C&e Iforarp of t|»c Dttiision of t^ealti) affairs CIntoersitp of Jftottf) Carolina This BOOK may be kept out TWO WEEKS ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE CENTS a day thereafter. It was taken out on the day indicated below: Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection, an LSTA-funded NC ECHO digitization grant project http://www.archive.org/details/officerscommitteOOmedi MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES, CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS, PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL ETHICS, CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS FOR COUNTY SOCIETIES RALEIGH : Presses of Edwards i 1903. Broughton, 1^ Medical Society of the State of North Carolina. Officers and Committees — 1904. President— De. HENRY BASCOM WEAVER Asheville First Vice-President— Dr. JOHN HEY WILLIAMS Asheville Second Vice-President — Dr. JOHN C. RODMAN Washington Third Vice-President — Dr. S. P. PFOHL Winston Secretary— Dr. J. HOWELL WAY Waynesville Treasurer— Dr. GEO. T. SIKES Grissom Council. First District — Dr. Oscar McMullan, Elizabeth City. Second District — Dr. David T. Tayloe, Washington. Third District — Dr. Prank H. Russell, Wilmington. Fourth District — Dr. Albert Anderson, Wilson. Fifth District — Dr. J. F. Highsniith, Fayetteville. Sixth District — Dr. Hubert A. Royster, Raleigh. Seventh District — Dr. Edward C. Register, Charlotte. Eighth District — Dr. H. S. Lott, Winston. Hinth District — Dr. Thos. E. Anderson, Statesville. Tenth District — Dr. James A. Burroughs, Asheville. Delegates to American Medical Association — Drs. J. Howell Way, Waynesville; Albert Anderson, Wilson. Committees on Public Policy and Legislation — Drs. R. H. Lewis, Raleigh; P. L. Murphy, Morganton; George G. Thomas, Wilmington; H. B. Weaver, Asheville; J. Howell Way, Waynesville. Committee on Publication — Drs. J. Howell Way, Waynesville; H. McKee Tucker, Raleigh; George W. Pressly, Charlotte. Committee on Obituaries — Drs. C. M. Poole, Craven; H. H. Harris, Wake Forest; K. P. Battle. Jr.. Raleigh. Committee on Finance — Drs. James A. Burroughs, Asheville; T. E. Anderson. Statesville; Frank Duffy, New Bern. Member of Committee of Arrangements for Session 190-i — Dr. H. A. Royster, of Raleigh. Orator — Dr. C. A. Julian, of Thomasville. Essayist — Dr. J. G. Blount, of Washington. Leader of Debate — Dr. J. A. Williams, of Reidsville. u \ Chairmen of Sections. Anatomy and Surgery — Dr. J. E. Stokes, Salisbury. Materia Medica and Therapeutics — Dr. G. C. Edwards, Hookerton. Practice of Medicine — Dr. ,D. L. Aaron, Mt. Olive. Physiology ami Chemistry — Dr. F. L. Siler. Franklin. Obstetrics — Dr. Frank Roberts, Marshall. Gynaecology — Dr. P. A. Nicholson, of Washington. Medical Jurisprudence and State Medicine — Dr. Seavy Highsmith. Hope Mills. Pathology and Microscopy — Dr. M. L. Stevens, Asheville. Railway Surgery — Dr. H. A. Royster, Raleigh. Committee on Scientific Work — Drs. J. Howell Way, Waynesville; James Sawyer, Asheville; A. W. Knox, Raleigh. Delegates to Virginia Medical Society — Drs. H. A. Royster, Ra- leigh; J. A. Coggleshall, Henderson; James A. Burroughs, Asheville. Delegates to South Carolina Medical Society — Drs. J. M. Ledbetter, Rockingham; D. M. Prince, Laurinburg; J. P. Munroe, Davidson. The Board of Medical Examiners of the State of North Carolina, Ji)02-'S. — M. H. Fletcher, M.D., Asheville. President, Physiology and Hygiene; Frank H. Russell, M.D., Wilmington, Surgery; Jam'es M. Parrott, M.D., Kinston, Anatomy and Histology; C. O'H. Laugh- inghouse. M.D., Greenville, Obstetrics and Gynecology; A. A. Kent, M.D., Lenoir, Practice of Medicine; J. T. J. Battle, M.D., Greensboro. Materia Medica, and Therapeutics; George W. Pressly, M.D., Secre- tary, Charlotte. Chemistry and Pharmacy. The North Carolina State Board of Health. — Geo. G. Thomas, M.D., President, Wilmington; S. Westray Battle, M.D.. Asheville; Henry W. Lewis, M.D., Jackson; J. L. Nicholson, M.D., Richlands; W. P. Ivey, M.D., Lenoir; Francis Duffy, M.D., New Bern; W. H. White- head, M. D., Rocky Mount; J. L. Ludlow, C. E., Winston-Salem; Richard H. Lewis, M.D., Secretary and Treasurer, Raleigh. *The 52d annual session of the Society will be held in Raleigh June 1, 1904. The officers of the Society, especially invite the active cooperation of the Presidents and Secretaries of County Societies, with the Committee on Scientific Work, that an attractive program be secured. Memoranda. At the forty-ninth annual session of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina in Wilmington, N. C, in 1902, the address of the President, Dr. Robt. S. Young, contained the following : "At the St. Paul (1901) meeting of the American Medical Associa- tion, a new Constitution and By-laws were adopted. The American Medical Association earnestly requests the co-operation of our Society in its organization. The officers of that Association asked me to bring the matter before you. I herewith transmit the cor- respondence, and beg you to authorize a special committee to con- sider this subject, and report during this meeting." Page 33, Transactions of the same session, contains the following: "The committee on the president's message reported in favor or the suggestions made; * * * they recommend that a committee be appointed to draft a constitution along the lines laid down by the American Medical Association, and to report to the next meeting of the Society. "The President appointed the following committee on a new con- stitution: Drs. J. Howell Way, M. H. Fletcher, H. A. Royster, J. A. Burroughs, Geo. W. Pressly." In accordance with the instructions therein contained, the com- mittee carefully considered the matter, and after a most critical study of the whole subject, submitted the Constitution and By-Laws as contained in the following pages for the action of the Society. At the fifty-first annual session in Hot Springs, N. C, beginning June 3, 1903, Dr. A. W. Knox, President, the report of the committee was accepted and made the subject of a full and free discussion extending over a portion of two days, when the Society unanimously adopted the Constitution and By-Laws as reported by the committee, and contained in the following pages: The Principles of Medical Ethics, as adopted by the American Medical Association at the annual session in New Orleans in May, 1903, was adopted by the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina at its fifty-first annual session in Hot Springs, N. C, June 3, 1903. The Constitution and By-Laws for county societies is merely sug- gestive and may be amended or altered to meet local conditions, such alterations being, of course, in harmony with the general plan of organization of the State Society. CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. [Adopted at the Fifty-First Annual Session, Hot Springs, N. C, June 3, 1903.] ARTICLE I.— Title of the Society. The name and title of this organization shall be "The Medical Society of the State of North Carolina." ARTICLE II. — Purposes of the Society. The purpose of this Society shall be to federate and bring into one compact organization the entire medical profession of the State of North Carolina, and to unite with similar organizations in other States to form the American Medical Association; with a view to the extension of medical knowledge, and to the advancement of med- ical science; to the elevation of the standard of medical education, and to the enactment and enforcement of just medical laws; to the promotion of friendly intercourse among physicians, and to the guarding and fostering of their material interests; and to the en- lightenment and direction of public opinion in regard to the great problems of state medicine; so that the profession shall become more capable and honorable within itself, and more useful to the public in the prevention and cure of disease, and in prolonging and adding comfort to life. ARTICLE III. — Component Societies. Component societies shall consist of those district and county medical societies which hold charters from this State Society. ARTICLE IV. — Composition of the Society. Section 1. This Society shall consist of Members, Delegates, Guests, Honorary Members, and Honorary Fellows. Sec. 2. Members. — The Members of this Society shall be the members of the component county medical societies. Sec 3. Delegates. — Delegates shall be those members who are elected in accordance with this Constitution and By-laws to repre- sent their respective component county societies in the House of Delegates of this Society. Sec 4. Gcests. — Any distinguished physician not a resident of this State may become a guest during any annual session upon invi- tation of the Society, or its Council, and shall be accorded the privilege of participating in all of the scientific work for that session. Sec. 5. The Honorary Members shall consist of such regular physicians as have won distinction by their contributions to medi- cal science; those elderly physicians who. prior to their retirement from practice, have displayed a proper interest in the welfare of this Society, or who, by their example, have reflected credit and honor upon the profession. They must be nominated by the Council and receive a two-thirds vote of the members of the House of Delegates present at the meeting at which their names are pre- sented for election. They shall be exempt from all dues and fines, and shall be entitled to all the privileges of the Society, except the right to vote and hold office. Sec. 6. The Honorary Fellows shall consist of such physicians as have been members of this Society continuously for thirty years, and whose dues have been paid during that time. They shall receive a two-thirds vote of the members of the House of Delegates present at the meeting at which their names are proposed for promotion. They shall be exempt from all dues and fines, and shall be entitled to all the privileges enjoyed by active members in good standing. ARTICLE V.— House of Delegates. The House of Delegates shall be the legislative and business body of the Society, and shall consist of (1) delegates elected by the component county societies, and (2) ex officio the officers of the Society as defined in this Constitution. ARTICLE VI. — Sections and District Societies, The House of Delegates may provide for a division of the scien- tific work of the Society into appropriate sections, and for the organ- ization of such councilor district societies as will promote the best interests of the profession, such societies to be composed exclusively of members of component county societies. ARTICLE VII. — Sessions and Meetings. Section 1. The Society shall hold an Annual Session, during which there shall be held daily not less than two General Meetings, which shall be open to all registered members, delegates and guests. Sec. 2. The time and place for holding each Annual Session shall be fixed by the House of Delegates. ARTICLE VIII.— Officers. Section 1. The officers of this Society shall be a President, three Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and ten Councillors. Sec. 2. The President and Vice-Presidents shall be elected for a term of one year. The Secretary, Treasurer and Councillors shall be elected for terms of three years each. All of these officers shall serve until their successors are elected and installed. Sec. 3. The officers of this Society shall be elected by ballot, a majority of the votes cast being necessary to elect, by the House of Delegates on the morning of the last day of the Annual Session, but no Delegate shall be eligible to any office named in the preceding section, except that of Councillor, and no person shall be elected to any such office who is not in attendance upon the Annual Ses- sion and who has not been a member of the Society for the past three years. Any nominee for the office of President shall have been an active member of the Society for five years, including the year of his election, shall have attended two of three meetings im- mediately preceding his nomination, including the meeting at which he is nominated; and shall be a member in good standing at the time of his nomination. ARTICLE IX. — The Board of Medical Examinees. Section 1. The seven members of the "Board of Medical Exam- iners of the State of North Carolina" shall be elected by ballot for a term of six years, a majority of the votes cast being necessary to a choice. The election shall be held on the second day of the annual meeting, and the balloting shall continue until the entire number is elected. Sec. 2. A vacancy occurring from any cause other than expiration of term of office, shall be filled by the Board or a quorum thereof. Sec. 3. The elective members of the State Board of Health, and of the State Board of Medical Examiners for Nurses, shall be elected by ballot on the second day of the session. ARTICLE X. — Funds and Expenses. Funds for meeting the expenses of the Society shall be arranged for by the House of Delegates by an equal per capita assessment upon each county society, to be fixed by the House of Delegates, by voluntary contribution, and from the profits of its publications. Funds may be appropriated by the House of Delegates to defray the expenses of the annual sessions, for publication, and for such other purposes as will promote the welfare of the Society and profession. ARTICLE XI. — Referendum. The general meeting of the Society may, by a two-thirds vote, order a general referendum upon any question pending before the House of Delegates, and the House of Delegates may, by a similar vote of its own members, or after a like vote of the general meeting, submit any such question to the membership of the Society for a final vote; and if the persons voting shall comprise a majority of all the members of the Society, a majority of such vote shall determine the question, and be binding upon the House of Delegates. 10 ARTICLE XII.— The Seal. The Society shall have a common seal, with power to break, change or renew the same at pleasure. ARTICLE XIII.— Amendments. The House of Delegates may amend any article of this Constitu- tion by a two-thirds vote of the delegates registered at that annual session, provided that such amendment shall have been presented in open meeting at the previous annual session, and that it shall have been sent officially to each component county society at least two months before tue session at which final action is to be taken. 11 By-Laws. CHAPTER I.— Membership. Sectiom 1. All members of the component county societies sMall be privileged to attend all meetings and take part in all of the proceedings of the annual sessions, and shall be eligible to any office within the gift of the Society. Sec. 2. The name of a physician upon the properly certified roster of members or list of delegates, of a chartered county society which has paid its annual assessment, shall be prima facie evidence of his right to register at the annual session in the respective bodies of this Society: Provided, that licentiates of the State Board of Medi- cal Examiners may, if the House of Delegates so elects, at the meeting of the Society at which they receive license, be entitled to register upon payment of the annual dues for that year, and be accorded all the privileges of other members for that year, the Sec- retary of the Society entering their names and so certifying to the secretary of the county society where the said licentiates reside, but said licentiates desiring to continue membership in this Society must affiliate with their local county society. Sec. 3. No person who is under sentence of suspension or ex- pulsion from any component society of this Society or whose name has been dropped from its roll of members, shall be entitled to any of the rights or benefits of this Society, nor shall he be per- mitted to take any part in any of its proceedings until such time as he has been relieved of such disability. Sec. 4. Each member in attendance at the annual session shall enter his name on the registration book, indicating the component society of which he is a member. When his right to membership has been verified by reference to the roster of his society, he shall receive a badge, which shall be evidence of his right to all the privi- leges of membership at that session. No member or delegate shall take part in any of the proceedings of an annual session until he has complied with the provisions of this section. CHAPTER II. — Annual and Special Sessions of the Society. Section 1. The Society shall hold an annual session at such time and place as has been fixed at the preceding annual session. Sec 2. Special sessions of either the Society or House of Dele- gates shall be called by the President at his discretion, or upon petition of twenty delegates. CHAPTER III.— General Meetings. Section 1. The general meetings shall include all registered members, delegates, and guests, who shall have equal rights to 12 participate in the proceedings and discussions; and, except guests and honorary members, to vote on pending questions. Each gen- eral meeting shall be presided over by the President, or in his ab- sence or disability, or by his request, by one of the Vice-Presidents. Bef6re it, at such time and place as may have been arranged, shall be delivered the annual address of the President, and the annual orations, and the entire time of the session, so far as may be, shall be devoted to papers and discussions relating to scientific medicine. Sec. 2. The general meeting shall have authority to create com- mittees or commissions for scientific investigations of special in- terest and importance to the profession and public, and to receive and dispose of reports of the same; but any expense in connection therewith must first be approved of by the House of Delegates. Sec. 3. Except bj r special vote, the order of exercises, papers and discussions, as set forth in the official program shall be followed from day to day until it has been completed. Sec. 4. No address or paper before the Society, except those of the President, Orator and Essayist, shall occupy more than twenty minutes in its delivery; and no member shall speak longer than five minutes, nor more than once on any subject. Sec. 5. All papers read before the Society shall be its property. Each paper shall be deposited with the Secretary when read, and if this is not done it shall not be published. CHAPTER IV. — House of Delegates. Section 1. The House of Delegates shall meet annually at the time and place of the annual session of the Society, and shall so fix hours of meeting as not to conflict with the first general meeting of the Society, or with the m'eeting held for the address of the President and the annual orations, and so as to give delegates an opportunity to attend the other scientific proceedings and dis- cussions so far as is consistent with their duties. But if the busi- ness interests of the Society and profession require, it may meet in advance, or remain in session after the final adjournment of the general meeting. Sec. 2. Each component county society shall he entitled to send to the House of Delegates each year one delegate for every twenty- five members, and one for each major fraction thereof, but each county society holding a charter from this society which has made its annual report and paid its assessment as provided in this Con- stitution and By-Laws, shall be entitled to one delegate. Sec. 3. A majority of the registered delegates shall constitute a quorum, and all of the meetings of the House of Delegates shall be open to members of the Society. Sec. 4. It shall, through its officers, Council, and otherwise, give diligent attention to and foster the scientific work and spirit of the 13 Society, and shall constantly study and strive to make each annual session a stepping-stone to future ones of higher interest. Sec. 5. It shall consider and advise as to the material interests of the profession, and of the public in those important matters wherein it is dependent upon the profession, and shall use its influ- ence to secure and enforce all proper medical and public health legislation, and to diffuse popular information in relation thereto. Sec. 6. It shall make careful inquiry into the condition of the profession of each county in the State, and shall have authority to adopt such methods as may be deemed most efficient for building up and increasing the interest in such county societies as already exist, and for organizing the profession in counties where societies do not exist. It shall especially and systematically endeavor to promote friendly intercourse between physicians of the same local- ity, and shall continue these efforts until every physician in every county of the State who can be made reputable has been brought under medical society influence. Sec. 7. It shall encourage post-graduate work in medical centers, as well as home study and research, and shall endeavor to have the results of the same utilized and intelligently discussed in the county societies. (With these ends in view, five years after the adoption of these By-Laws, except by unanimous consent of the Committee on Scientific Work, no voluntary paper shall be placed upon the annual program, or be heard in the Association, which has not first been read in the county society of which the author is a member.) Sec. 8. It shall elect representatives to the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association in accordance with the Con- stitution and By-Laws of that body, in such a manner that not more than one-half of the delegates shall be elected in any one year. Sec. 9. It shall, upon application, provide and issue charters to county societies organized to conform to the spirit of this Constitu- tion and By-Laws. Sec 10. In sparsely settled sections, it shall have authority to organize the physicians of two or more counties into societies, to be designated by hyphenating the names of two or more counties, so as to distinguish them from district and other classes of societies, and these societies, when organized and chartered, shall be entitled to all the privileges and representation provided herein for county societies, until such counties may be organized separately. Sec 11. It may divide the counties of the State into ten coun- cillor districts, and, when the best interest of the society and pro- fession will be promoted thereby, organize in each a district medical society, to meet midway between the annual sessions of this Society, and members of the chartered county societies, and none others, shall be members in such district societies. (When so organized from the presidents of such district societies shall be chosen the Vice-Presidents of this Society, and the presidents of the county 14 societies of the district shall be the vice-presidents of such district societies.) Sec. 12. It shall have authority to appoint committees for special purposes frem among members of the Society who are not mem- bers of the House of Delegates, and such committees may report to the House of Delegates in person, and may participate in the debate thereon. Sec. 13. It shall approve all memorials and resolutions issued in the name of the Society before the same shall become effective. Sec. 14. It shall present a summary of its proceedings to the last general meeting of each annual session, and shall publish the same in the Transactions. CHAPTER V. — Election of Officers. Section 1. All elections shall be by secret ballot, and a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary to elect: Provided, that when only one name is to be balloted for, the Society may suspend the rules and declare the same elected by consent. Sec 2. The House of Delegates, on the first day of the annual sessions, shall select a Committee on Nominations, consisting of ten delegates, no two of whom shall be from the same councillor district. It shall be the duty of this committee to consult with the members of the Society, and to hold one or more meetings, at which the best interests of the Society and of the profession of the State for the ensuing year shall be carefully considered. The committee shall report the result of its deliberations to the House of Delegates in the shape of a ticket containing the names of one member for the office of President, and one member for each of the other offices to be filled at that annual session. Sec 3. The report of the Nominating Committee and the election of officers shall be the first order of business of the House of Dele- gates after the reading of the minutes on the morning of the last day of the general session. Sec 4. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent addi- tional nominations being made by members of the House of Dele- gates. Sec 5. Any person known to have solicited votes for or sought any office within the gift of this Society, shall be ineligible for any office for two years. CHAPTER VI. — Duties of Officers. Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the House of Delegates: shall appoint all com- mittees not otherwise provided for; shall deliver an annual address at such time as may be arranged; shall give a deciding vote in case 15 of a tie, and shall perform such other duties as custom and par- liamentary usage may require. He shall be the real head of the pro- fession of the State during his term of office, and. as far as practica- ble, shall visit by appointment the various sections of the State and assist the councillors in building up the county societies, and in making their work more practical and useful. Sec. 2. The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President in the discharge of his duties. In the event of his death, resignation or removal, the Council shall select one of the Vice-Presidents to suc- ceed him. Sec. 3. The Treasurer shall give bond for the trust reposed in him whenever the House of Delegates shall deem it requisite. He shall demand and receive all funds due the Society, together with the bequests and donations. (He shall, under the direction of the House of Delegates, sell or lease any estate belonging to the Society, and execute the necessary papers; and shall, in general, subject to such direction, have the care and management of the fiscal affairs of the Society. He shall pay money out of the treasury only on a written order of the President, countersigned by the Secretary; he shall subject his accounts to such examination as the House of Delegates may order, and he shall annually render an account of his doings and of the state of the funds in his hands. He shall charge upon his hooks the assessments against each component county society at the end of the fiscal year; he shall collect and make proper credits for the same, and perform such other duties as may be assigned to him. Sec. 4. The Secretary, acting with the Committee on Scientific Work, shall prepare and issue the programs for and attend all meetirrgs of the Society, and of the House of Delegates, and he shall keep minutes of their respective proceedings in separate record books. He shall be custodian of all record books and papers belong- ing to the Society, except such as properly belong to the Treasurer, and shall keep account of and promptly turn over to the Treasurer all funds of the Society which come into his hands. He shall pro- vide for the registration of the members and delegates at the annual sessions. He shall keep a card-index register of all the legal prac- titioners of the State by counties, noting on each his status in rela- tion to his county society. In so far as it is in his power, he shall use the printed matter, correspondence and influence of. his office to aid the councillors in the organization and improvement of the county societies, and in the extension of the power and usefulness of this Society. He shall conduct, the official correspondence, notifying members of meetings, officers of their election, and committees of their appointment and duties. He shall act as chairman of the Committees on Scientific Work and on Publication. He shall employ such assistants as may be ordered by the Council or the House of 16 Delegates. He shall annually make a report of his doings to the House of Delegates. In order that the Secretary may be enabled to give that amount of time to his duties which will permit of his becoming proficient, it is desirable that he should receive some compensation. The amount of his salary shall be fixed by the House of Delegates. CHAPTER VII. — Councillor Districts. Section 1. To facilitate the more perfect organization of the medical profession, the State of North Carolina is hereby divided by counties into ten councillor districts, as follows: First District. — Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Gates, Chowan, Washington, Tyrrell, Dare and Hyde. Second District. — Hertford, Martin, Pitt, Bertie, Beaufort, Lenoir, Jones. Craven, Pamlico and Carteret. Third District. — New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, Duplin, Bladen. Sampson, Columbus and Brunswick. Fourth District. — Northampton, Halifax, Nash, Edgecombe, John- son, "Wilson, Wayne and Greene. Fifth District. — Cumberland, Robeson. Scotland, Richmond, Mont- gomery, Moore, Harnett and Chatham. Sixth District. — Wake, Franklin, Warren, Vance, Granville, Per- son, Caswell, Alamance, Orange and Durham. Seventh District. — Anson, Union, Stanly, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Lincoln, Gaston, Cleveland and Rutherford. Eighth District. — Rockingham, Guilford, Randolph, Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin, Alleghany, Wilkes and Ashe. Ninth District. — Davidson, Davie, Rowan, Iredell, Alexander, Ca- tawba, Caldwell, Watauga, Mitchell and Burke. Tenth District. — Buncombe, Yancey, McDowell, Madison, Polk, Henderson, Haywood, Transylvania, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Gra- ham, Clay and Cherokee. CHAPTER VIII— Council. Section 1. The Council shall hold daily meetings during the annual session of the Association and at such other times as necessity may require, subject to the call of the Chairman or on petition of three Councillors. It shall meet on the last day of the annual session of the Association for re-organization and for the outlining of work for the ensuing year. At this meeting it shall elect a Chairman and Secretary, and it shall keep a permanent record of its proceedings. It shall,' through its Chairman, make an annual report to the House of Delegates at such time as may be provided. Sec. 2. Each Councillor shall be organizer, peace-maker and cen- sor for his district. He shall visit each county in his district at 17 least once a year for the purpose of organizing component societies where none exist, for inquiring into the condition of the profession, and for improving and increasing the zeal of the county societies and their members. He shall make an annual report of his doings, and of the condition of the profession of each county in his dis- trict to each annual session of the House of Delegates. The neces- sary traveling expenses incurred by such Councillor in the line of the duties herein imposed may be allowed by the House of Dele- gates upon a proper itemized statement, but this shall not be con- strued to include his expense in attending the annual session of the Society. Sec. 3. Collectively the Council shall be the Board of Censors of the Society. It shall consider all questions involving the rights and standing of members, whether in relation to other mem- bers, to the competent societies, or to this Society. All ques- tions of an ethical nature brought before the House of Delegates or the general meeting shall be referred to the Council without discussion. It shall hear and decide all questions of discipline affecting the conduct of members or of a county society, upon which an appeal is taken from the decision of an individual coun- cillor. Its decision in all such cases shall be final. Sec. 4. The Council shall have the right to communicate the views of the profession and of the Society in regard to health, sanitation and other important matters to the public and the lay press. Such communications shall be officially signed by the Chair- man and Secretary of the Council, as such. CHAPTER IX. — Committees. Section 1. The standing committees shall be as follows: A Committee on Scientific Work. A Committee on Public Policy and Legislation. A Committee on Publication. A Committee on Nominations. A Committee on Finance. A Committee on Obituaries. A Committee on Arrangement, and such other Committees as may be necessary. Such committees shall be elected by the House of Delegates, unless otherwise provided. Sec. 2. The Committee on Scientific Work shall consist of three members, of which the Secretary shall be a member and Chairman, and shall determine the character and scope of the scientific pro- ceedings of the Society for each session, subject to the instruc- tions of the House of Delegates or of the Society, or to the pro- visions of the Constitution and By-Laws. Thirty days previous to each annual session it shall prepare and issue a program an- nouncing the order in which papers, discussions and other business Medical 2 13 shall be presented, which shall be adhered to by the Society as nearly as practicable. Sec. 3. The Committee on Public Policy and Legislation shall consist of three members and the President and Secretary. Under the direction of the House of Delegates it shall represent the So- ciety in securing and enforcing legislation in the interest of the public health and of the scientific medicine. It shall keep in touch with professional and public opinion, shall endeavor to shape legis- lation so as to secure the best results for the whole people, and shall utilize every organized influence of the profession to promote the general influence in local, State and national affairs and elections. Its work shall be done with the dignity becoming a great profession, and with that wisdom which will make effective its power and In- fluence. It shall have authority to be heard before the entire Society upon questions of great concern at such time as may be arranged during the annual session. Sec. 4. The Committee on Publication shall consist of three mem- bers, of which the Secretary shall be one and Chairman, and shall have referred to it all reports on scientific subjects, and all scien- tific papers and discussions heard before the Society. It shall be empowered to curtail or abstract papers and discussions, and any paper referred to it which may not be suitable for publication in the Transactions may be returned to the author. The Committee shall have authority to arrange for the publication and distribution of the Transactions after receiving competitive bids, and shall use diligence in getting them into the hands of the members. All papers read before the Society shall be the property of the Society. Sec. 5. The Committee on Nominations shall be appointed and perform its duties in accordance with the provisions of chapter 5, section 2, of these By-Laws. They shall also nominate an Orator, an Essayist, a Leader of Debate, a Committee on Scientific Work, a Conimittee on Public Policy and Legislation, a Committee on Publication, a Committee on Obituaries, a Committee on Finance, one member of the Committee of Arrangements, Delegates to the American Medical Association, the Virginia Medical Society, the South Carolina Medical Association, and to such other bodies as the Society may determine. They shall also each third year nominate a Board of ten Councillors. Sec. 6. The Committee on Finance, to consist of three members, shall examine the accounts of the Treasurer and report to the Society, making suggestions as to the amount of assessments for the coming year, the remuneration of the Secretary and the Treasurer, and such other suggestions concerning the finances of the Society as they may think proper. The Committee on Obituaries to con- sist of three members, shall report to the General Meeting of the Society the names of all members dying during the past year, with other data appropriate for memorial publication. 19 Sec. 7. The Committee of Arrangements shall consist of one member elected by the House of Delegates each year, and two mem- bers elected by the county Society in the territory in which the annual session is to be held. It shall, by committees of its own selection, provide suitable accommodations for the meeting places of the Society and of the House of Delegates, the Board of Medical Examiners, and of their respective committees, and shall have general charge of all the arrangements. Its Chairman shall report an outline of the arrangements to the Secretary for publica- tion in the program, and shall make additional announcements dur- ing the session as occasion may require. CHAPTER X. — Of the Sections and Voluntary Communications. Section 1. The newly installed President shall, at the last ses- sion of each meeting, appoint a member to serve as Chairman of each of the following sections, to-wit: Anatomy and Surgery, Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Practice of Medicine, Physiology and Chemistry, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Medical Jurisprudence and State Medicine, Pathology and Microscopy, and Railway Surgery. Sec. 2. At any time after the meeting the Chairman of each sec- tion may appoint three such members as he may select as his assistants to work up such items as he may designate, confining him- self to the general advancement in his section. Sec. 3. The Chairmen of sections shall send in to the Secretary, not later than thirty days previous to each meeting of the Society, the titles of papers to be presented by themselves and their assist- ants, to be used by the Committee on Scientific Work in making a programme for the meeting. Sec. 4. No paper shall be read before the Society unless the author be present, unless his absence be due to some unavoidable circumstance. A paper presented by proxy may be referred to the Committee ou Publication. Sec. 5. No paper shall be referred to the Committee on Publica- tion until it has been placed in the hands of the Secretary; and the Secretary shall not return any paper accepted by the Society with- out the consent of the Society, and then he shall take a receipt for the same. Sec. 6. No paper shall be received by or read before this Society that has been presented to any other Society, excepting only a com- ponent Society of this Society, or that has been offered for publi- cation ir any journal; and in the case of any paper accepted the author is supposed to have invested with the Society all rights to its ownership. Sec. 7. No paper shall be published in the Transactions of this Society unless approved by the Committee on Publication; and any paper rejected by said committee shall be returned to the author through the Secretary of the Society. 20 Sec. 8. It is to be understood that the Society is not to be con- sidered as endorsing all the views and opinions advanced by the authors of papers published in the Transactions of the Society. CHAPTER XI. — Assessments and Expenditures. Section 1. An assessment of two dollars per capita on the mem- bership of the component societies is hereby made the annual dues of this Society, which amount shall be collected by the Secretary of each county society from each of its members on or before the first day of March and forwarded to the Treasurer of the State Society before the first day of April in each year. The Secretary of each. county society shall forward a statement of its assessment, together with its roster of all officers and members, list of delegates and list of non-affiliated physicians of the county, to the Secretary of this Society on or before the first day of April in each year. Sec. 2. Any county society which fails to pay its assessment, or make the reports required, on or before the date above stated, shall be held as suspended, and none of its members or delegates shall be permitted to participate in any of the business or proceedings of the State Society or of the House of Delegates, or receive the volume of Transactions, until such requirements have been met. Sec. 3. All motions or resolutions appropriating money shall specify a definite amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary for the purpose indicated, and must be approved by the Council and House of Delegates on a call of the ayes and noes. CHAPTER XII.— Rules of Conduct. The principles set forth in the Declaration of Principles of Medi- cal Ethics of the American Medical Association shall govern the conduct of members in their relations to each other and to the public. CHAPTER XIII.— Rules of Order. The deliberations of this Society shall be governed by parlia- mentary usage as contained in Robert's Rules of Order, unless other- wise determined by a vote of its respective bodies. CHAPTER XIV.— County Societies. Section 1. All county societies now in affiliation with the State Society, or those that may hereafter be organized in this State, which have adopted principles of organization not in conflict with this Constitution and By-Laws, shall, upon application to the House of Delegates, irteive a charter from and become a component part of this Society. 21 Sec. 2. As rapidly as can be done after the adoption of this Con- stitution and By-Laws, a medical society shall be organized in every county in the State in which no component society exists, and charters shall be issued thereto. Sec. 3. Charters shall be issued only upon approval of the House of Delegates, and shall be signed by the President and Secretary of this Society. The House of Delegates shall have authority to revoke the charter of any component county society whose actions are in conflict with the letter or spirit of this Constitution and By- Laws. Sec. 4. Only one component medical society shall be chartered in any county. Where more than one county society exists, friendly overtures and concessions shall be made, with the aid of the coun- cillor for the district, if necessary, and all of the members brought into one organization. In case of failure to unite, an appeal may be made to the council, which shall decide what action shall be taken. Sec. 5. Each county society shall judge of the qualification of its own members, but, as such societies are the only portals to this Society and to the American Medical Association, every reputable and legally registered physician who is practicing, or who will agree to practice, non-sectarian medicine, shall be entitled to mem- bership. Before a charter is issued to any county society, full and ample notice and opportunity shall be given to every such physician in the county to become a member. Sec. 6. Any physician who may feel aggrieved by the action of the society of his county in refusing him membership, or in sus- pending or expelling him, shall have the right of appeal to the Council and to the House of Delegates. Sec. 7. In hearing appeals the Council may admit oral or written evidence, as in its judgment will best and most fairly present the facts, but in case of every appeal, both as a board and as individual councillors in district and county work, efforts at conciliation and compromise shall precede all such hearings. Sec. 8. When a member in good standing in a component society moves to another county in this State, his name, upon request, shall be transferred without cost to the roster of the county society into whose jurisdiction he moves. Sec. 9. A physician living on or near a county line may hold his membership in that county most convenient for him to attend, on permission of the society in whose jurisdiction he resides. Sec. 10. Each county society shall have general direction of the affairs of the profession in the county, and its influence shall be constantly exerted for bettering the scientific, moral and material condition of every physician in the county; and systematic efforts «.hall be made by each member, and by the society as a whole, to increase the membership until it embraces every qualified pb^sician in the county. 22 Sec. 11. Frequent meetings shall be encouraged, and the most attractive programs arranged that are possible. The younger mem- bers shall be especially encouraged to do postgraduate and original research work, and to give the society the first benefit of such labors. Official position and other preferments shall be unstintingly given to such members. Sec. 12. At some meeting in advance of the annual session of this Society prior to the first day of April, each county society shall elect a delegate or delegates with alternates, to represent it in the House of Delegates of this Society in the proportion of one delegate to each twenty-five members or major fraction thereof, and the secre- tary of the society shall send a list of such delegates with alternates to the Secretary of this Society at least ten days before the annual sessions. Sec. 13. The secretary of each county society shall keep a roster of its members, and a list of the non-affiliated registered physicians of the county, in which shall be shown the full name, address, college and date of graduation, date of license to practice in this State, and such other information as may be deemed necessary. He shall fur- nish an official report containing such information, upon blanks supplied him' for the purpose, to the Secretary of this Society before the first day of April in each year, and at the same time that the dues accruing from the annual assessment are sent in. In keeping such roster, the secretary shall note any changes in the personnel of the profession by death, or by removal to or from the county, and in making his annual report he shall be certain to account for every physician who has lived in the county during the year. CHAPTER XV.— Order of Business. Section 1. General Meetings. The President, or, in his absence, one of the Vice-Presidents, in the order of their rank, shall call the Society to order, or in the absence of all these officers, a presiding officer shall be chosen by a majority of the members present. Address of Welcome. Response. Any business requiring early attention may be introduced by per- mission and without discussion referred to the Council, the House of Delegates, or the appropriate committee. The President's Address. Reports of Committees. Reports from the House of Delegates. Reports from the Council. Written communications upon medical subjects may be read and discussed. This shall include reports from sections as arranged each year by the programme. The Annual Oration. The Annual Essay. 23 The Annual Debate. Oral Communications and Clinical Reports read and discussed. Final Reports from the Council. Final Reports from the House of Delegates. Final Reports from Committees. Report to the General Meeting from the House of Delegates ap- pointing the time and place of next session. Report from the House of Delegates of the Election of Officers and Committes. Appointment of Chairmen of Sections by President. Adjournment. Sec. 2. The House of Delegates. The President, or in his absence, one of the Vice Presidents in the order of their rank, shall call the Society to order, or in the absence of all these officers a presiding officer shall be chosen by a majority of the members present. Roll-call. The President's Message. Report of Committee on Credentials. Reports of Committees. Reports of Officers. Reports of the Council. Communications from the General Meeting of the Society. Reports from the County Societies. Appointment of Committee on Nominations. New Business. General Discussion of Measures for the Advancement of the Pro- fession. Reports of Committees. Election of Officers and Committees. Selection of Place and Time of Next Meeting. Unfinished Business. Adjournment. (While there may at times appropriately be a variation from the details of the above outline of business procedure, it is the intention of these By-Laws to so arrange that the work other than the purely scientific part of the Society's proceedings be done in the Council and House of Delegates, and the general meetings of the Society be devoted exclusively to scientific work.) CHAPTER XVI. — Amendments. These By-Laws may be amended at any annual session by a ma- jority vote of all the delegates present at that session, after th9 amendment has laid upon the table for one day. 24 (Extract from the proceedings of the American Medical Associa- tion at the annual session in New Orleans May, 1903.) Report of the Committee on Medical Ethics. Dr. E. Eliot Harris, New York, read the following report: To the President and Members of the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association : Your enlarged Committee on Medical Ethics, consisting of the Special committee and one delegate from each State, have unani- mously adopted the following report, entitled the "Principles of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association," which is here- with submitted. The following report of the Special Committee shall be printed as an explanatory preface to the Principles of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association: Gentlemen- — Your committee has given extended and careful thought to the proposed revision of the Code of Medical Ethics referred to it for consideration. As you will note on reference to the caption of the report the word "code" has been eliminated and the expression "Principles of Medical Ethics of the American Medi- cal Association" adopted as adequately descriptive. In reference to this change, it is proper to say that such action on its part is based on the idea that the American Medical Association may be conceived to occupy some such relation to the constituent State associations as the United States, through its Constitution, holds to the several States. The committee, for this reason, regards it as wiser to formulate the principles of medical ethics without defi- nite reference to "code" or penalties, thus leaving the respective States to form such code, and establish such rules as they may regard to be fitting and proper, for regulating the professional con- duct of their members, provided, of course, that in doing so there shall be no infringement on the • established ethical principles of this Association. The committee regard as wise and well intended to facilitate the business of the parent or organization and promote its harmony this course, which leaves to the State association large discretionary powers concerning membership and other admittedly State affairs. Your committee has retained, to a large extent, the phraseology of the existing code, while aiming at condensation of expression and a better understanding of some of its statements. The report of the committee has been reached unanimously, without dissention or distrust on the part of its members, each aiming to formulate a result based on principle alone, and without regard to 25 any past or present disagreements or misunderstandings whatso- ever; such being the case, the committee invites your candid and unprejudiced attention to the results ot its labor, feeling that at least some good has been accomplished. Respectfully submitted, E. Eliot Harris, Chairman, William H. Welch, T. J. Happel. Joseph D. Bryant. The report of the committee was unanimously adopted. CHAPTER XII.— RULES OF CONDUCT. "The principles set forth in the Declaration of Principles of Medi- cal Ethics of the American Medical Association shall govern the conduct of members in their relations to each other and to the public." — Constitution and By-Laws Medical Society of the State of North Carolina, adopted at Hot Springs, N. C, June 2, 1903. Principles of Medical Ethics. (Adopted at the annual session in New Orleans, May, 1903.) The American Medical Association promulgates as a suggestive and advisory document the following: Chapter I. — The Duties of Physicians to Their Patients. Section 1. Physicians should not only be ever ready to obey the calls of the sick and the injured, but should be mindful of the high character of their mission and of the responsibilities they must incur in the discharge of momentous duties. In their ministrations they should never forget that the comfort, the health and the lives of those intrusted to their care depend on skill, attention and fidelity. In deportment they should unite tenderness, cheerfulness and firm- ness, and thus inspire all sufferers with gratitude, respect and con- fidence. These observances are the more sacred because, generally, the only tribunal to adjudge penalties for unkindness, carelessness or neglect is their own conscience. Sec. 2. Every patient committed to the charge of a physician should be treated with attention and humanity, and reasonable indulgence should be granted to the caprices of the sick. Secrecy and delicacy should be strictly observed; and the familiar and con- fidential intercourse to which physicians are admitted, in their professional visits, should be guarded with the most scrupulous fidelity and honor. 26 Sec. 3. The obligation of secrecy extends beyond the period of professional services; none of the privacies of individual or domes- tic life, no infirmity of disposition, or flaw of character observed during medical attendance should ever be divulged by physicians, except when, imperatively required by the laws of the State. The force of the obligation of secrecy is so great that physicians have been protected in its observance by courts of justice. Sec. 4. Frequent visits to the sick are often requisite, since they enable the physician to arrive at a more perfect knowledge of the disease, and to meet promptly every change which may occur. Unnecessary visits are to be avoided, as they give undue anxiety to the patient; but to secure the patient against irritating suspense and disappointment the regular and periodical visits of the physi- cian should he made as nearly as possible at the hour when they may be reasonably expected by the patient. Sec. 5. Ordinarily, the physician should not be forward to make gloomy prognostications, but should not fail, on proper occasions, to give timely notice of dangerous manifestations to the friends of the patient, anu even to the patient, if absolutely necessary. This notice, however, is at times so peculiarly alarming when given by the physician that its deliverance may often be preferably assigned to another person of good judgment. Sec. 6. The physician should be a minister of hope and comfort to the sick, since life may be lengthened or shortened not only by the acts but by the words or manner of the physician, whose solemn duty is to avoid all utterances and actions having a tendency to discourage and depress the patient. Sec. 7. The medical attendant ought not to abandon a patient because deemed incurable, for continued attention may be highly useful to the suffeier and comforting to the relatives, even in the last period of the fatal malady by alleviating pain and by soothing mental anguish. Sec. 8. The opportunity which a physician has of promoting and strengthening the good resolutions of patients suffering under the consequences of evil conduct ought never to be neglected. Good counsels, or even remonstrances, will give satisfaction, not offense, if they be tactfully proffered and evince a genuine love of virtue, accompanied by a sincere interest in the welfare of the person to whom they are addressed. Chapter II. — The Duties of Physicians to Each Other and to the Profession- at Large. article i. — duties for the support of professional characteb. Section 1. Every one, on entering the profession, and thereby be- coming entitled to full professional fellowship, incurs an obligation 27 to uphold its dignity and honor, to exalt its standing and to extend the bounds of its usefulness. It is inconsistent with the principles of medical science and it is incompatible with honorable standing in the profession for physicians to designate theii practice as based on an exclusive dogma or a sectarian system of medicine. Sec. 2. The physician shoulo observe strictly such laws as are instituted for the government of the members of the profession; should honor the fraternity as a body; should endeavor to promote the science and art of medicine, and should entertain a due respect for those seniors who, by their labors, have contributed to its ad- vancement. Sec. 3. Every physician should identify himself with the organized body of his profession as represented in the community in which he resides. The organization of local or county medical societies, where they do not exist should be effected, so far as practicable. Such county societies, constituting as they do the chief element of strength in the organization of the profession, should have the active support of their members and should be made instruments for the cultiva- tion of fellowship, for the exchange of professional experience, for the advancement of medical knowledge, for the maintenance of ethical standards, and for the promotion in general of the interests of the profession and the welfare of the public. Sec. 4. All county medical societies thus organized ought to place themselves in affiliation with their respective State associations, and these, in turn, with the American Medical Association. Sec. 5. There is no profession from the members of which greater purity of character and a higher standard of metal excellence are required than the medical; and to attain such eminence is a duty every physician owes alike to the profession and to patients. It is due to the patients, as without it their respect and confidence can not be commanded, and to the profession because no scientific attainments can compensate for the want of correct moral prin- ciples. Sec. 6. It is incumbent on physicians to be temperate in all things, for the practice of medicine requires the unremitting exercise of a clear and vigorous understanding; and in emergencies — for which no physician should be unprepared — a steady hand, an acute eye and an unclouded mind are essential to the welfare and even to the life of a human being. Sec. 7. It is incompatible with honorable standing in the profes- sion to resort to public advertisements or private cards inviting the attention of the persons affected with particular diseases; to promise radical cures; to publish cases or operations in the daily prints, or to suffer such publications to be made; to invite laymen (other than relatives who may desire to be at hand) to be present at operations; to boast of cures and remedies; to adduce certificates of skill and success, or to employ any of the other methods of charlatans. Sec. 8. It is equally derogatory to professional character for phy- sicians to hold patents for any surgical instruments or medicines; to accept rebates on prescriptions or surgical appliances; to assist unqualified persons to evade the legal restrictions governing the practice of medicine; or to dispense, or promote the use of secret medicines, for if such nostrums are of real efficacy, any conceal- ment regarding them is inconsistent with beneficence and profes- sional liberality, and if mystery alone give them public notoriety, such craft implies either disgraceful ignorance or fraudulent avarice. It is highly reprehensible for physicians to give certificates attest- ing the efficacy of secret medicines, or other substances used thera- peutically. ARTICLE II. — PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OF PHYSICIANS TO EACH OTHER. Section 1. Physicians should not, as a general rule, undertake the treatment of themselves, nor of members of their family. In such circumstances, they are peculiarly dependent on each other; therefore, kind offices and professional aid should always be cheer- fully and gratuitously afforded. These visits ought not, however, to be obtrusively made, as they may give rise to embarrassment or interfere with that free choice on which such confidence depends. Sec. 2. All practicing physicians and their immediate family de- pendents are entitled to the gratuitous services of any one or more of the physicians residing near them. Sec 3. When a physician is summoned from a distance to the bedside of a colleague in easy financial circumstances, a compensa- tion, proportionate to traveling expenses and to the pecuniary loss entailed by absence from the accustomed field of professional labor, should be made by the patient or relatives. Sec 4. When more than one physician is attending another, one of the number should take charge of the case, otherwise the concert of thought and action so essential to wise treatment can not be assured. Sec 5. The affairs of life, the pursuit of health and the various accidents and contingencies to which a physician is peculiarly ex- posed sometimes require the temporary withdrawal of this physi- cian from daily professional labor and the appointment of a col- league to act for a specified time. The colleague's compliance is an act of courtesy which should always be performed with the utmost consideration for the interest and character of the family •UBpiSAqd 29 ARTICLE III. — THE DUTIES OF PHYSICIANS IN REGARD TO CONSULTATIONS. Section 1. The broadest dictates of humanity should be obeyed by physicians whenever and wherever their services are needed to meet the emergencies of disease or accident. Sec. 2. Consultations should be promoted in difficult cases, as they contribute to confidence and more enlarged views of practice. Sec 3. The utmost punctuality should be observed in the visits of physicians when they are to hold consultations, and this is gener- ally practicable, for society has been so considerate as to allow the plea of a professional engagement to take precedence over all others. Sec. 4. As professional engagements may sometimes cause delay In attendance, the physician who first arrives should wait for a rea- sonable time, after which the consultation should be considered as postponed to a new appointment. Sec. 5. In consultations no insincerity, rivalry or envy should be indulged in; candor, probity and all due respect should be observed toward the physician in charge of the case. Sec. 6. No statement or discussion of the case should take place before the patient or friends, except in the presence of all the physi- cians attending, or by their common consent: and no opinions or prognostications should be delivered which were not the result of previous deliberation and concurrence. Sec. 7. No decision should restrain the attending physician from making such consequent variations in the mode of treatment as any unexpected change in the character of the case may demand. But at the next consultation reasons for the variations should be stated. The same privilege, with its obligation, belongs to the consultant when sent for in an emergency during the absence of the family physician. Sec. 8. The attending physician at any time may prescribe for the patient; not so the consultant, when alone, except in a case of emergency or when called from a considerable distance. In the first instance the consultant should do what is needed, and in the second should do no more than make an examination of the patient, and leave a written opinion, under seal, to be delivered to the attending physician. Sec 9. All discussions in consultation should be held as confi- dential. Neither by words nor by manner should any of the par- ticipants in a consultation assert or intimate that any part of the treatment pursued did not receive his assent. Sec 10. It may happen that two physicians can not agree in their views of the nature of a case and of the treatment to he pursued. In the event of such disagreemnt a third physician should, if practi- cable, be called in. None but the rarest and m'ost exceptional cir- cumstances would justify the consultant in taking charge of the 30 case. il>' should not do so merely on the solicitation of the patient or friends. Sec. 11. A physician who is called in consultation should observe the most honorable and scrupulous regard for the character and standing of the attending physician, whose conduct of the case should be justified, as far as can be, consistently with the conscien- tious regard for truth, and no hint or insinuation should be thrown out which could impair the confidence reposed in the attending physician. ABTIOI.E IV. — DUTIES OF PHYSICIANS IN CASES OF INTERFERENCE. Section 1. Medicine being a liberal profession, those admitted to its ranks should found their expectations of practice especially on the character and the extent of their medical education. Skc 2. 1 ae physician, in his intercourse with a patient under the care of another physician, should observe the strictest caution and , reserve; should give no dismgenious hints relative to the nature and treatment of the patient's disorder, nor should the course of conduct of the physician, directly or indirectly, tend to diminish the trust reposed in the attending physician. Sec .".. The same circumspection should be observed when, from motives of business or friendship, a physician is prompted to visit a person who is under the direction of another physician. Indeed, such visits should be avoided, except under peculiar circumstances; and when they are made, no inquiries should be instituted relative to the nature of the disease, or the remedies employed, but the topics of conversation should be as foreign to the case as circumstances will admit. Sec. 4. A physician ought not to take charge of. or prescribe for, a patient who has recently been under the care of another physician, in the same illness, except in case of a sudden emergency or in con- sultation with the physician previously in attendance, or when that physician has relinquished the case or has been dismissed in due form. Sec. 5. The physician acting in conformity with the preceding sec- tion should not make damaging insinuations regarding the practice previously adopted, and. indeed, should justify it if consistent with truth and probity: for it often happens that patients become dis- satisfied when they are not immediately relieved, and, as many diseases are naturally protracted, the seeming want of success, in the first stage of treatment, affords no evidence of a lack of profes- sional knowledge and skill. Sec. K. When a physician is called to an urgent case, because the family attendant is not at hand, unless assistance in consultation is desired, the former should resign the care of the patient immediately on the arrival of the family physician. 31 Sec. 7. It often happens, in cases of sudden illness, and of accidents and injuries, owing to the alarm and anxiety of friends, that sev- eral physicians are simultaneously summoned. Under these circum- stances, courtesy should assign the patient to the first who arrives and who, if necessary, may invoke the aid of some of those present. In such a case, however, the acting physician should request that the family physician be called, and should withdraw unless requested to continue in attendance. Sec. 8. Whenever a physician is called to the patient of another physician during the enforced absence of that physician, the case should be relinquished on the return of the latter. Sec. 9. A physician, while visiting a sick person in the country, may be asked to see another physician's patient because of a sudden aggravation of the disease. On such an occasion the immediate needs of the patient should be attended to and the case relinquished on the arrival of the attending physician. Sec. 10. When a physician who has been engaged to attend an obstetric case is absent, and another is sent for, delivery being accomplished during the vicarious attendance, the acting physician is entitled to the professional fee, but must resign the patient on the arrival of ..ae physician first engaged. ARTICLE V. — DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHYSICIANS. Section 1. Diversity of opinion and opposition of interest may, in the medical as in other professions, sometimes occasion controversy and even contention. Whenever such unfortunate cases occur and can not be immediately adjusted, they should be referred to the arbitration of a sufficient number of impartial physicians. Sec. 2. A peculiar reserve must be maintained by physicians toward the public in regard to some professional questions, and as there exist many points in medical ethics and etiquette through which the feelings of physicians may be painfully assailed in their intercourse, and which can not be understood or appreciated by gen- eral society, neither the subject-matter of their differences nor the adjudication o. the arbitrators should be made public. ARTICLE VI. COMPENSATION. Section 1. By the members of no profession are eleemosynary ser- vices more liberally dispensed than by the medical, but justice requires that some limits should be placed to their performance. Poverty, mutual professional obligations and certain of the public duties named in Sections 1 and 2 of Chapter III, should always be recognized as presenting valid claims for gratuitous services; but neither institutions endowed by the public or by the rich, or by societies for mutual benefit, for life insurance, or for analogous 32 purposes, nor any profession or occupation, can be admitted to pos- sess such privilege. Sec. 2. It can not be justly expected of physicians to furnish cer- tificates of inability to serve on juries, or to perform militia duty; to testify to the state of health of persons wishing to insure their lives, obtain pensions, or the like, without due compensation. But to persons in indigent circumstances such services should always be cheerfully and freely accorded. Sec. 3. Some general rules should be adopted by the physicians in every town or district relative to the minimum pecuniary acknowl- edgment from their patients; and ic should he deemed a point of honor to adhere to these rules with as much uniformity as varying circumstances will admit. Sec. 4. It is derogatory to professional character for physicians to pay or offer to pay commissions to any person whatsoever who may recommend to them patients requiring general or special treat- ment or surgical operations. It is equally derogatory to profes- sional character for physicians to solicit or to receive such com- missions. Chapter III. — The Duties or the Profession to the Public. Section 1. As good citizens it is the duty of physicans to be very vigilant for the welfare of the community, and to bear their part in sustaining its laws, institutions and burdens; especially should they be ready to cooperate with the proper authorities in the admin- istration and the observance of sanitary laws and regulations, and they should also be ever ready to give counsel to the public in rela- tion to subjects especially appertaining to their profession, as on questions of sanitary police, public hygiene and legal medicine. Sec. 2. It is the province of physicians to enlighten the public in regard to quarantine regulations; to the location, arrangement and dietaries of hospitals, asylums, schools, prisons and similar institutions; in regard to measures for the prevention of epidemic and contagious diseases; and when pestilence prevails, it is their duty to face the danger, and to continue their labors for the allevia- tion of the suffering people, even at the risk of their own lives. Sec. 3. Physicians, when called on by legally constituted authori- ties, should always be ready to enlighten inquests and courts of justice on subjects strictly medical, such as involve questions relat- ing to sanity, legitimacj', murder by poison or other violent means, and various other subjects embraced in the science of medical juris- prudence. It is but just, however, for them to expect due compen- sation for their services. Sec. 4. It is the duty of physicians, who are frequent witnesses of the great wrongs committed by charlatans, and of the injury to 33 health and even destruction of life caused by the use of their treat- ment, to enlighten the public on these subjects, and to make known the injuries sustained by the unwary from the devices and preten- sions of artful impostors. Sec. 5. It is the duty of physicians to recognize and by legitimate patronage to promote the profession of pharmacy, on the skill and proficiency of which depends the reliability of remedies, but any pharmacist who, although educated in his own profession, is not a qualified physician, and who assumes to prescribe for the sick, ought not to receive such countenance and support. Any druggist or pharmacist who dispenses deteriorated or sophisticated drugs, or who substitutes one remedy for another designated in a pre- scription, ought thereby to forfeit the recognition and influence of physicians. Medical- CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES. (Approved by the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina at the annual session in Hot Springs, N. C, June 2, 1903.) Introductory. The Committee on Organization of the American Medical Associa- tion, which was continued at the Saratoga meeting, herewith sub- mits a tentative Constitution and By-Laws for County Societies, and in doing so desires to say, that while the provisions it contains are deemed essential to good organization, some of the provisions are suggestive and educational in character and may not be applicable to every county or section. In such cases these may be omitted, or others more appropriate substituted for them. In any event, the hign ideals for the individual physician, and the spirit of courtesy and kindness which should govern him in his dealings with his professional neighbors, are here set forth for thought and consideration. The Committee is not a unit as to whether there should be charged an admission fee as called for in Section 1, Chapter V, of the By- Laws, but the majority of the Committee believes that this is the correct principle, for the average individual does not appreciate that which he gets for nothing, and furthermore, that if an admission fee is charged the individual will not be as likely to drop out of the Society as if he obtained his membership for nothing. The Committee advises, however, that in organizing a County Society, or before adopting the new Constitution, that the charter shall be open for all in the county who are eligible and admit such charter members without the admission fee. We close this report by making a quotation from our report when we submitted the Constitution and by-Laws for State Societies: Much in the By-Laws submitted may be regarded as "preaching," but it is inserted advisedly, with the sole object of arousing in the minds of each medical society member a desire ior the accomplish- ment of greater ends than has been permitted by the customs and forms of the past. The Committee earnestly desires that the State 36 committees will continue the work of perfecting organization, actu- ated by that love for our profession that its ideals demand. With the medical profession well organized, medical science will more rapidly step to its appointed high place, and the profession which lives in its atmosphere will have that power and respect in the com- munity that is its right. J. N. McCormack, Bowling Green, Ky., P. Maxwell Fosiiay, Cleveland, Ohio, George H. Simmons. Chicago, Illinois, Committee. 37 Constitution. Article I. — Name and Title of the Society. The name and title of this organization shall be the County Medical Society. Article II. — Purposes of the Society. The purposes ot this Society shall be to bring into one organiza- tion the physicians of county; so that by frequent meetings and full and frank interchange of views they may secure such intel- ligent unity and harmony in every phase of their labor as will elevate and make effective the opinions of the profession in all scientific, legislative, public health, material and social affairs, to the end tuat the profession may receive that respect and support within its own ranks and from the community to which its honorable history and great achievements entitle it; and with other county societies to form' the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina, and through it, with other State associations, to form and maintain the American Medical Association. Article III. — Eligibility. Every legally registered physician residing and practicing in county, who is of good moral and professional standing and who does not practice or claim to practice sectarian medicine, shall be eligible for membership. Article IV. — Meetings. Regular meetings shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by the Society. Special meetings may be called by the President on a written request of five members. Calls for special meetings shall state the object of such meeting, and no business except that stated in the call shall be transacted at such meeting. Article V. The officers of this Society shall consist of a President, Vice- President, Secretary, Treasurer, Delegates, and Board of (three) Censors. These officers, except the Delegates and Board of Censors, shall be elected annually for a term of one year. Delegates shall be elected for two years, or in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of the State association. One member of the Board of Censors shall be elected each year to serve for three years, provided that at the first election after the adoption of this Constitution one Medical 4 38 member of he board shall be elected for one, od« for two and one for three years. Article VI. — Funds and Expenses. Funds for meeting the expenses of the Society shall be raised by admission fee, annual dues, special assessments and voluntary con- tribution. Funds may be appropriated by vote of the Society for such purposes as will promote its welfare and that of the profession. Article VII. — Charter. The Society shall apply to the State Society for a charter at the meeting at which this Constitution and By-Laws are adopted, or as soon thereafter as practicable, and the charter shall be kept in the custody of the secretary. Article VIII. — Incorporation. The Society shall have authority to appoint a Board of Trustees and to provide for articles of incorporation whenever it may deem the same necessary. Article IX. — Amendments. The Society may amend any article of this Constitution by a two- thirds vote of its members at any regular meeting, provided that such amendment shall have been read in open session at a previous regular meeting and shall have been sent by mail to each member ten days in advance of the meeting at which final action is to be taken. By-Laws. Chapter I. — Membership. Section 1. The Society shall judge of the qualification of its mem- bers, but as it is the only door to the State Medical Society and to the American Medical Association for physicians within its juris- diction, every reputable and legally qualified physician in county, who does not practice or claim to practice sectarian medicine, shall be entitled to membership. Sec. 2. A candidate for membership shall make application in writ- ing, and shall state his age, his college and date of graduation, the place in which he has practiced, and the date of registration in this State. The application must be accompanied by the admission fee, and must be endorsed by two members of this Society. It shall be referred to the Board of Censors, who shall inquire into the standing 39 of the applicant, assure themselves that he or she is duly registered according to the laws of the State, and report at the next regular meeting of this Society. Election shall be by ballot, and two-thirds of the votes of the members present and voting shall be necessary to elect. The application shall be returned to the Secretary, who shall file it for future reference. Applications for membership from re- jected candidates shall not be received within six months of such rejection. Sec. 3. A physician accompanying his application with a transfer card from another component county society of this or any State within sixty days of the issuance of said card, may be admitted with- out fee on a majority vote of the members present, and without the application being referred to the Board of Censors. Such applica- tions may be acted on at the meeting at which they are presented on the vote of three-fourths of the members present, otherwise they shall lie over until the next regular meeting. No annual dues for the current year shall be charged against such members, provided the same have been paid to the society from which the applicant comes. Sec. 4. A physician residing in an immediately adjoining county may become a member of this Society in like manner and on the same terms as a physician living in this county, on permission of the county society of the county in which the applicant lives, if there be one, or of the State Councilor for this jurisdiction. Sec. 5. A member in good standing who is free from all indebted- ness to this Society, and against whom no charges are pending, wish- ing to withdraw, shall be granted a transfer card. This card shall state the date the member associated himself with this Society, the date of issuance of the card, and shall be signed by the President and Secretary. It shall be accompanied with a copy of the applica- tion presented at the time the member joined the Society, for infor- mation to the society to which the member desires to attach himself. Sec. 6. All members shall be equally privileged to attend all meet- ings and take part in all proceedings, and shall be eligible to any office or honor within the gift of the Society, so long as they conform to this constitution and by-laws, including the payment of the dues to this Society and to the State Association: Provided, that no mem- ber under sentence of expulsion shall take part in any of the pro- ceedings, or be eligible to any office until relieved of such disability. And provided further, that none of the privileges of membership shall be extended to any person not a member of this Society, ex- cept on a majority vote of the Society in regular meeting. Sec. 7. A member who is guilty of a criminal offence or of gross misconduct, either as a physician or as a citizen, or who violates any of the provisions of this constitution and by-laws, shall be lia- ble to censure, suspension or expulsion. Charges against a member 40 must be made in writing and be delivered to the Secretary, who shall immediately furnish a copy to the accused and to the chairman of the Board of Censors. The Board of Censors shall investigate the charges on their merits, but no action shall be taken by the Board before giving the accused and accusers ample opportunity to be heard. Nor shall any action be taken by the Board within ten days of the presentation of the charges to the accused. The Board shall report (1) that the charges are not sustained; or (2) that the charges are sustained, and that the accused be (a) censured; (6) suspended for a definite time, or (e) expelled. Censure or suspension shall require a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting, and a three- fourths vote of those present and voting shall be required to expel a member. No action shall be taken by the Society in such cases until at least six weeks have elapsed since the filing of the charges. A member suspended for a definite time shall be reinstated at the expiration of the time, without action on his part or on the part of the Society. Sec. 8. Kindly efforts in the interest of peace, conciliation or refor- mation, so far as possible and expedient, shall precede the filing of formal charges affecting the character or standing of a member, and the accused shall have opportunity to be heard in his own defence in all trials and proceedings of this nature. Sec. 9. Members expelled from this Society for any cause shall be eligible for membership after one year from date of expulsion, and on the same terms and in like manner as original applicants. Chapter II. — Powers and Duties. Section 1. This Society shall have general direction of the affairs of the medical profession of the county, and its influence shall be constantly exerted to better the scientific, material and social condi- tion of every physician within its jurisdiction. Systematic efforts shall be made by each member, and by the Society as a whole, to in- crease the membership until it embraces every reputable physician in the county. Sec. 2. A meeting shall be held at .... p. m. on the in each month (or oftener) members shall constitute a quorum. The officers and committee on program shall profit by experience and by the example of other similar societies, and strive to arrange for the most attractive and successful proceedings for each meet- ing. Younger members especially shall be encouraged to do post- graduate and original research work, and to give this Society the first results of such labors. Crisp papers and discussions and re- ports of cases shall be arranged for and encouraged, and tedious and profitless proceedings and discussions shall be avoided as far as practicable. Sec 3. One meeting during each year may be set apart for a dis- 41 cussion of the business affairs of the profession of the county, with the view of adopting the best methods for the guidance of all. In all proper ways the public shall be taught that business methods and prompt collections are essential to the equipment of the modern physician and surgeon, and that it suffers even more than the pro- fession when this is not recognized. Sec. 5. The Society shall endeavor to educate its members to the belief that the physician should be a leader in his community, in character, in learning, in dignified and manly bearing, and in cour- teous and open treatment of his brother physicians, to the end that the profession may occupy that place in its own and the public esti- mation to which it is entitled. Chapter III. — Officers. Section 1. The officers of the Society shall be elected at the (De- cember) meeting in each year, which shall be known as the annual meeting. Nominations shall be made by informal ballot, and all elections shall be by ballot. The vote of a majority of all the mem- bers present shall be necessary to an election. Sec 2. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society, and perform such other duties as custom and parliamentary usage may require. He shall be the real head of the profession in the county during the year, and it shall be his pride and ambition to leave it in better condition as regards both scientific attainments and harmony than at the beginning of his term of office. Sec. 3. The Vice-President shall assist the President in the per- formance of his duties, shall preside in his absence, and, on his death, resignation or removal from the county, shall succeed to the presidency. Sec. 4. The Secretary shall record the minutes of the meetings and receive and care for all records and papers belonging to the So- ciety, including its charter. He shall keep account of and promptly turn over to the Treasurer all funds of the Society which may come into his hands. He shall make and keep a correct list of the mem- bers of this Society in good standing, noting of each his correct name, address, place and date of graduation, and the date of the certificate entitling him to practice medicine; and in a separate list he shall note the same facts in regard to each legally qualified physi- cian in this county not a member of this Society. It shall be his duty to send a copy of such lists, on blank forms furnished him for that purpose, to the Secretary of the State Association, at such time as may be designated by the State Association. In making such lists he shall endeavor to account for each physician who has moved into or out of the county during the year, stating, when possible, both his present and past address. At the same time, and with his report of 42 such lists of members and physicians, he shall transmit to the Stat* Association his order on the Treasurer for the annual dues of the Society. Sec. 5. The Treasurer shall receive all dues and money belonging to the Society from the hands of the Secretary or members, and shall pay out the same only on the written order of the Secretary. Sec. 6. The delegates shall attend and faithfully represent the members of this Society and the profession of this county in the House of Delegates of the State Society, and shall moke a report of the proceedings of that body to this Society at the earliest oppor- tunity. Chapter IV. — Committees. Section 1. 'ihere shall be a Board of Censors as provided in the constitution, a standing committee on programs and scientific work, a committee on public health and legislation, and such special com- mittees as may from time to time be deemed necessary. Sec. 2. Board of Censors. — This Board, consisting of three mem- bers, one elected annually, shall examine and report on the quali- fication of applicants for membership, subjecting each applicant to such examination as it may deem necessary. It shall investigate charges preferred against a member, and report its conclusions and recommendations to the Society. In case of the absence of a mem- ber of the Board, the President may appoint some member to fill the vacancy. The senior member of the Board in point of service shall be chairman of the Board. Sec 3. Qommittee on Program and Scientific Work. — This com- mittee shall consist of the President, Vice-President and Secretary. It shall be its duty to promote the scientific and social functions of the Society by arranging attractive programs for each meeting, and by urging each member to take part in the scientific work. It shall stimulate fraternalism and good feeling amoung the members in every way possible. Sec. 4. Committee on Public Health and Legislation. — This com- mittee shall consist of three members, who shall be appointed an- nually by the President. It shall be its duty to enforce and support the sanitary and medical laws of the State in this county, to co-oper- ate with the legislative committee of the State Association in all matters pertaining to legislation, and to prosecute quacks and medi- cal pretenders in this county. Chapter V. — Funds and Expenses. Section 1. The admission fee, which must accompany the appli- cation, shall be $5.00, and shall include the annual dues for the fiscal year, provided that when more than one-half of the fiscal year has elapsed at the time of election of a member, one-half of 43 the annual dues shall be remitted, making the admission fee in such cases $4.00. The admission fee shall be returned if the applicant is not accepted. Sec. 2. The annual dues shall be $2.00, and shall be payable on January 1 of each year. Any member who shall fail to pay his annual dues by April 1 shall be held as suspended without action on the part of the Society. A member suspended for non-payment of dues shall be restored to full membership on payment of all indebtedness. Members more than one year in arrears shall be dropped from the roll of members. Sec. 3. The fiscal year of this Society shall be from January to December, inclusive. Chapter VI. — Order of Business. The order of business shall be as follows: 1. Call to order by the President. 2. Reading of minutes of last meeting. 3. Clinical cases. 4. Papers and discussions. 5. Unfinished business. 6. Miscellaneous business. 7. Announcements. 8. Adjournment. Chapter VII. — Rui.es of Order. The deliberations of this Society shall be governed by parliamen- tary usage as contained in Robert's Rules of Order, unless otherwise determined by vote. Chapter VIII. — Principles of Ethics. The Principles of Ethics of the American Medical Association and of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina shall be the Code of this Society. Chapter IX. — Amendments. These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two- thirds vote therefor, provided that such amendment has been read in open session at the preceding regular meeting, and a copy of the same has been sent to each member by the Secretary ten days in advance of the meeting at which final action is to be taken. f NC-CH HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY H00004898 T / WB 1 AN 8 M4 8 9 1903 Medical Society of the State of North Carolina. Officers and c ornm i ttees, WB 1 AN Med i ca 1 of Nor Officer const i 8 M 4 8 9 19 3 Society of the State th Carolina. s and committees, = tut ion and by-laws,