AMERICAN DIPLOMAS.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13662, 2 September 1916, Page 3

AMERICAN DIPLOMAS.

• ALLEGED BREACH OF MEDIOAL • I'RACi'mON£BS AOT. ' ' CHARGES AGAINST TWO DUNEDIF . MEN. . •'. .. DUNEDIN, August 28. ■ The police touk.action in the Magistrate's .Court,this niorning'against two inen named Thomas Giles and Henry Ottcijiolt, who. hold diplomas' of an : ; Anierican college, as doctor's of chiropractic, and'who have displayed such title upon; .a brass.plato.* The - procceded under section' 23 of-;, the Medical Practitioners' Act' of 1914, charging them with having practiced ( medicine or surgery without being re-'.' •gisterefl. Th'cy'were defended'bySMr Adams. Detective Hall said that he and Detective Cameron called at the rooms of Giles and Otterholt. On a brass plate... was inscribed '/doctors of chiroprac- 1 . tic," Witness asked Giles if he had', any diploma to entitle him to call him- ( self dootor, and.he pointed to certifi- , cates on the wall from the Palmer; School of Chiropractic, Davqnport, lowa, '■ .U.S.A., entitling ' him call liimself D.C.—Doctor of Chiropractic. He said he treated disease.by adjustment of the spine, as all disease was traceable to subluxation of the spine. He said-he would treat cancer and pneumonia as • ■ diseases arising from the spine.

Mr Adams admitted' that the men were not registered under the Act; but they were not doing anything that was aimed at or touched .by' the 'Act, st> that there was no'need for registration, The evidence of the police did not begin to show that either of the accused was practising medicine or surgery. The term doctor in the clause; meant Doctor of Medicine. The Magistrate: Doctor does not. mean Doctor, of Medicine, Many people practising medicine- have not the M.D.

Mr Adams: "Just so, but the meaning must have reference to the.subject matter of the section' —the practice of medicine or surgery," ' The evidence; showed that these nien were practising neither medicine nor surgery,' but chiropractic, This was n well-recognised' term in the Uijited States of America,; and the diploma was conferred by insti-' tutions there, and recognised by statute, He relied upon the definitionof medicine given in Murray's dictionary, and the practice of this modern ischool. had no relation to medical treatment. It was defined .as "the mothod of restoring health by manipulation of the ■spinal columnj-"—the theory being that disease was caused by subluxation of tho spinal column. There was nothing in the treatment, anil no. offenco was committed unless it. was shown that the accused ,were doing something that a medical man would; dO. , J'" . The Magistrate reserved his decision.