THE DUTIES OF A LODGE DOCTOR.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3490, 13 September 1882, Page 4

THE DUTIES OF A LODGE DOCTOR.

The Lancet is rejoicing over a County Court decision by which the right of a meaical man to payment has been recognised. The case, as described by our contemporary, is as follow : —

" When drunkenness in an Oddfellow leads to sickness ho is not entitled to the benefit of the club during the 3aid sicknosss The rule is that —' any member incapable of following his employment by any immoral or disorderly conduct, by fighting, or by accident or illness arising from intoxication, or continued excessive drinking, shall not be entitled to any sick pay.' The rule is a most proper one. An equally proper inference from it would seem to be that a member should have no claim on the medical attendant for accident or disease so disgracefully incurred. The question has often been raised. It has been lately been raised most properly before Mr J. Stephen, County Court Judge, Holbeach, by Mr A. H. Haines, in an action for £22 18s for attendance upon a club member for delirium tremens and other disorders caused by drunkenness. The man at various times seemed to recognise that attendance on his ailments •was a private affair between Mr Haines and himself, and had paid various bills on that view. The jury, we are glad to say, gave prompt judgment for the plaintiff for the whole amount, in spite, we regret to say, of some hesitation on the part of the Judge. The Judge did not see that the medical officer of the club was exempt from the duty of attending a member because of the rule quoted above. He thought the rule was not explicit enough for this purpose. But he regarded the defendant's conduct in paying bills to Mr Haines from time to time as capable of being construed into a kind of implied contract between himself and Mr Haines. The sooner Oddfellows and other benefit societies make their rule complete the better. It is absurd and unjust to bind the medical officer to attend drunken members. Benefit societies have an enormous power for good in marking drunkenness as an offence against societies and the working class generally. And they owe it to their medical officers to protect them in this matter. The profession is indebted to Mr Hainet for fighting this question very well before judge and jury." How much simpler it would all be if the members of friendly societies were all to become perfectly sober ? Then the club doctor would have less to do, and no such burning question as to the limits of doctors' patients' payments would arise.