medical school recognized by the Council; that they
do not practise any exclusive system of medicine; and that they,
on further examination, possess such other qualifications as the
Society shall deem necessary.
2. Applicants found to possess the qualifications required,
shall, on payment of the assessment for the current year, and
subscribing to the by-laws within three months from the date of
their examinations, be approved by the Censors; and on further
approval by the President and Secretary of the general Society,
shall be admitted Fellows of the Society, and shall receive cer-
tificates of fellowship in testimony thereof signed by the Presi-
dent and Secretary.
HONORARY FELLOWS.
3. Honorary fellowship may be granted by a two-thirds
vote in a stated meeting of the Council, provided nominations
therefor shall have been submitted in writing by two or more
Fellows to a previous stated meeting, referred to, and reported
on by the Committee on Membership and Finance. Honorary
Fellows shall be entitled to the privilege of attending and ad-
dressing the meetings of the Society, but shall not be accorded
other rights or privileges, nor be subject to assessments.
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RETIRED FELLOWS.
4. Fellows in good standing who are sixty-five years of age,
whose assessments have been paid or remitted, may, by vote of
the Council acting on a recommendation of the Committee on
Membership and Finance, become retired Fellows.
Retired Fellows shall not be subject to assessment. They may, on
their own request, be restored by the Council to active Fellowship.
ASSESSMENTS.
5. Fellows shall be assessed annually such a sum as the
Council shall declare. Assessments shall be payable on or be-
fore the annual meeting of the Society. On recommendation of
the Committee on Membership and Finance, assessments may be
remitted by the Council.
RESIGNATIONS.
6. Fellows whose assessments have been paid in full, or
remitted, may, on recommendation of the Committee on Member-
ship and Finance, be allowed by the Council to resign their
fellowship.
DISCIPLINE.
7. Fellows who have neglected payment of three annual
assessments, and who continue to neglect payment after notifica-
tion by the Treasurer, may be deprived of the privileges of fel-
lowship by the Council acting on a report of the Committee on
Membership and Finance. Such Fellows on making application
in writing to be restored to the privileges of fellowship shall
receive the consideration of the Council.
Fellows may be censured, deprived of the privileges of fellow-
ship, or expelled from the Society, on conviction by a Board of
Trial of charges duly made to the President as hereinafter pro-
vided, for wilful disobedience of law ; attempts to destroy the
Society, or to injure its usefulness; advertising nostrums for sale,
or otherwise offering them to the public ; professing to cure
disease by secret remedies or secret methods of treatment; gross
violation of the by-laws, or the code of ethics; presenting false cer-
tificates or statements of character or of educational acquirements;
and for any other conduct unworthy of honorable physicians.
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MEETINGS.
8. The annual meetings of the Society shall be held in
Boston on the second Wednesday in June, unless otherwise ordered
by the Council. Special meetings may be called by the President
and Secretary, or by the Council.
Ten Fellows shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business.
DISTRICT SOCIETIES.
9. The District Society boundaries may be changed by the
Council; and the Commonwealth, or any part thereof, may be re-
divided for the purpose of establishing additional Societies.
The membership of District Societies shall consist only of Fel-
lows residing within their respective boundaries.
10. The District Societies may adopt by-laws and regulations
for their government not repugnant to the by-laws and regula-
tions of the general Society.
They shall hold their annual meetings between the fifteenth
day of April and the fifteenth day of May, when they shall elect
by ballot a President who shall be ex-officio a Vice-President of
the general Society; Vice-President; Secretary; Treasurer; Com-
missioner of Trials; Councillors in number equal to one for every
twenty members, and a majority fraction thereof; and five Cen-
sors, one of whom shall be designated a Supervisor. Censors who
are not Councillors shall not serve as Supervisors, and Fellows
who have not been Fellows for at least ten years shall not serve
as Censors. Councillors, Censors and Commissioners of Trials
shall assume office on the day next preceding the annual meeting
of the general Society.
11. The Secretaries of the District Societies shall, not later
than two weeks before the annual meeting of the Council, report to
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the Secretary of the general Society the names and residences of
the officers, and of the Councillors, Censors and Commissioners
of Trials representing their respective Societies.
12. The Treasurers of the District Societies shall collect the
annual assessments and pay the same to the Treasurer of the general
Society, and shall, before the first day of January in each year,
render to him a detailed financial statement which shall contain the
names of Fellows who have paid their assessments, and of those
who are delinquent, and the names of Fellows who have died, or
who have removed from their respective Districts during the year.
The District Treasurers shall be paid from the funds of the
general Society for their services, a sum equal to five per centum
of the assessments collected by them, plus the amount of their
incidental expenses.
COUNCIL.
13. The Council shall consist of Councillors chosen by the
District Societies. It shall hold three stated meetings annually
in Boston. The first shall be the annual meeting, which shall
be held on the day next preceding the annual meeting of the
Society; the second, on the first Wednesday in October ; the third,
on the first Wednesday in February. Special meetings may be
called by the President, or by the Council, and shall be called on
a written request of ten Councillors.
Twenty Councillors shall constitute a quorum for the trans-
action of business.
14. The Council at its annual meeting shall elect by ballot
officers of the Society as follows: President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian, who shall assume the duties
of office on the following day at the close of the annual meeting
of the Society. Councillors only shall be eligible to the office of
President.
Committees shall be appointed as follows: oil Membership and
Finance, Ethics and Discipline, Publication, Medical Diplomas,
Medical Education, State and National Legislation, Scientific Pa-
pers, and Arrangements for the Annual Meeting ; and a Fellow
shall be appointed to deliver an oration at the annual meeting of the
Society. -
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The Council may fill vacancies in office at any meeting, or
choose additional officers or committees deemed necessary for the
proper transaction of the business of the Society. In cases of
temporary absence or disability of officers, the President may
appoint substitutes pending action by the Council.
CENSORS.
15. The Supervisors representing the Censors of the several
District Societies shall constitute a Board of Supervisors, which
shall meet annually on the day appointed for the annual meeting
of the Council. They shall be paid the amount of their traveling
expenses. The Board shall elect a chairman who shall have power
to call special meetings. Five Supervisors shall constitute a quo-
rum. The Secretary of the general Society shall be Secretary of the
Board. He shall keep a permanent record of the doings of the
Board, and shall provide, at the expense of the Society, papers
and blanks necessary for conducting examinations of applicants
for fellowship. The Board at its annual meeting shall adopt a
uniform plan for the examination of applicants.
The Supervisors shall be chairmen of their respective Boards
of Censors, and shall cause the examination of applicants to
be conducted in strict conformity to the plan adopted by the
Board of Supervisors.
The Censors of the several District Societies shall meet semi-
annually for the examination of applicants at 2 P.M., on the second
Thursday in May, and on the second Thursday in November.
Special meetings may be held by order of the Council.
Applicants for examination shall apply to the Secretary of the
District in which they reside; non-resident applicants shall apply
to the Secretary of the Suffolk District Society, and shall be ex-
amined by the Censors thereof. Applicants shall not be approved
as possessing the requisite qualifications for fellowship by less
than three Censors.
Following the examination of applicants, the District Secretaries,
who shall act as secretaries of their respective Boards of Censors,
shall promptly forward to the Secretary of the general Society a
certified report stating that the successful applicants have com-
plied with the requirements of the by-laws.
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The Censors and Secretaries shall be paid from the funds of
the general Society three dollars for each applicant examined.
The amount paid shall be divided equally among those attending
and taking part in the examinations.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES.
16. The PRESIDENT shall preside at the meetings of the So-
ciety and Council. In his absence, the Vice-President shall pre-
side, and in the absence of both, the senior ex-officio Vice-President
present shall preside.
The SECRETARY shall have custody of the seal and records of the
Society, and the records of the Council. He shall issue notices
of the meetings of the Society and of the Council, and shall keep
a record of their respective proceedings, and of the doings of the
Boards of Trial. He shall record nominations of candidates for
honorary fellowship and report them to the Council.
He shall keep a complete list of the Fellows of the Society,
and shall, not later than one week before the annual meeting,
transmit to the Treasurer a list of those who have become Fel-
lows during the year. He shall notify members of committees
of their appointments, and shall perform such other duties as the
Society or Council may require.
The TREASURER shall have the care and management of
the fiscal concerns of the Society. He shall give security for the
trust reposed in him as required by the Council. He shall, under
the direction of the Council, sue for claims due the Society, and
shall sell or lease any estate belonging to the Society. He shall
submit all claims against the Society to the President for his
approval before payment. He shall render to the Council annu-
ally a full account of his doings for the fiscal year, and shall per-
form such other duties as the Society or Council may require.
The LIBRARIAN shall have custody of the books, papers,
and manuscripts of the Society ; and shall keep an accurate record
of the same. He shall distribute the publications of the Society
as directed by the Council, and shall perform such other duties
as the Society or Council may require.
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COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATIONS.
17. The Committee shall have charge of papers, addresses
and reports on scientific subjects, delivered before the Society, and
shall consider the same with a view to their publication. If
deemed worthy of publication, the Committee shall cause the same
to be printed at the expense of the Society. Copies of papers and
addresses shall be deposited with the Secretary, with a view to
their publication, within ten days after their presentation.
COMMITTEE ON ETHICS AND DISCIPLINE.
18. The Committee shall consider charges submitted in
writing against Fellows for conduct unworthy of physicians, and,
if deemed advisable, shall report them to the President. The
chairman or some other member of the Committee shall act as
prosecuting officer in trial cases.
It shall be the further duty of the Committee to consider and
report on matters referred to it by the Society or Council.
BOARDS OF TRIAL.
19. Whenever charges of infraction of the by-laws, or of
any other conduct unworthy of honorable physicians, shall be re-
ported to the President by the Committee on Ethics and Disci-
pline, he shall forth with appoint five of the Commissioners of
Trials, who shall constitute a Board of Trial to consider the charges.
He shall designate a time and place for the meeting of the Board,
and shall cause due notice thereof to be given to the complainants
and the accused. In hearings given by Boards of Trial, Fel-
lows may appear to plead for the accused, but legal counsel shall
not be admissible. The non-appearance of the accused, or failure
to represent themselves at trial, to contest the charges presented,
shall be considered prima facie evidence of the truth of charges,
and a verdict may be rendered accordingly. In case of conviction,
the Board shall recommend such sentence as it shall deem just.
The Secretary shall enter upon the records of the Society the
proceedings of Boards of Trial, and shall report them to the next
annual meeting of the Society for final action thereon.
The Secretary shall notify the accused of the findings of Boards
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of Trial; he shall also notify them of the action of the Society
thereon, and the several District Societies of sentences imposed.
Commissioners serving on Boards of Trial, and prosecuting
officers, shall be paid severally five dollars a day for attendance,
plus the amount of their incidental expenses.
AMENDMENTS.
20. The by-laws of the Society may be amended at any
annual meeting of the Society, provided proposals therefor shall
have been submitted in writing to a previous meeting, or in the
call of an annual meeting.
RULES.
The Society at any annual meeting, or the Council at any stated
meeting, may adopt special rules for its government; and may
amend or annul its rules, provided notice for such action shall
have been given at a previous annual, or stated meeting, or in the
call of an annual or stated meeting.
Rules of the Society or Council, may be suspended temporarily
by a three-fourths vote.
S P E C I A L R U L E S
OF
T H E S O C IF. T.Y.
THE following order shall be observed in the transaction of
business in the annual meeting:
1. Reading of the records of the last annual meeting.
2. Reports of Committees.
3. Propositions or suggestions relative to the welfare of the
Society, or to medical science.
4. Incidental business.
5. Presentation of scientific communications.
6. Annual Oration.
7. Annual Dinner provided by the President and the Com-
mittee of Arrangements, at the expense of the Society.
The President may issue invitations to the annual dinner to
visitors as guests of the Society.
S P E CIA. L R U L E S
OF
T H E C O U N C I L.
1. A publication shall be issued annually under the direction
of the Committee on Publications, Secretary, and Treasurer.
It shall contain the Annual Discourse, unless otherwise Ordered
by the Society or Council, and such other communications as
the Committee on Publications may authorize ; also an abstract
of the proceedings of the Society and of the Council, which shall
include the names of Councillors present at the several meetings
of the Council; a list of the officers of the Society, and of the
District Societies; a list of those who have been admitted to fel-
lowship, of those who have been deprived of the privileges of
fellowship, of those whose resignations have been accepted, and
of those who have died, during the preceding year.
2. The publications of the Society shall be distributed by the
Librarian to Fellows who have paid their assessments for the
current year, and to Honorary and Retired Fellows applying for
them.
3. The Secretary, one month before the annual meeting,
shall issue to the Fellows a circular which shall contain : ©
a. Notification of the time and place of the annual meeting
of the Society :
b. Notification of the stated meetings of the Council for
the year, and of the meetings of the Boards of Cen-
SOPS ;
c. Information concerning the payment of assessments,
admission to the annual dinner, and the distribution
of publications.
4. Nominations of committees shall be made by the President,
unless otherwise ordered.
5. A Committee shall be appointed at the third stated meet-
ing, to audit the Treasurer's accounts, and to report thereon at
the annual meeting.
STANDING WOTES AND RESOLVES.
Voted, that the annual assessment be five dollars. (Councillors'
Proceedings, May 29, 1866.)
Resolved, That it shall be the duty of each District Medical
Society at its annual meeting to select one of its Councillors, and
another as an alternate, as its representatives in the Nominating
Committee for the Officers of The Massachusetts Medical Society;
and in case of neglect of any District Society in the performance
of such duty, the selection shall devolve on its Councillors who
may be present at the annual meeting of the Council. (Coun-
cillors' Proceedings, Feb. 4, 1874, and June 8, 1897.)
Resolved, That in the opinion of the Councillors it is “unbecom-
ing ” and deserving of a penalty for a Fellow of The Massachusetts
Medical Society not to appear as a witness before a Board of
Trial, when summoned there by the Committee on Ethics and
Discipline, without sending at the time an excuse satisfactory to
the Board of Trial. (Councillors' Proceedings, Feb. 3, 1875.)
Voted, That all charges against Fellows of The Massachusetts
Medical Society of a criminal nature should be referred by the Fel-
low cognizant thereof to the legal prosecuting officer of the District
where they occur. (Councillors' Proceedings, June 12, 1877.)
Voted, Whenever a Fellow of this Society owing more than
one assessment pays for one year or more, the payment or pay-
ments so made shall be invariably considered as for the assess-
ments longest due, and for none others. (Councillors' Proceedings,
June 13, 1876.)
Poted, That “the current year,” By-Law 2, p. 9, line 11, for
the purposes of said By-Law, begin on the fifteenth of April of
each year; all resolves or votes to the contrary are hereby
annulled. (Councillors' Proceedings, June 13, 1876.)
Ordered, That at the end of the present financial year and
thenceforward, annually, there shall be set aside, as a dividend,
such portion of the balance remaining in the Treasury as the
Committee on Finance in consultation with the Treasurer shall
determine, subject to the approval of the Councillors at their
20
annual meeting, to be distributed to the several District Societies
in proportion to the number of the annual assessments which shall
have been paid in advance by the said Societies respectively.
(Councillors' Proceedings, Oct. 4, 1876.)
Whereas, it is evident that the affairs of the Society can be best
administered by the coöperation of those who have the widest
experience with its conditions in all sections of the State : —
Resolved, That, in the opinion of the Council, it is advisable
that District Societies shall include in their election to the Coun-
cillors such ex-Presidents of The Massachusetts Medical Society
as may reside therein. (Councillors' Proceedings, June 12, 1894.)
Voted, That the Committee of Arrangements for the Anni-
versary shall hereafter consist in part of members of the Council.
(Councillors' Proceedings, June 12, 1894.)
Whereas, recent changes have been made in the Constitution
and By-Laws of the American Medical Association re-organizing
its form of government, in conformity thereto,
Voted, That the Resolution adopted by the Councillors in Feb-
ruary, 1852, authorizing the District Societies, or their Presidents
and Secretaries, to appoint delegates to the American Medical
Association, to be entitled Delegates of The Massachusetts Medi-
cal Society, be rescinded. &
Voted, That the Councillors, on nomination of the President,
appoint Delegates to the House of Delegates of the American
Medical Association in accordance with the provisions of the
Constitution and By-Laws of the said Association. (Councillors'
Proceedings, Feb. 5, 1902.)
[In accordance with the above the District Societies will not,
as heretofore, appoint delegates to the American Medical Asso-
ciation.
Permanent members of the Association are entitled to attend
its meetings without credentials as delegates from The Massa-
chusetts Medical Society.]
CODE OF ETHICs
OF
THE MASS ACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY.
THE Code is intended to establish certain general principles
and rules of action for the Fellows of the Society.
I.
Physicians should encourage sound medical learning, and uphold
in the community correct views of the powers and limitations
of the science and art of medicine.
II.
The success of physicians depends upon their moral character,
scientific attainments, industry and business talent. The kind of
competition considered honorable in purely business transactions
cannot exist among physicians without diminishing their use-
fulness and lowering the dignity and standing of the profession.
III.
The first duty of physicians is to their patients, who have a right
to expect that their diseases will be thoroughly and confidentially
investigated and properly treated, and that their mental peculiari-
ties or infirmities will receive charitable consideration.
IV.
Physicians in their professional relations should be governed
by strict rules of honor and courtesy. Their conduct toward
each other should be such as to secure mutual confidence and
good will,
Physicians should take no steps with a view directly or indi-
rectly to divert to themselves the patients or practice of others.
They should not consent, except in cases of pressing emer-
gency, to take charge of a patient when another is in attendance,
until such attendant has been notified.
When called in cases of accident or other emergency they
should relinquish them to the usual attendant, as soon as he is
able to take charge.
Consultations should be encouraged in cases of doubt or of
unusual responsibility. The aim should be to give patients the
advantage of collective skill. Discussions should be confidential.
Consulting physicians should not say nor do anything to impair
the confidence of patients or their attendants in the attending
physicians.
VI.
Fee-tables have a local application only, and are designed to
indicate reasonable charges for services. But with the under-
standing and consent of their patients beforehand, physicians
may place any value upon their services deemed proper.
VII.
Physicians should endeavor to establish and maintain clear
distinctions between legitimate medicine and quackery. They
should not countenance secret remedies; nor be interested in
proprietary preparations; nor receive commissions from apothe-
caries; nor advertise their methods of practice, or free consul-
tations, or free distributions of medicines to the poor.