A DIGEST OF THE 
Acts of tbc Commcmixrealtb 
RELATING TO THE 
MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY, 
TOSKTHER WITH THE 
BY-LAWS 
AND 
RULES AND ORDERS OF THE SOCIETY AND COUNCILLORS. 
B 0 S T ON : 
DAVID CLArP & SON PRINTERS.... 35 BEDFORD ST. 
1 88 7. A DIGEST OE THE 
Acts cf % Commonimltj) 
RELATING, TO THE 
MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY, 
TOGETHER WITH THE 
BY-LAWS 
AND 
RULES AND ORDERS OE THE SOCIETY AND COUNCILLORS. 
BOSTON: 
DAVID CLAPP & SON PRINTERS.... 35 BEDFORD ST. 
1887. A DIGEST OF THE 
ACTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH 
delating to tfje fHasssacfjusetts fHelitcal Societg, 
NOW IN FORCE. 
1887. 
I. As health is essentially necessary to the happiness of society, and 
as its preservation or recovery is closely connected with the knowledge 
of the animal economy and of the properties and effects of medicines ; 
and as the benefit of medical institutions, formed on liberal principles, 
and encouraged by the patronage of the law, i§ universally acknow- 
ledged,—The Fellows and their successors shall be, and continue for- 
ever, a body politic and corporate by the name of 
“ <Efje fHnssacljusctts fBctrtcal Society” 
II. The Fellows of the Society shall have one common seal, and 
power to break, change, and renew the same at their pleasure. 
III. The Fellows of the Society shall have full power and authority 
to make and enact such Rules and By-Laws, for the better government 
of the Society, as are not repugnant to the laws of this Commonwealth; 
and to annex reasonable fines and penalties to the breach of them, not 
exceeding the sum of twenty pounds. 
IY. The Fellows, at their annual meetings, whenever such a num- 
ber shall be present as the regulations of the Society may require, may 
revise, alter, enlarge, and repeal the By-Laws of the Society, as the 
major part of the Fellows present may see fit, .and not otherwise. 
V. The Fellows of the Society may sue and be sued in all actions, 
real, personal, or mixed, and prosecute and defend the same unto final 
judgment and execution, by the name of the “Massachusetts Medical 
Society.” 
VI. The Treasurer, for the time being, is authorized to sue, in the 
name of the Society, in an action of debt, before any Court proper to 
try the issue, for such sums of money as may become due to the Society 
from any person being, or who has been, or who shall become a Fellow 
thereof, for the annual, or other assessments of the Society, or for 
penalties accruing under and by virtue of the By-Laws and votes of the 
Society, by declaring generally, against the defendant, as indebted to 
the Society for the penalty, or sum due, setting forth the substance only 
of such By-Law or vote: and the Society shall thereafter recover judg- 4 
ment for so much debt or damage as they shall prove to be due, and no 
more. 
VII. The Treasurer shall have full power and authority to sue for, 
and recover, such reasonable fees of ofliee, as shall be established by 
the Society for the examination of candidates and for letters testimonial 
in favor of such as shall 'be approbated. 
VIII. The Fellows of the Society may, and shall forever, be deemed 
capable in law of having, holding, and taking in fee simple, or any less 
estate by gift, grant, devise, or otherwise, any land, tenement, or other 
estate, real or personal; provided, that the annual income of the whole 
real estate shall not exceed the sum of two hundred pounds, and the 
annual income or interest of said personal estate shall not exceed the 
sum of six hundred pounds—valued in silver at six shillings and eight 
pence per ounce. 
IX. The annual income or interest of the said real and personal 
estate, together with the fines and penalties paid to the Society or re- 
covered by them, shall be appropriated to such purposes as are con- 
sistent with the end and design of the institution of the Society, and 
as the Fellows thereof shall determine. 
X. The Society is authorized to use the annual income of their 
permanent fund to defray current expenses. 
XI. The Fellows of the Society shall not be liable to be enrolled or 
mustered in the militia of this Commonwealth. 
DISTRICT SOCIETIES. 
XII. The Councillors may establish within Districts and portions of 
this Commonwealth, subordinate Societies and meetings, to consist of 
the Fellows of the Society residing within such districts respectively— 
wherein the communication of cases and experiments may be made, and 
the diffusion of knowledge in medicine and surgery may be encouraged 
and promoted. And the members of such subordinate societies shall be 
holden to report to the Councillors of the general Society all such cases 
as may be selected for their importance and utility. 
XIII. These subordinate societies shall be subject to the regulation? 
of the general Society, in all matters wherein the general Society shall 
be concerned. They may appoint their own officers, and establish 
regulations for their particular government, not repugnant to the By- 
Laws of the general Society; and shall be-capable to purchase, and re- 
ceive by donation, books, philosophical and chirurgical instruments, or 
other personal property, and may hold and dispose of the same, exclu- 
sive of any authority of the general Society. 
XIV. On the application of any five Fellows, the Councillors shall 
be authorized to subdivide or alter any of said districts, and to make 
new districts whenever the public good may seem to require it. 
XV. Each of the District Societies into which the Massachusetts 
Medical Society has been or may be divided, may elect annually, by 
ballot, from among its members, the Councillors and Censors to which, 
by the By-Laws of the Society, it may be entitled. And such Coun- 
cillors and Censors shall hold their respective otlices for the year next 
ensuing, and until others have been elected in their places. 5 
COUNCILLORS. 
XVI. The Councillors, elected by the District Societies, shall as- 
semble and convene three times in the year, at such times and places as 
the By-Laws of the general Society shall direct; provided, that the first 
stated or annual meeting shall be held in the same place and within 
thirty days before or after the annual meeting of the general Society ; 
and at such other times and places as the By-Laws may direct, and 
whenever notified to convene by their presiding officer. 
XVII. At their annual meetings the said Councillors shall proceed 
to appoint, from among themselves, a President, and such other officers 
of the Society as are and shall be required in the Rules and By-Laws 
thereof to be so appointed. 
XVIII. At any meeting of the said Councillors, they may fill any 
vacant office ; and perform any other duties, as the By-Laws of said 
Society shall direct. 
CENSORS, OR EXAMINERS. 
XIX. The Censors, elected by the District Societies, for the pur- 
pose of examining candidates, shall, at least three of them, be convened 
in Boston on the Thursday next preceding the annual meeting of the 
general Society, and at such other times and places-as the By-Laws 
shall direct. 
XX. The Censors, at their stated meetings in each of the said dis- 
tricts, shall examine all who may offer themselves to be approved as 
practising physicians or surgeons, who have received such an education 
as is, or may be from time to time, prescribed by the regulations of the 
Society, and who are duly qualified as candidates for such examination. 
XXL If the said Censors shall unreasonably refuse to examine 
any person who is duly qualified for such examination, they shall 
severally forfeit a sum not exceeding four hundred dollars, to be re- 
covered by such candidate for his own use. 
OFFICERS. 
XXII. The Fellows of the Society shall have full power and author- 
ity, from time to time, to determine and establish the names, number, 
and the duty of their several officers, and the tenure or estate they shall 
respectively have in their offices ; and also to authorize and empower 
their President, or some other officer, to administer such oaths to such 
officers as they, the Fellows of the Society, shall appoint and determine 
for the well-ordering and good government of the Society, provided the 
same be not repugnant to the laws of this Commonwealth. 
FELLOWSHIP. 
XXIII. Any person of good moral character, found to possess the 
qualifications prescribed by the Rules and Regulations of the Society, 
shall, upon examination by the Censors, and not otherwise, be admitted 
a Fellow; and the Fellows shall have power to suspend, expel or 
disfranchise any Fellow of the Society. 6 
XXIV. All persons so elected, shall, within one year after such 
election, subscribe the By-Laws of the Society, or otherwise declare in 
writing their assent to the same ; or such election shall be void. 
XXV. The Councillors, at any of the three stated meetings of the 
same, and only at these meetings, and after three months’ nomination of 
every candidate, and not otherwise, may, by a major vote of those pre- 
sent, elect any suitable person, not resident within this Commonwealth, 
to be an honorary member of the Society. 
LICENTIATES. 
XXVI. Every candidate who shall be approved by the Censors, 
shall be entitled to letters testimonial, under their hands, of their ap- 
probation and of their license to practise physic or surgery, or both ; 
which letters shall be sealed with the seal of the Society, and shall be 
signed by the President and Secretary thereof; and every person who 
shall receive the said letters testimonial, and being of good moral charac- 
ter, and not otherwise, shall, upon application, and subscribing the By- 
Laws, be admitted a Fellow of the Society, while a resident practitioner 
of medicine or surgery within this Commonwealth. 
XXVII. No person shall be entitled to his letters of license, until 
he shall pay such reasonable fees as shall be established by the Society 
to be paid for such examination and letters of license. 
XXVIII. When any person who has been educated to the practice 
of physic or surgery, in any place out of this State, and who has come 
into this State to pursue the same, shall present himself to either of the 
Boards of Censors as a candidate for their approbation or license—if 
they are satisfied that he has received an education equivalent to that 
prescribed by the regulations of the Society, and that he has been duly 
examined and approved by some competent authority, they may license 
him to practise physic or surgery, or both, as the case may be, without 
subjecting him to a new examination. 
MEETINGS. 
XXIX. The Fellows shall have full power and authority to establish 
the place, time, and manner of convening the Fellows of the Society ; 
and also to determine the number of Fellows that shall be present to 
constitute a meeting of the Society ; provided, that the annual meeting 
may be held in such one of the principal towns or cities of the Com- 
monwealth as the Society or the Councillors shall, from year to year, 
determine. BY-LAWS. BY-LAWS. 
1887. 
FELLOWSHIP. 
I. Candidates for admission into the Massachusetts Medi- 
cal Society may be either male or female ; and every candidate 
must, by proper credentials and examination, satisfy the Censors 
of said Society that he possesses the following qualifications for 
Fellowship: 
That he is not less than twenty-one years of age; that he is of 
sound mind, and good moral character; that he has a good general 
English education; that he has a knowledge of the principles of 
experimental philosophy; that he has such an acquaintance with 
the Latin language as is necessary for a good medical and surgical 
education; that he has studied medicine and surgery three full years 
under the direction, and attended the practice, of some reputable, 
regularly educated physician or physicians ; that he has attended 
two terms of study, or two full courses of lectures in separate years, 
at an authorized medical school, recognized by the Councillors of 
said Society, and possesses a diploma or its equivalent from such 
school; that he does not profess to cure diseases by, nor intend to 
practise, spiritualism, homoeopathy, allopathy, Thompsonianism, 
eclecticism, or any other irregular or exclusive system, generally 
recognized as such by the profession or declared so by the Council- 
lors of said Society ; and, by a further examination, a part of which 
shall be in writing, that he has an adequate knowledge of anatomy, 
pathological anatomy, physiology, general and medical chemistry, 
materia medica, therapeutics, midwifery, the theory and practice 
of medicine, clinical medicine, surgery, clinical surgery, hygiene, 
and public hygiene. 
If successful in such an examination as to his credentials, char- 
acter, personal and professional qualifications, to the satisfaction 10 
of at least three of the Censors present, the candidate, after pay- 
ing the District Treasurer the assessment for the current year and 
signing the By-Laws, shall receive a certificate of membership 
(Digest, XXVI., XXVII.), and be enrolled a Fellow of the 
Society. 
II. A candidate may be examined at any stated meeting of 
Censors; but, if the examination be unsatisfactory, he shall not 
be reexamined by any Board of Censors in less than six months ■ 
afterwards. (XX., XXI.) 
Application for examination or reexamination must be made 
to the Secretary of the Society of the District in which the can- 
didate resides. 
III. Every Fellow shall be entitled to a Diploma on the 
payment of such sum as the Councillors shall from time to time 
determine. 
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP. 
IV. A candidate for election to Honorary Membership in the 
Society shall be nominated to the Councillors at a Stated Meeting, 
by two or more Fellows, and said nomination shall be referred to 
the Committee on Membership and Resignations, who shall report 
at the next Stated Meeting. 
The affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Councillors present 
shall be necessary to elect to Honorary Membership. (Rule 10.) 
REQUIREMENTS AND PRIVILEGES. 
V. Every Fellow of the Society, unless Honorary or Retired, 
shall be annually assessed such sum as the Councillors shall from 
time to time determine—to be prepaid from year to year on or 
before each annual meeting of the Society; but assessments may 
be remitted in any case, on the recommendation of the Committee 
on Finances, by a vote of the Councillors. 
Any Fellow who has arrived at the age of sixty-five years, 
has paid all his assessments, or has been excused from them, and 
has notified the Treasurer of the Society thereof in writing, 
may, on recommendation of a Committee and by a vote of the 11 
Councillors, become a Retired Member. He shall be entitled to 
all the privileges of a Fellow, and shall conform to all the require- 
ments of the Society, and be subject to all its penalties, except 
that he shall not be liable to assessments, nor be bound to accept 
any office in the Society. 
VI. Any Fellow, whose dues have been paid or remitted, 
may, on written application and for satisfactory reasons, first ex- 
amined and reported upon by a Committee, be allowed to resign 
Fellowship and to withdraw from the Society by a vote of the 
Councillors. 
Any Fellow removing out of the State may have liberty to re- 
tain his Fellowship so long, and only so long, as he punctually 
pays the annual assessment. 
Any one who has retired or resigned, or lost his Fellowship by 
removal from the State, may, on application in writing, be restored 
to full Fellowship by the vote of the Councillors at any Stated 
Meeting. 
ETHICS AND DISCIPLINE. 
VII. Any Fellow who has not paid an assessment to the So- 
ciety for five consecutive years, and who, after due notification of 
his delinquency, neglects, or declines, without sufficient excuse, to 
pay his dues, may, on report of the Committee on Membership 
and Resignations, be dropped from the Roll of Fellows by a vote 
of the Councillors. 
Any Fellow may be punished by censure, disfranchisement, or 
expulsion (Digest, XXIII.), or be deprived of his privileges, on 
conviction by a Board of Trial (in the manner specified in By-Law 
XXXI.), upon charges of the following description, made to the 
President of the Society in writing, and signed by three or more 
Fellows, viz.:— 
For any gross or notorious immorality, or for any crime of 
which he may have been convicted. 
For any attempt to disorganize or to destroy the Society. 
For the breach of any By-Law of the Society, for which censure, 
disfranchisement, expulsion, or deprivation of privileges is made 
the penalty. 12 
For furnishing to any person, or presenting in his own behalf, a 
false certificate or statement of character or studies as a student, 
or principles as a practitioner of medicine, tending to deceive the 
public or the Censors of the Society. 
For any conduct unbecoming and unworthy an honorable 
physician and Fellow of this Society. 
VIII. Any person engaged in the practice of medicine or sur- 
gery in this Commonwealth, who has not received such a medical 
education as is required by By-Law I., and any one guilty of 
practices forbidden to Fellows (I.), shall be deemed an irregular 
practitioner; and it shall be disreputable and unbecoming (VII.) 
for any Fellow to advise or consult with any such irregular prac- 
titioner, or in any way to abet or assist him as a practitioner of 
medicine or surgery. 
IX. Any person who publicly advertises for sale, or otherwise 
offers to the public, any medicine the composition of which he 
keeps secret, or offers to cure any disease by any such secret 
medicine, or by any secret treatment, shall be considered an 
irregular practitioner; and, if a Fellow of this Society, shall be 
liable to expulsion, or to such other penalty as a Board of 
Trial may think proper to inflict. (XXXI.) 
X. There shall be annually appointed by the Councillors a 
Committee of five (three of whom shall be its quorum), to be called 
the Committee on Ethics and Discipline, whose duty it shall be 
to listen to complaints or charges which any individual or Society 
may wish to bring against a Fellow, and to cause such charges 
to be carried before a Board of Trial, if the Committee think it 
expedient; whose further duty it shall be to consider any per- 
sonal matters or questions of privilege, so called, when the hear- 
ing thereof in general meeting is objected to by any Fellow; 
and to report upon any question of Ethics or Discipline which 
may be referred to it for such purpose by the Councillors or by 
the Society. 
ANNUAL MEETING. 
XI. A meeting of the Fellows of this Society shall he held, 
annually, in such one of the towns or cities of the Commonwealth, 
on such Wednesday in May or June, and at such hour, as the 13 
Councillors shall, from year to year, determine. Ten Fellows 
shall constitute a quorum, but a less number may adjourn the 
meeting from time to time. 
DISTRICT SOCIETIES. 
XII. The Commonwealth shall be divided by the Councillors 
into Medical Districts, which may, from time to time, be subdivided 
or altered as circumstances may require. (Digest, XIY.) A Dis- 
trict Medical Society, for the purpose designated by Law (Digest, 
XII.), shall be formed in each Medical District—to consist of 
all the Fellows of the State Society residing ■within the District, 
and none other. 
XIII. Every District Society shall hold its Annual Meeting 
for elections between the fifteenth of April and the fifteenth of 
May, and at least ten days before the Annual Meeting of the 
State Society. (XV.) 
At the Annual Meeting of each District Society there shall be 
elected for said Society a President, who shall be, ex-officio, a Vice- 
President of the State Society (XXIII.); a Secretary; a Treas- 
urer; a Librarian; a Commissioner of Trials (XXXI.); and 
such other officers as may be designated in said Society’s By-Laws; 
also by ballot (Digest, XV.) the number of Councillors to which 
said Society may be entitled by By-Law XVII.: and, at the same 
time, five Censors for the examination of candidates in that Dis- 
trict. (XX., XXL) 
If a District Society fail or omit, from any cause, to make the 
aforesaid elections, or any of them, the officers previously chosen 
shall hold their respective offices for the year next ensuing, and 
until others shall have been elected in their places. (Digest, XV.) 
XIV. District Societies may in other respects make their 
own regulations, provided they are not incompatible with the By- 
Laws of the State Society. (Digest, XIII.) 
XV. The Secretary of each District Society shall, at ]east ten 
days before the Annual Meeting of the Councillors, furnish the 
Recording Secretary of the State Society with the names and resi- 
dences of the officers of his District Society, and of its Council- 
lors and Censors for the year ensuing, together with the full names 14 
and the residences of all those, not already reported, who have be- 
come Fellows in the District during the year—designating whether 
by original admission, after examination by the Censors of the Dis- 
trict, or otherwise; and shall also report to him any changes in 
the By-Laws of said District Society that may have been made 
during the year previous. (XXII.) 
XVI. The Treasurer of each District Society shall collect the 
assessments within his District as soon as may be. He shall, on or 
before the Annual Meeting of the Councillors, make a full return 
to the Treasurer of the Society of all the assessments charged on 
his books, with the condition of each, whether paid or unpaid ; and 
transmit the amount collected, after deducting such reasonable 
expenses as he may have incurred, and five per cent, for services; 
and such return and remittance shall be a full release from any de- 
mand arising from the charge created in By-Law XXVIII. He 
shall also report the deaths and removals which have occurred in 
the District, and any circumstances respecting the pecuniary abili- 
ties of the members which it may be important for the Treasurer 
to know. In case any District Treasurer shall neglect to make 
his return as herein provided, he shall be liable to be proceeded 
against according to law, for the whole amount of assessments 
charged to him on his list, provided the same do not exceed the 
sum which this Society is authorized by the charter to impose 
as a penalty for a breach of its By-Laws; but, should it exceed 
that sum, he may be proceeded against for that sum, in addition 
to the amount actually received by him. 
COUNCILLORS. 
XVII. Councillors shall be chosen by the District Societies, 
as directed in By-Law XIII.; each Society choosing, from among 
the Fellows residing within its District, in the proportion of one 
Councillor to every eight Fellows, as nearly as may be. 
XVIII. There shall be three stated meetings of the Coun- 
cillors annually;—the first, which shall be the Annual Meeting, 
on the day preceding the Annual Meeting of the Society, and in 
the same city or town where the meeting of the Society is to be 
held;—the second, on the first Wednesday in October;—and the 15 
third, on the first Wednesday of February, at such hour and 
place, in the city of Boston, as the President shall direct. 
The President shall call a special meeting of the Councillors, 
whenever he may deem it expedient, or whenever five Councillors 
may request it in writing. 
Nine Councillors shall be requisite to form a quorum for the 
transaction of business; but a smaller number may adjourn the 
meeting from time to time. 
XIX. At their Annual Meeting, the Councillors shall choose, 
by ballot, the following officers of the Society; viz.: a President, 
Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, 
Treasurer, and Librarian;—the officers so chosen, as also the 
Councillors, Censors and Commissioners of Trials, chosen by the 
District Societies, to hold their respective offices until others are 
chosen in their stead. (XXX.) The Councillors shall also desig- 
nate, by vote, in what city or town within the Commonwealth, 
and on which Wednesday in the month of May or June, the 
Anniversary of the Society, for the next calendar year, shall be 
held; they shall choose, from among the Fellows of the Society, 
a Committee on Membership and Resignations, five in number, 
who shall also act as a Committee on Finances, a Committee on 
Ethics and Discipline, a Committee on Publications, a Committee 
of Arrangements for the Anniversary, and an Anniversary Chair- 
man, whose duty it shall be to act as Chairman of the Committee 
of Arrangements, and to preside at the annual dinner for said 
year; and they shall also appoint a Fellow to deliver at said Anni- 
versary Meeting a Discourse on some subject, of his own selection, 
connected with medical science. (Rules 13, 14.) 
In case of the non-acceptance, death, or absence of the Anni- 
versary Chairman, or of the Fellow appointed to deliver the An- 
nual Discourse, it shall be the duty of the President of the Society, 
with the Committee of Arrangements for the anniversary, to 
appoint a substitute. 
A copy of every Annual Discourse shall be deposited with the 
Recording Secretary within ten days after it has been delivered. 
(Rule 12.) CENSORS. 
XX. The Censors shall examine, according to the Rules and 
By-Laws (I.,II.), such candidates as have received the education 
required, and are otherwise duly qualified for examination, and 
none other. (Digest, XX.) Blanks, approved by the Council- 
lors, shall be furnished the Censors by the Recording Secretary 
of the State Society for the purpose of facilitating these exami- 
nations. 
The Censors shall meet as hereinafter designated, or at such 
times as the Councillors may direct. 
The Censors for the Suffolk District Society shall officiate for 
that District and for the Society at large; and shall meet for the 
examination of candidates, in Boston, on the Thursday next- pre- 
ceding the Annual Meeting of the Society (Digest, XIX.), and 
on the third Thursday of September, and of December. They 
may advertise these meetings in such manner as the Board may 
determine; but they shall not examine any candidate who is 
already a resident, or in practice, in any District except their 
own. 
The Censors of other medical Districts shall hold their meet- 
ings for the examination of candidates residing in their respective 
Districts, and none other, at the same place and on the same day 
as the stated meetings of the District Societies themselves; but 
shall not advertise unless the District Societies, at their own ex- 
pense, direct it to be done. (II., XIII.) 
Any meeting of Censors, whether a quorum be present or 
not, may be continued by adjournment to such time, and place 
within the District, as may be determined upon by the Censors 
present. 
The Board of' Censors for each District, including the Record- 
ing Secretary of the District, shall receive from the treasui’y of 
the State Society the sum of three dollars for each and every 
candidate examined by them ; and each Censor who shall neglect 
or refuse to attend a meeting of the Board, for which he has 
been duly notified, without offering an excuse which shall be 
satisfactory to those who do attend the same, shall pay a fine 
of five dollars to the Treasurer of the State Society. (Di- 
gest, III.) 17 
XXI. Three Censors shall constitute a quorum, and the senior 
Censor shall preside. 
Unless a quorum be present, no vote shall be taken except on 
the question of adjournment. (II.) 
XXII. The Secretary of each District Society shall be Secre- 
tary of the Board of Censors for his District; and shall call and 
attend all the meetings of the Board. He shall report all unex- 
cused absences to the Treasurer of the State Society. He shall 
keep a faithful record of the meetings and transactions of the 
Board in the Record Book of the District Society. He shall ob- 
tain, for successful candidates, from the Recording Secretary of 
the State Society, properly prepared certificates of Fellowship 
(Digest, XXVI.), for which he shall be responsible; and shall 
personally see that all the formal requirements of the By-Laws 
(L, II .) have been complied with by each candidate before giv- 
ing the latter such certificate. 
DUTIES OF OFFICERS. 
XXIII. The President shall call all meetings of the Society 
and of the Councillors, and shall preside at the same. He shall 
perform such other duties as may be assigned to him. 
In case of the disability of the President, his duties shall devolve 
on the Vice-President; who also, in the absence of the former, or 
at his request, shall officiate in his place. If both President and 
Vice-President are absent from any meeting, the senior President 
of a District Society present, or such Chairman as the Society or 
Councillors may appoint, shall preside pro tempore. (VII., 
XVIII., XXVIII., XXXI. Rules 12, 14, 6-8,) 
XXIV. The Corresponding Secretary shall have the 
charge and custody of all letters and communications transmitted 
to the Society or to the Councillors; and to him they should be 
addressed. He shall prepare and transmit whatever communica- 
tions the Society or the Councillors may direct. He may cause 
letters or communications, written in any foreign language, to be 
translated into English. He shall perform such other duties as 
may be assigned to him. 18 
XXV. The Recording Secretary shall keep the seal of 
the Society; and he shall have charge and custody of the Records 
of the Society and of the Councillors, and of all papers directed 
by them to be kept on his files. lie shall give notice of, and at- 
tend, the meetings of the Society and of the Councillors; keep a 
fair record of their proceedings respectively, and of the doings of 
the Commissioners of Trials; and read, at the meetings of the So- 
ciety, all such communications as the Councillors may direct. He 
shall receive and record the nominations of candidates for Hono- 
rary Membership, and lay them before the Councillors at each 
stated meeting (IV.). He shall furnish the requisite blanks for the 
Censors, and shall attend to the preparation of Diplomas and 
certificates of Fellowship. One week at least before the Annual 
Meeting, he shall transmit to the Treasurer of the Society a cor- 
rect list of all who have become Fellows during the year, and shall 
read the same at the Annual Meeting of the Councillors and of 
the Society. He shall notify the Chairman of every committee 
appointed by the Society or Councillors, in each case stating the 
commission and the names of the Committee; and he shall perform 
such other duties as may be assigned to him. (XV., XIX., XX., 
XXII., XXVI., XXVII., XXXI. Rules 1, 15, 1, 5.) 
XXVI. If, at any meeting of the Society or of the Council- 
lors, or of a Board of Trial, or at any other meeting where such 
services are required, one of the Secretaries be absent, and the 
other present, the latter shall perform the services of both, so far 
as may be; but, as soon as possible, he shall arrange, and deliver 
over to the absent Secretary, the papers belonging to his depart- 
ment, with a copy of records or orders, as the case may be. If 
neither be present, a Secretary pro tempore may lie appointed by 
the meeting. An assistant Secretary may be appointed by any 
meeting whenever the occasion may seem to require one. 
XXVII. The Records of the Society and of the Councillors 
shall be produced at every anniversary meeting of the Society, and 
placed by the Secretary in some convenient place for the inspec- 
1 tion of such of the Fellows as are desirous of consulting them; 
» and, at all other times, it shall be the duty of the Secretaries to 
grant every reasonable indulgence to any Fellow of the Society 
i who may wish to examine the records. XXVIII. The Treasurer shall give security for the trust 
reposed in him, whenever the Councillors shall judge it to be re- 
quisite, and the funds of the Society will admit of a compensation 
for his services. He shall demand and receive all money due to 
the Society, together with all bequests and donations. He shall, 
if necessary, sue for all fines and assessments due to the Society. 
He shall, under the direction of the Councillors, sell or lease any 
estate belonging to the Society, and execute the necessary papers. 
He shall, in general, have the care aud management of the fiscal 
concerns of the Society, and keep an accurate statement of all re- 
ceipts and expenditures. He shall not pay any money out of the 
treasury without a written order from the President. He shall 
subject his accounts to such examination as the Councillors may 
order. He shall annually render to the Society an account of his 
doings, and of the state of the funds in his hands. He shall, on 
or before the first of January, annually, send to the several District 
Treasurers lists of all the assessments remaining due from the 
members of the District Societies respectively, and shall author- 
ize these Treasurers to collect such assessments and shall charge 
the same to them. (XVI.) And he shall perform such other 
duties as may be assigned to him. (V., XVI., XXV. Rule 
7.) 
XXIX. The Librarian shall have in his custody and charge, 
the books, museum, instruments and apparatus of the Society; he 
shall keep an accurate register of the same, aud arrange them in 
a proper manner; and shall make such disposal of them, from 
time to time, as the Councillors may direct for the benefit of the 
Fellows. He shall make an annual statement of the business of 
his department to the Councillors; and he shall carefully record 
all donations made in his department to the Society. He shall 
distribute the publications of the Society in such manner as the 
Councillors shall direct; and he shall perform such other duties as 
may be assigned him. (Rule 4.) 
XXX. Any officer of the Society may, for sufficient reasons, 
resign his office; or may be removed therefrom, by order of the 
Councillors, for neglect or misconduct; in either of which cases, 20 
or on the death of any officer, the Councillors shall fill the 
office vacated as soon as may be convenient. In case of the tem- 
porary absence or disability of an officer, the remaining officers 
may, if need be, appoint a substitute to serve until the next meet- 
ing of the Councillors. 
TRIALS FOR OFFENCES. 
XXXI. When charges of infraction of the By-Laws shall be 
duly made against any Fellow of the Society (VII., VIII., IX., 
X.), the President thereupon shall select five of the Commis- 
sioners of Trials (XIII.), who shall constitute a Board of Trial 
for the pending case. He shall appoint a time and place for the 
meeting of said Board, and shall notify the Commissioners ap- 
pointed, also the complainants and the accused party, of said 
time and place. 
The said Board of Trial shall be empowered and required to 
meet as above provided, and three members shall constitute a 
quorum, though a less number may adjourn the meeting from time 
to time. If a quorum be present, they shall proceed to organize 
themselves, and to hear and try the charges aforesaid; and, if 
convinced that the charges have been substantiated by the com- 
plainants, they shall convict the accused; or, if otherwise, they 
shall acquit him; and in case of conviction, shall pass sentence, 
such as the laws of the Society authorize, which sentence shall 
take effect from the date of its confirmation by the Society. 
If, after due notification, the accused party shall fail to ap- 
pear at the time and place of trial, without satisfactory excuse 
rendered at the time, he shall be considered as admitting the truth 
of the charges against him, and shall be liable to sentence 
accordingly. 
Upon showing to the Councillors, at their next subsequent 
stated meeting, such cause as shall by them be deemed reasonable 
therefor, the accused shall be entitled to a revision of his trial by 
the Councillors, who may, according to their judgment, confirm or 
reverse the previous decision, or may order a new trial by another 
Board of Trial. Legal counsel shall be inadmissible at trials; but Fellows 
of the Society may be heard as advocates on either side during 
a trial. 
The Recording Secretary of the Society shall be Secretary of 
the Boards of Trial, and shall attend all trials and keep a record 
of the Commissioners present and of their doings at said trials, 
and shall report all unexcused absences to the Treasurer of the 
State Society. He shall enter the charges preferred, and the 
result of trial in each case, on the Records of the Society. In 
case of a conviction, after revision by the Councillors, or, if no 
appeal, after the time for revision has passed, he shall communi- 
cate the sentence to the Society, and move that it be confirmed— 
which motion shall be decided at once by the Society without 
debate. Whenever a sentence shall be thus confirmed, he shall 
send a notice thereof to the President of each of the District So- 
cieties, to be laid before said Societies. (XXV., XXVI.) 
Each Commissioner, the Secretary, and the acting chairman 
of the Committee on Ethics and Discipline when prosecuting 
officer, shall be entitled to receive from the Treasury three dollars 
per diem for the time necessarily spent in a Trial, and in attendance 
on a Trial, with the necessary expenses of travel, as may be decided 
by the Board; and each commissioner who shall neglect or refuse 
to attend the trial for which he has been designated, without offer- 
ing an excuse which shall be satisfactory to those who do attend 
the same, shall pay a fine of ten dollars to the Treasurer of the 
Society. (Digest, III.) 
The President of the Society shall fill all vacancies by death 
or resignation, or by other causes, whether in the Commissioners 
of the District Societies, in the Boards of Trial, or in the Com- 
mittee on Ethics and Discipline. 
PUBLICATIONS. 
XXXII. All Reports on scientific subjects, and all scientific 
papers, read to the Society or Councillors, shall be referred to 
the Committee on Publications, with instructions that they refer 
each respectively to a Committee of Experts, whose names shall 
not be disclosed, and such as the said Committee of Experts shall 22 
designate as worthy of publication, may be published in such a 
way as the Committee on Publications, with the sanction of the 
Councillors, may direct; and at the expense of the Society, if 
there be unappropriated funds in the treasury. 
ALTERATION OF BY-LAWS. 
XXXIII. All proposals for alteration of the By-Laws shall 
be stated in writing. 
No alteration of a By-Law shall take effect until it has received 
the concurrent vote of the Councillors and the Society; and 
no amendment affecting the import of said alteration shall be en- 
grafted on it without a like concurrent vote. But the Council- 
lors or Society may at any stated meeting, notice having been 
given at a previous stated meeting, or in the call for the meeting 
itself, adopt Rules and Orders for their better government, or alter 
or amend, or annul, the same ; but these Rules or Orders shall not 
be temporarily suspended at any meeting except by an affirmative 
vote of at least three-fourths of the Fellows present. 
The Society shall consider, and act on, By-Laws at adjourn- 
ments of anniversary meetings only, and not on the days of said 
meetings. 
FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION. 
The Subscriber agrees to comply with the By-Laws of the Massa- 
chusetts Medical Society. RULES AND ORDERS 
OF 
THE SOCIETY, 
At the annual meeting of the Fellows, the following order shall 
he observed in the transaction of business: — 
1. The proceedings of the last annual meeting shall be read bj 
the Recording Secretary, who shall also lay before the Society the 
records of the transactions of the Councillors for the year preced- 
ing, and shall report the names of those who have become Fellows 
or Honorary Members of the Society during that time. 
2. Reports of Committees. 
3. Attention shall be given to any scientific communications 
which the Councillors, or any Fellow of the Society, may present. 
4. Any propositions or suggestions, which may be thought con- 
ducive to the welfare of the Society, or to the general interests of 
medical science, may be brought forward by any Fellow. Upon 
such propositions or suggestions, the Society shall decide by vote 
whether to engage in the consideration of the same. 
5. When any Fellow wishes to speak in debate, he shall rise 
and address the presiding officer. 
6. If a Fellow has spoken once in debate, he shall not speak to 
the prevention of another who has not spoken and manifests a 
desire to speak, nor more than twice without obtaining leave of 
the meeting. 
7. A Fellow shall not interrupt another while speaking, unless 
to call him to order, or to correct a mistake. 
8. A Fellow shall not speak on a subject after the question is 
put. 
9. A motion shall not be considered unless seconded. 
10. .A Fellow shall not nominate more than one person for the 
same Committee, provided the first person nominated by him be 
chosen. 11. A vote shall not be reconsidered, at the same meeting, by a 
smaller number than was present at its passing. Yeas and nays 
may be ordered by one-tbird of the members present. 
12. At twelve o’clock, m., the President shall call upon the per- 
son appointed to deliver the Annual Discourse; and other business 
shall be suspended until the discourse shall have been delivered. 
13. On the day of the annual meeting, a dinner shall be pro- 
vided, at the expense of the Society, under the direction of the 
Anniversary Chairman and the Committee appointed for that 
purpose. 
14. An invitation to the dinner may be given to such professional 
strangers as the President of the Society, or Anniversary Chair- 
man, shall think proper to notice in this manner. 
15. Literary gentlemen interested in medical science, and stu- 
dents in medicine, shall be publicly invited to hear the Annual 
Discourse. RULES AKD ORDERS 
OF 
THE COUNCILLORS. 
1. A publication shall be issued annually, under the direction 
of the Committee on Publications, the Treasurer, and the Secre- 
taries of the Society, as early as may be after the annual meeting. 
Such publication shall contain the Annual Discourse, unless other- 
wise directed by the Society or the Councillors, and such other 
medical communications as the Society or the Councillors may au- 
thorize to be so published; and, in an Appendix, an abstract of 
the Proceedings of the Society and of the Councillors, comprising 
the names of all Councillors present at each meeting of the Board ; 
the record of their transactions, excepting such as are of a private 
or personal nature; a list of the officers of the Society, and of 
each District Society; and a list of those who have become Fel- 
lows or Honorary Members, and of those who have resigned 
Fellowship or deceased during the preceding year. 
2. There may also be annually prepared, under the direction 
of the Councillors and at the expense of the Society, a Retrospect 
of the Medical Literature and Science of the preceding year, 
having reference especially to discoveries and improvements of 
practical value. 
3. All printed publications shall be in octavo. 
4. All publications of the Society shall be distributed by the 
Librarian, by mail or by express, or through the medium of the 
District Societies, unless otherwise especially requested, to Fellows 
who have paid their dues for the corresponding year, and to such 
Honorary and Retired Members as may annually apply for them. 
5. The Recording Secretary shall issue, and send by mail to 
every Fellow, one month before each annual meeting, a circular, 
which shall contain— 
A notification of the time and place of the annual meeting of 
the Fellows; — 26 
A similar notification of the stated meetings of the Councillors 
for the whole year, and of the stated meetings of the Board of 
Censors for the Suffolk District; — 
All necessary information concerning the payment of assess- 
ments, admission to the annual dinner, and the distribution of the 
Society’s publications; — 
The conditions of admission to the Society, and all necessary 
information concerning the steps to be taken by those desirous 
of it. 
6. At meetings of the Councillors, all nominations of Com- 
mittees shall be made by the President, unless otherwise ordered. 
7. At the annual meeting of the Councillors, the following 
Standing Committees shall be appointed : viz., a Committee on 
Publications, a Committee on Membership and Finances, a Com- 
mittee of Arrangements for the Anniversary, and a Committee on 
Ethics and Discipline. 
8. At the third stated meeting of the Councillors, there shall 
be chosen a Committee to examine the Treasurer’s accounts, on 
the week preceding the annual meeting, and a Committee to ex- 
amine the By-Laws of the District Societies, to see whether they 
conform to the Laws of the State and of the State Society; which 
Committees shall make their reports to the Councillors at their 
annual meeting. 
9. The officers of the Society shall retain their places until 
the close of the annual meeting of the Society, and the last 
official act of a retiring President, previous to the final adjourn- 
ment of the Society on Wednesday of the said annual meeting, 
shall be the yielding of his chair to his successor elect, if the 
latter be present. 
10. Balloting for Honorary Members shall be by black and 
white balls. STANDING VOTES AVD RESOLVES. 
Voted, That the annual assessment be five dollars. ( Councillors’ 
Proceedings, May 29, 1866.) 
Voted, That the fee for the engraved diploma of Fellowship be 
fixed at five dollars. ( Councillors’ Proceedings, May 29, 1866.) 
Resolved, That it shall be the duty of each District Medical 
Society, at its meeting next preceding the Annual Meeting of the 
State Society, to select one of its Councillors as its representative 
in the Nominating Committee for the Officers of said State 
Society ; and in case of neglect of any District Society in the 
performance of such duty, the selection shall devolve on its 
Councillors who shall be present at such Annual Meeting. 
( Councillors’ Proceedings, Feb. 4, 1874.) 
Voted, That for the purpose of giving greater permanency to 
the composition of the several Boards of Censors, and thereby 
rendering their action more consistent and more efficient, the 
Councillors recommend to the District Societies a reelection at 
each annual meeting of, at least, three of the old Board; and also 
urge the exercise of the utmost care in selecting those who are tO' 
fill the important office of Censor. (Councillors’ Proceedings,. 
Oct. 7, 1874.) 
To prevent misunderstanding with regard to admission into the- 
Massachusetts Medical Society, 
Resolved, By the Councillors, with the concurrence of the- 
Society: — 
That the only courses of lectures recognized are those of 
regularly-organized medical colleges empowered to confer the- 
degree of M.D.,—courses embracing the several branches enume- 
rated in By-Law I.; 
That tickets or diplomas of Botanic, Eclectic or Homoeopathic: 
colleges, or of colleges devoted to any peculiar or exclusive system 
of medicine, are considered irregular, and will not be i-ecognized 
under any circumstances; 
And, That certificates from teachers who practise any peculiar 
or exclusive system of medicine, who advertise, or who violate, in 28 
any way the code of ethics adopted by the profession in this 
State, will not be taken, even though the teacher himself be a 
regular graduate in medicine. ( Councillors' Proceedings, Oct. 7, 
1874; Society's Proceedings, Oct. 7, 1874.) 
Voted, That in the opinion of the Councillors no person should 
be admitted to membership who deals in, or offers for sale, secret 
medicines. (Councillors’ Proceedings, Feb. 3, 1875.) 
Resolved, That in the opinion of the Councillors it is “unbecom- 
ing” and deserving of penalty for a Fellow of the Massachusetts 
Medical Society not to appear as a witness before a Board of 
Trial, when summoned there by the Committee on Ethics and 
Discipline, without sending at the time an excuse satisfactory to 
the Board of Trial. ( Councillors' Proceedings, Feb. 3, 1875.) 
Voted, That Fellows whose assessments are in arrears for one 
year or more, shall not be entitled to receive any Publications 
for those years, unless the same be on hand. ( Councillors' Pro- 
ceedings, Oct. 6, 1875.) 
Voted, Whenever a Fellow of this Society owing more than 
one assessment pays for one year or more, the payment or pay- 
ments so made shall be invariably considered as for the assess- 
ments longest due, and for none others. ( Councillors' Proceedings, 
June 13, i 876.) 
Voted, That “the current year,” By-Law I. p. 10, line 2, for 
the purposes of said By-Law, begin on the fifteenth of April of 
each year; all resolves or votes to the contrary are hereby 
annulled. {Councillors' Proceedings, June 13, 1876.) 
Voted, That all charges against Fellows of the Massachusetts 
Medical Society of a criminal nature should be referred by the Fel- 
low cognizant thereof to the legal prosecuting officer of the District 
where they occur. {Councillors’ Proceedings, June 12, 1877.) CODE OF ETHICS 
MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
OF THE 
Object of a Code of Ethics. 
The Massachusetts Medical Society is designed to secure to 
the public a body of well-educated and otherwise trustworthy 
physicians. Its code of ethics is intended to furnish certain 
principles and rules of action for their guidance and convenience. 
I. 
The Relation of the Physician to Medical Science. 
A physician should lend his influence to encourage sound 
medical education, and to uphold in the community correct 
views of the powers and the limitations of medical science and 
art. 
II. 
The Relation of the Physician to Medical Business. 
The professional success of a practitioner depends upon quali- 
ties connected with his moral character, his scientific attainments, 
and also his industry and business talent. But the relation of 
practitioners of medicine to families and households is not like 
that of tradesmen to their customers. The kind of competition 
which might be considered honorable in business cannot exist 
between physicians without diminishing their usefulness and 
lowering the standing of the medical profession. (See IY. § 1; 
V. § 1.) 
III. 
The Relation of the Physician to his Patients. 
The first duty of the practising physician is to his patient, who 
has a right to expect that his disease shall be thoroughly inves- 
tigated and skilfully treated, with charitable consideration for 30 
his mental peculiarities or infirmities, and in a relation strictly 
confidential. 
1. The physician should not make unnecessary visits. He should neither 
permit needless apprehension, nor fail to give seasonable notice of danger. 
IV. 
The Relation of the Physician to other Practitioners and to their 
Patients. 
In bis relations with another medical practitioner and his pa- 
tients, a physician should be governed by strict rules of honor 
and courtesy. Ilis conduct should be such as, if universally 
imitated, would insure the mutual confidence of all medical prac- 
titioners. 
The foregoing rule should be a sufficient guide of action. Some of the fol- 
lowing contingencies will illustrate its application:— 
1. A physician should take no step with a view directly or indirectly 
to divert to himself the patient or practice of another physician. 
2. If formally requested to assume charge of a patient or family usually 
attended by another physician, he should consent to do so only after notifying 
the latter,—unless the case be one of pressing necessity. 
3. If a physician is called to a patient during the temporary absence or 
illness of the usual physician, or in case of accident or other emergency, he 
should direct that the former be sent for as soon as he is able to take charge of 
the case, and should then relinquish it to him. It is generally agreed, that, 
amor" several physicians thus called, he who first arrives shall act, unless the 
family designate another. 
4. A communication from the temporary to the usual physician, in the absence 
of the latter, should be written and sealed, and not simply verbal. 
Y. 
The Relations of the Physician to Quaclcery. 
In every community there are minds naturally inclined to 
quackery, which has flourished in every age. It grows by being 
noticed, and thrives best under opposition. It is commonly un- 
wise to employ argument against it. But a physician should 
lend his influence to establish a distinct line between the regular 
practice of medicine and the practice of quackery, and should 
avoid any act which might tend to weaken such a distinction 
either in the professional or in the public mind. 
1. Thus, he should not consult with an irregular practitioner (see By-Laws) ; 
nor countenance the use of secret remedies; nor be interested in medical trade- 
marked preparations; nor give certificates recommendinginineral waters, patents, 
or medical preparations, or the like; nor give a commission to an apothecary, nor 
receive one from him; nor advertise himself or his practice in public print; 
nor publicly advertise advice or medicines to the poor, etc. 
VI. 
Consultations. 
Consultation should be encouraged in cases of unusual re- 
sponsibility or doubt. A consultation is called for the benefit of the patient, and 
to give him the advantage of collective skill. Should there be 
a difference of opinion, discussion should be temperate, and 
always confidential. 
A consulting physician should be careful to say or do no- 
thing to impair the confidence of the patient or his family in the 
attending physician. 
1. See, for guidance of a consultant, IY. §§ 1, 2, 3, 4. 
2. At a consultation punctuality is important; and non-arrival within 
fifteen minutes after the appointed time should be interpreted as non-attend- 
ance. 
3. For the advantage of the patient, and for economy of time, it is well in 
a consultation to observe a certain order of business. The following has been 
found convenient:— 
The attending physician, having stated in general terms the nature of the 
case, may then call, in turn, upon each consultant, if there be more than one, 
to examine the patient,—the usual order being that of seniority. No consult- 
ant should make an examination or inquiry out of turn. On retiring, the 
attending physician may invite, in the usual order, the opinion of each con- 
sultant, who should not be interrupted while giving it; after which he may 
add his own. In conclusion a course of action may be agreed on, or the 
attending physician may be left to act at his own discretion. 
VII. 
Fees. 
A fee-table has a local application, and is designed to indicate 
a fair or average amount due for .services. But if the patient 
fully understands it beforehand, a physician is at liberty to place 
any value he sees fit upon his services. It is then at the pa- 
tient’s option to decline them or to pay the price. A physician 
should be considerate of the poor. 
1. A patient in moderate circumstances should not be called on to pay a fee 
unusually large for the service rendered, without a previous explicit understanding. 
A physician, if able, should offer to pay the medical attendant of himself or his 
family. Unless by special agreement, a physician attending or acting for another 
should receive the fees. Among obstetricians a rule obtains that the interval 
between the birth of the child and of the placenta halves the service and the fee. 
A fee should be charged for a medical certificate or paper of value to the applicant,— 
connected, for example, with absence or exemption, life insurance, pension papers, 
etc.; except the usual certificates of vaccination and death. 
VIII. 
Seniority. 
i Seniority applies rather to duration of practice at the place in 
> question, than to age.