Chapter XXVI. to incorporate the Medical Society of the District of Columbia
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Chap. XXVI.— An Act to incorporate the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Feb. 16, 1819. *Be it enacted., &c., * That Charles Worthington, James H. Blake, John T. Shaaff, Thomas Sim, Frederick May, Joel T. Gustine, Elisha Harrison,C. Worthington and others incorporated. Peregrine Warfield, Alexander M. Williams, George Clark, Henry Huntt, Thomas Henderson, John Harrison, Benjamin S. Bohrer, Samuel Horseley, Nicholas W. Worthington, William Jones, James T. Johnson, Richard Weightman, George May, Robert French, and such persons as they may, from time to time, elect, and their successors, are hereby declared to be a community, corporation, and body politic, for ever, 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 theyCapacity of the society. 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, or demise, of any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, capable to make the same, and the same, at their pleasure, to alien, sell, transfer, 222 FIFTEENTH CONGRESS.
Sess. II. Ch. 26. 1819. or lease and apply, to such purposes as they may adjudge most conducive to the promoting and disseminating medical and surgical knowledge, Proviso.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. Four stated meetings every year. *And be it further enacted, *That the members of the said society above designated, shall hold, in the city of Washington, four stated meetings in every year, viz: on the first Mondays in January, Officers.April, July, and October: 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 second Monday in March, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, and on the annual meeting in January forever thereafter, (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 Present officers to remain till next election.medical and chirurgical practitioners, 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. The Society may elect a Board cf Examiners. *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, who shall be styled the Medical Board of Examiners of the District of Columbia; whose duty it shall be to grant licenses to such medical and chirurgical gentlemen as they may, upon a full examination, judge adequate to commence the practice of the medical and chirurgicalFees for license to practise. arts, or as may produce diplomas from some respectable college or society; each person so obtaining a certificate to pay a sum not exceeding ten dollars, to be fixed on or ascertained by the society.
Sec. 4. Further regulations as to the admission of persons to practise. *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 paying 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 Proviso.act, can be held: *Provided,* That nothing herein contained, shall authorize the said corporation in anywise to regulate the price of medical or surgical attendance, on such persons as may need those services.
Sec. 5. Penalty for practising medicine without a diploma. *And be it further enacted, *That, after the appointment of the aforesaid medical board, no person, not heretofore a practitioner of medicine or surgery within the District of Columbia, shall be allowed to practise within the said District, in either of the said branches, and receive payment for his services, without first having obtained a license, testified as by this law directed, or without the production of a diploma, as aforesaid, under the penalty of fifty dollars for each offence, to be recovered 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.
Sec. 6. New members to pay not exceeding ten dollars. *And be it further enacted, *That every person who, upon application, 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. Powers of the society. *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, 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 FIFTEENTH CONGRESS.
Sess. II. Ch. 29, 30, 32. 1819. 223 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,* That nothing herein contained shallProviso. extend, or be construed to extend, to prohibit any person, during his actual residence in any of the United States, and who, by the laws of the state wherein he doth or may reside, is not prohibited from practising in either of the above branches, from practising in this District: *Provided always,* That it shall and may be lawful for any person, residentProviso. as aforesaid, and not prohibited as aforesaid, when specially sent for, to come into any part 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.
Sec. 8. *And be it further enacted, *That Congress may, at any time,Congress may alter or annul this act. alter, amend, or annul, this act of incorporation of said society at pleasure. Approved, February 16, 1819.