Board of Directors Meeting, October 7, 1954 Page 5
Dr. Beaton--Are we committed to another TV series this year?
Dr. Bernstein--Yes, we are.
Dr. Beaton--What was our rating?
Dr. Bernstein--Our rating was 42%, and the program was opposite Duffy's Tavern. I do not think we did too badly and everybody thought we ought to go into it again and it is arranged.
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Dr. Bernstein--Medico-Legal Committee
"This committee has not done anything this year, and unless I am mistaken there would not have been anything for them to handle this year. However, I want it to be understood that as far as I am concerned if that group wants to go ahead and meet and arrange things, it is good.
I did have a meeting with Murphy, President of the Bar Association this year, and he was not too crazy about it. He would like for us to serve them to this extent. He would like to have a course in medicine for lawyers. About 4 hours and something about eye and bones in the head and something about the abdomen when you fire a bullet into it or stick it with a knife. They need that in order to practice law intelligently.
I think it would be a very simple thing to give them a little course.
Dr. Beaton--Some of them, including Murphy, recently attended a course in legal medicine on the Coast and liked it very much.
Dr. Bernstein--The details of it--they preferred about 4 [ crossed out: hours ] days in November, and it we will work with them they will set it up and work it out.
Dr. Manning--I was approached the other day by a lawyer and asked questions. He said, "Is this business that they started last year still in effect?" and I said it was. He wanted to know what the detailed working were--in other words could he come before the group and ask whether this was actually malpractice or not?
Dr. Bernstein--Have you reached that point in your development yet?
Dr. Manning--Actually we thought that we could get Regan to meet with this committee and give his experiences, having set up a similar committee an others in the state of California. They take these specific requests from the lawyers and try to discuss it openly and freely with out Minutes.
Dr. Bernstein--Why do not we try to arrange for meetings so that it will be in existence?
Dr. Manning--I was just thinking that we might stop some of these malpractice suits if we could [ crossed out: meet ] get 90% of the lawyers to cooperate.
Dr. Bernstein--As I see it, it is a very difficult thing to set up and the work to come before it will be very ticklish. The reason I mention it now is that if we are going to have it we ought to use it.
Dr. Rudolph--Speaking as a member of the Board of Censors, I think that instead of trying to teach the lawyers medicine, it would be a good thing to try to teach the doctors a little medical ethics, and I think the President of the Society should hold a little lecture for the Medical Society and teach them all about medical ethics.
Dr. Bernstein--Actually, we are trying to set up just such a thing. There is a tremendous need for this. As you heard in the Minutes, we have laid the ground work for a Professional Committee.
Do I hear a motion concerning a short course for lawyers?
Dr. Harry Thompson--Do you have a consensus of opinion from all the lawyers? We have had only one meeting, about a year ago. It was a smooth meeting of two professional groups for the benefit of both. I wonder it they are not thinking along the same lines?
Dr. Bernstein--The project which was put to me referred to a course in anatomy and medical terminology.
Dr. Thompson--I do not think you can teach a [ crossed out: practical en ] lawyer enough in 4 hours to do more than confuse the doctor on the stand. If they want a course, let's give it to them, but let us do it right. Go into it carefully. Is it a good idea, even if they want it?
Dr. Beaton--Personally, I felt that it would be well worthwhile to give them something of that sort. Thinking particularly of the psychiatric point that comes up in court and the difficulty that comes in so often. Speaking from my specialty, I would feel that such a course
