CONSTITUTION 
OF THE 
MEDICAL SOCIETY 
OF THE 
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 
TO WHICH IS PREFIXED THE 
ACT OF INCORPORATION, 
PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY. 
WASHINGTON. 
A. B. CLAXTON AND CO., PRINTERS. 
1839. CONSTITUTION 
OF THE 
MEDICAL SOCIETY 
OF THE 
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 
TO WHICH IS PREFIXED THE 
ACT OF INCORPORATION. 
PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY. 
WASHINGTON: 
A. B. CLAXTON AND CO., PRINTERS. 
1839. ©IP UEff©©!^©!^^®!?©^ 
AN ACT to revive, with amendments, an Act to incorporate the Medi 
cal Society of the District of Columbia. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That Frederick May, M. D., 
Alexander McWilliams, Henry Huntt, M. D., N. P. Causin, M. D., Wm. 
Jones, Richmond Johnson, Thomas Sewall, M. D., George W. May, M. 
D., Nicholas W. Worthington, M. D., James* Reily, M. D., James S. 
Gunnell, M. D., Harvey Lindsly, M. D., James C. Hall, M. D., Thomas 
Miller, M. D., Jamesf Borrows, M. D., Alexander McD. Davis, M. D., 
Benjamin King, M. D., Noble Young, M. D., H. F. Condict, M. D., W. 
B. Magruder, M. D., Perryf Warfield, M. D., J. B. Blake, M. D., and 
such other persons as they may, from time to time, elect, and their suc- 
cessors, are hereby declared to be a community, corporation, and body 
politic, for ever, or until Congress shall by law direct this charter to cease 
and determine, by and under the name and title of the Medical Society 
of the District of Columbia ; and by and under the same name and title 
they shall be able and capable in law to purchase, take, have, and enjoy, 
to them and their successors, in fee or for lease, estate or estates, any 
land, tenements, rents, annuities, chattels, bank stock, registered debts, 
or other public securities within the District, by the gift, bargain, sale, 
demise, or of any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, capable 
to make the same, and the same, at their pleasure, to alien, sell, transfer, 
or lease, and apply, to such purposes as they may adjudge most condu- 
cive to the promoting and disseminating medical and surgical knowledge, 
and for no other purpose whatever: Provided, nevertheless, That the 
said society or body politic shall not, at any one time, hold or possess 
property, real, personal, or mixed, exceeding in total value the sum of 
six thousand dollars per annum. 
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the members of the said society 
above designated shall hold, in the City of Washington, two stated meet- 
ings in every year, viz: on the first Monday in January and July; the 
officers of the society to consist of a President, two Vice Presidents, one 
Corresponding Secretary, one Recording Secretary, one Treasurer, and 
one Librarian, who shall be appointed on the first Monday in July, one 
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight, and on the annual meeting in 
January for ever thereafter, and who shall hold their offices for one year. 
* Should be Joshua, f Should be Joseph, J Should be Peregrine. 4 
and until others are chosen in their stead, (not less than seven members 
being present at such meeting;) and the society may make a common 
seal, and may elect into their body such medical and chirurgical practi- 
tioners, within the District of Columbia, as they may deem qualified to 
become members of the society, it being understood that the officers of 
the society now elected are to remain in office until the next election 
after the passage of this act. 
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for 
the said medical society, or any number of them attending, (not less than 
seven,) to elect by ballot five persons, residents of the District of Colum- 
bia, whose duty it shall be to grant licenses to such medical and chirur- 
gical gentlemen as they may, upon a full examination, judge qualified to 
practise the medical and chirurgical arts, or as may produce a diploma 
from some respectable medical college or society, each person so obtain- 
ing a certificate to pay a sum, not exceeding ten dollars, to be fixed on 
or ascertained by the society. 
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That any three of the examiners 
shall constitute a board for examining such candidates as may apply, and 
shall subscribe their names to each certificate by them granted, which 
certificate shall also be countersigned by the President of the society, and 
have the seal of the society affixed thereto by the Secretary, upon pay- 
ing into the hands of the Treasurer the sum of money to be ascertained 
as above by the society; and any one of the said examiners may grant 
a license to practise, until a board, in conformity to this act, can be held: 
Provided, That nothing herein contained shall authorize the said corpo- 
ration in any wise to regulate the practice of medical or chirurgical at- 
tendance on such persons as may need those services, nor to establish or 
fix a tariff of charges or fees for medical attendance or advice, or to in- 
terfere, in any way, with charges or fees for medical attendance or ad- 
vice. 
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That, after the appointment of the 
aforesaid medical board, no person, not heretofore a practitioner of medi- 
cine or surgery within the District of Columbia, shall be allowed to prac- 
tise within the said District, in either of said branches, without first hav- 
ing obtained a license, testified as by this law directed, or the production 
of a diploma from a respectable medical college or a board of examiners 
established by law: Provided, That the Professors in such college, or 
the examiners in such board, be men regularly instructed in medicine 
and surgeiy, and the collateral branches of medical education, anatomy, 
chemistry, under the penalty of fifty dollars for each offence, to be reco- 
vered in the county court where he may reside, by bill of presentment 
and indictment; one-half for the use of the society, and the other for 
that of the informer. 5 
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That every person who, upon appli- 
cation, shall be elected a member of the medical society, shall pay a sum 
not exceeding ten dollars, to be ascertained by the society. 
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the medical society be, and 
they are hereby, empowered, from time to time, to make such by-laws, 
rules, and regulations, as they may find requisite ; which by-laws, rules, 
and regulations shall, in their application and operation, be exclusively 
confined to said society, as a society or body corporate, and not to its 
members individually, when not acting in a corporate character; to break 
or alter their common seal; to fix the times and places for the meetings 
of the board of examiners, filling up vacancies in the medical board, and 
to do and perform such other things as may be requisite for carrying this 
act into execution, and which may not be repugnant to the constitution 
and laws of the United States : Provided, always, That it shall and may be 
lawful for any person resident as aforesaid, and not prohibited as aforesaid, 
when specially sent for, to come into any pai-t of this District and administer 
or prescribe medicine, or perform any operation for the relief of such, to 
whose assistance he may be sent for: And provided, also, That nothing in 
this act contained shall be so construed as to prevent any person, living 
within or without said District, from administering medicine,or performing 
any surgical operation, with the consent of the person or the attendants 
of the person to whom such medicine is administered, or upon whom such 
surgical operation is performed, without fee or reward; nor to prevent the 
giving advice or assistance in any way to the sick, or afflicted, upon char- 
ity and kindness, nor to prevent the receipt of reward for the same, if vo- 
luntarily tendered or made, nor to extend to midwifery by females ; and 
any person, so administering medicine, or performing any surgical oper- 
ation, not authorized to practise physic and surgery agreeably to the pro- 
visions of this act, shall be prohibited from collecting any fee or reward 
for the same by any process at law. And be it further provided, That no 
person shall be admitted to an examination, until he shall produce satis- 
factory evidence that he has studied physic and surgery three years, in- 
cluding one full course of medical lectures as usually taught at medical 
schools, or four years without such a course of lectures. 
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That Congress may at anytime alter, 
amend, or annul this act of incorporation of said society at pleasure. 
JAMES K. POLK, 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
RH. M. JOHNSON, 
Vice President of the United States, and President of the Senate. 
Approved, July 1th, 1838. M. VAN BUREN. 6 
CONSTITUTION. 
ARTICLE I. 
This Society shall be called the Medical Society of the District of Co- 
lumbia. 
ARTICLE II. 
The objects of this Society shall be, the granting of licenses agreeably 
to the provisions of the charter, and the consideration and promotion of 
all subjects connected with medicine, and the collateral branches of the 
science. 
ARTICLE III. 
Sec. 1. The meetings of this Society shall be held semi-annually in 
the city of Washington; viz. on the first Mondays in January and July, 
and on its own adjournments. 
Sec. 2. Special meetings shall be called by the President, or one of 
the Vice Presidents, on application being made in writing by three of 
the members. 
ARTICLE IV. 
Sec. 1. There shall be the following officers of this Society, viz. one 
President, two Vice Presidents, one Corresponding Secretary, one Re- 
cording Secretary, one Treasurer, and one Librarian. 
Sec. 2. The officers of the Medical Society shall be chosen from the 
resident members, and be elected by ballot by a majority of the members 
present, at the stated meeting in January in every year. 
ARTICLE V. 
Sec. 1. The Society shall consist of Honorary and Resident members, 
and fellows. 
Sec. 2. Any person, not residing in the District of Columbia, who has 
obtained a degree in medicine, or is eminent in the practice of physic, 
or any of the branches thereof, may be proposed as an Honorary mem- 
ber. He shall be proposed by two members, at one stated meeting, bal- 
lotted for at the next, and a majority of two-thirds of the members pre- 
sent shall be required for his admission. 7 
Sec. 3. Resident members shall consist of medical gentlemen residing 
in the District of Columbia; and for their admission it shall be necessary 
that they shall have received a diploma from some University, or shall 
be considered respectable in the practice of medicine. They shall sig- 
nify their desire to be elected, shall be recommended to the Society by 
the Board of Examiners at least one stated meeting before being ballot- 
ed for, and it shall then require the concurrence of two-thirds of the 
members present for their admission ; and every member so elected shall 
pay a fee of five dollars to the Treasurer. 
Sec. 4. In all propositions for the admission of Honorary or Resident 
members, the names of the proposers shall be annexed to that of the can- 
didate on the minutes. 
Sec. 5. All those who have been Resident members for the space of 
two years, shall be considered as Fellows of the Medical Society; and 
every Honorary member, who shall make a communication on any sub- 
ject connected with medicine or the collateral branches of medical sci- 
ence, which communication being received and approved by the Society, 
may be elected a Fellow. 
ARTICLE VI. 
If any member be desirous of leaving the Society, he shall signify it 
in a written communication ; which being read, shall lie over till the en- 
suing meeting; when, with the consent of the Society, his resignation 
shall be accepted; but he shall not be permitted to resign until he have 
discharged the arrears due from him to the Society. 
ARTICLE VII. 
Members of the Society may prepare dissertations on subjects connec- 
ted with medicine, or report in writing important cases in surgery or the 
practice of physic, which shall be directed to the President, who shall 
submit them to the Society for perusal. When permitted, the author, if 
present, shall read his own communication; otherwise it shall be read by 
the Secretary, and it shall then be optional with the Society to enter into 
a general discussion of its merits. 
ARTICLE VIII. 
All propositions for altering the constitution shall lie over at least one 
stated meeting, previous to being acted on; and shall then require the 
concurrence of two-thirds of the members present for their adoption. 8 
BY-LAWS. 
1. OF THE PRESIDENT. 
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society, to preserve 
order and decorum; and may fine any member acting disorderly, in a 
sum not exceeding ten dollars ; from whose decision, the member incur- 
ring the fine may appeal to the Society. 
2. OF THE VICE-PRESIDENTS. 
In the absence of the President, his duty shall devolve on the Vice- 
Presidents, so that they shall preside alternately at such meetings of the 
Society. And if neither the President nor a Vice-President be present, 
a chairman shall be chosen from the members attending, who shall for 
that meeting exercise all the privileges and duties of the President. 
3. OF THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 
It shall be the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to manage all mat- 
ters of correspondence, in behalf of the Society; to give notice to mem- 
bers and officers of their election; to write and answer letters ; and re- 
spectfully to solicit from medical Societies, faculties, and individuals, in- 
formation calculated to benefit the science of medicine; all which cor- 
respondence he shall lay before the Society at the next succeeding stated 
meeting. 
4. OF THE RECORDING SECRETARY. 
The Recording Secretary shall attend' each meeting of the Society; 
call over the names of the members, and take down the minutes, which 
he shall read at the next meeting; and which, when corrected, he shall 
copy into a book kept for that purpose, and to which entry he shall sign 
his name. He shall also insert the reports of committees at full length; 
he shall read all letters and papers relating to the business of the Society, 
which do not particularly belong to the department of the Corresponding 
Secretary; and transcribe into a proper book such of them as the Socie- 
ty may think worthy to be preserved. He shall deliver to the Treasurer 
a correct statement of the fines incurred at each meeting. If he should 
be unable to attend a meeting of the Society, he shall give due notice of 
it by transmitting all the papers required at the meeting. 9 
5. OF THE TREASURER. 
The Treasurer shall collect all moneys due to the Society, receive all 
donations of money which shall be made to the Society, and shall pay 
the same agreeably to order certified to him by the President, Vice-Pre- 
sident, or member who was in the chair when such order was made. He 
shall keep a regular account of all moneys received and paid by him as 
aforesaid; and once every year, or oftener, if required by the Society, 
shall render a statement of the funds in his hands, and of the disburse- 
ments ; and shall deliver up to his successor the books and all papers be- 
longing to the Society, together with the balance of cash ; and for the 
faithful discharge of his trust, shall give satisfactory security to the Presi- 
dent, within one month after being appointed. 
6. OF THE LIBRARIAN. 
The Librarian shall take charge of, and preserve for the use of the So- 
ciety, all property of whatever kind it maybe, money excepted, of which 
the Society may become possessed, and keep a correct list of the same, 
together with the respective names of the donors, in a book provided for 
that purpose ; which book shall be laid before the Society as often as 
called for. The Librarian shall give such a receipt for every thing com- 
mitted to his care or charge, as the Society may direct; and, at the end 
of his term, shall deliver up the same to his successor. He shall report 
the state of the library to the Society at its annual meeting in each year. 
7. OF THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS. 
A Board of Examiners, consisting of five resident members, shall be 
elected by ballot at each annual meeting, whose duty it shall be to grant 
licenses, upon the payment of five dollars, to such medical and chirurgi- 
cal gentlemen as they may, upon a full examination, judge qualified to 
practise the medical and chirurgical arts. No one shall be admitted to 
an examination until he shall, in conformity with the requisitions of the 
charter, produce a diploma from some respectable medical college or so- 
ciety, and shall furnish satisfactory evidence that he has studied physic 
and surgery three years, including one full course of medical lectures as 
usually taught at the medical schools, or four years without such a course 
of lectures. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for busi- 
ness, and the senior practitioner shall be chairman. Any one of the Ex- 
aminers may grant temporary licenses to practise, during the intervals 
of the meetings of the Board. The Board shall keep a record of its pro- 
ceedings, to be reported to the Society at its annual meeting. 10 
8. OF COMMITTEES. 
The mode of appointing committees shall be as follows, viz. The Pre- 
eident shall appoint one gentleman, who shall be considered as chairman 
of the committee; he shall name the second, and so on, until the number 
agreed on shall be completed. But if the business be of an extraordinary 
or important nature, any member may move that the committee be chos- 
en by ballot; which shall accordingly be done. The chairman of every 
committee shall appoint a time for its meeting, before he leaves the So- 
ciety. 
9. OF MOTIONS. 
Any member may make whatever motion he thinks will tend to the 
benefit of the Society; his proposal or motion must be given to the Pre- 
sident in writing; and it shall be immediately voted or ballotted for, un- 
less a majority of the members present wish it to lie over for considera- 
tion. In either case it shall be recorded on the minutes of the Society. 
10. OF THE ORDER OF DEBATE. 
No member shall interrupt the President, or any other member, while 
speaking; every member shall stand while speaking, and address him- 
self to the President. 
11. OF DECORUM. 
No member or members shall be permitted to sit or stand with his or 
their heads covered. 
12. OF ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS. 
No member shall be permitted to retire after calling his name, without 
permission from the President, until the Society have adjourned. 
13. OF A QUORUM. 
At each meeting of the Society, any number not less than seven shall 
constitute a quorum. 
14. OF VISITERS. 
Medical men, or men learned in the collateral branches of science, on 
a visit to the District of Columbia, not members of this Society, may be 
permitted to attend meetings, on being introduced by a member of the 
Society. 11 
15. ROUTINE OF BUSINESS. 
At each meeting of the Society, as soon as the President takes the 
chair, and the meeting is constituted, the following shall be the order of 
proceeding: 
1st. The roll shall be called. 
2d. The minutes shall be read. 
3d. The election of candidates for membership. 
4th. Nomination of candidates for membership. 
5th. Report of Treasurer. 
6th. Reports of Committees. 
7th. Reports of the Corresponding Secretary. 
8th. Medical papers and essays, read or presented for consideration., 
16. OF CONTRIBUTIONS. 
The expenses of the Society shall be defrayed by the fees paid into the 
Treasury, and by special assessments made upon the resident members, 
from time to time, as occasion may require; and any member, who shall 
neglect to pay his assessment for three years, except in case of absence 
from the District, shall forfeit his membership. 
17. The preceding constitutional ordinance and by-laws, being adopt- 
ed for the future regulation of the Society, all others not contained in 
this summary are hereby repealed; and all propositions for altering the 
foregoing shall lay over Jbr one stated meeting, at least, before being 
acted upon..