58-12-19. Use of antiseptics-Antidotes permitted. Nothing herein shall be construed to deny to those persons licensed to practice any system of treating human ailments the right to use such antiseptic precautions as may be prescribed by the State board of health for the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases, or the right to use antiodotes in cases of emergency involving poisoning. VERMONT The Vermont Statutes, revision of 1947. Published by authority, 1947 No definition of chiropractic. Prac Chapter 286, paragraph 6768. Contagious diseases; death certificates. titioners of chiropractic shall be subject to the provision of the law relating to contagious and infectious diseases and to the granting of certificates of deaths. VIRGINIA Code of Virginia, 1950, annotated. Prepared by the Virginia Code Commission under authority of chapter 262 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 1948 (1949). Supplements to 1956. (6) "Practice of chiropractic" means the adjustment of twenty-four movable vertebrae of the spinal column, and assisting nature for the purpose of normalizing the transmission of nerve energy. It does not include the use of surgery, obstetrics, osteopathy, nor the administration nor prescribing of any drugs, medicines, serums, or vaccines. Paragraph 54-279. Limitations on use of title "Doctor" or "Dr.” by chiropractors or naturopaths. Chiropractors when using the title "Doctor" or "Dr." in connection with their names shall also use the word "chiropractor" or "D.C.", but the title "Doctor" or "Dr." shall not be used alone. Revised Code of Washington. WASHINGTON Published under authority of Chapter 155, Laws of 1951, and Chapter 7, Second Extraordinary Session Laws, 1951 *** Any chiropractor who 18.25.030. Examinations.-Grades.-Limitations. has complied with the provisions of this chapter, may adjust by hand any articulation of the spine, but shall not prescribe for nor administer to any person any medicine or drugs included in materia medica, nor practice obstetrics, osteopathy, or surgery. 18.25.080. Health regulations. Chiropractic practitioners shall observe and be subject to all State and municipal regulations relating to the control of contagious and infectious diseases, and all matters pertaining to public health and shall sign death certificates, reporting to the proper health officers the same as other practitioners. WEST VIRGINIA The West Virginia Code of 1955. Complete annotations Paragraph 3005. Practice of chiropractic defined. The practice of chiropractic is hereby defined as physical diagnosis, nerve tracing, palpating of the segments of the spinal column, and the adjustment of misaligned segments of the spinal column to their normal position for the purpose of relieving pressure upon spinal nerves. Paragraph 3006. Use of mechanical devices prohibited; exceptions. The use of mechanical devices of any kind or any agency whatsoever other than the human hand in giving chiropractic treatment (is not allowed) except the use of adjusting table and the employment of the X-ray which may be used only for the purpose of making pictures of the spine or segments of the spinal column and only then by those who have completed the course and are in possession of a diploma in spinography issued by a regularly chartered school of chiropractic teaching spinography. Paragraph 3007. Duty of chiropractor to observe health regulations; *** Doctors of chiropractic shall observe and be subject to all the state and municipal regulations in regard to the control of infectious diseases, and to any and all matters pertaining to the public health, *** and shall report to the public health officer in the same manner as *** other practitioners. It shall further be the duty of doctors of chiropractic *** to report *** any death which may come under his supervision, with a certificate of the cause of death * * * Paragraph 3008. Chiropractor not permitted to perform certain acts; exceptions. No chiropractor shall be permitted to prescribe for any person any medicine or drug now or hereafter included in materia medica or administer any such medicine or drugs; and no chiropractor shall perform any minor or major surgery practice obstetrics or practice osteopathy unless duly licensed to do so by the laws of this State in addition to his license to practice chiropractic. Paragraph 3009. Chiropractor not to be paid fee out of Workmen's Compensation Fund. WISCONSIN Wisconsin Statutes 1951 (21st edition) Published by the State of Wisconsin under authority of section 35.18. (1952) 370.01. construction of statutes; words and phrases.* * * (5) Chiropractor. "Chiropractor" means a person holding the license issued by the State board of examiners in chiropractic. No other definition. 147.23. Chiropractic regulated. (The protection of chiropractic, establishment of the State board of examiners, applications, examinations, issuing of licenses. No definitions.) etc. (One licensed to practice chiropractic is not thereby authorized to treat the sick by other methods such as naturopathy. 39 Atty. Gen. 308) WYOMING Wyoming Compiled Statutes 1945. Published by authority of Laws 1945, chapter 154. Compiled under the supervision of the 1945 Compilation Commission (19477). Supplements to 1955. Chapter 37-704. Definitions. Chiropractic is a method of palpating, nerve tracing and adjustment of vertebrae and other tissues for the relief of morbid conditions. "Chiropractic" is the science that teaches health in anatomic relation and disease or abnormality in anatomic disrelation, and teaches the art of restoring anatomic relation by process of adjusting. Chapter 37-708. Authority of practitioners. Chiropractic practitioners shall observe and be subject to all State and municipal regulations relating to the control of contagious and infectious diseases, shall be permitted to sign death certificates and shall, as to any and all matters pertaining to public health, report to the proper health officers the same as other practitioners. Chapter 37-709. Title of practitioners. Chiropractors licensed under this act shall have the right to practice chiropractic in accordance with the method taught in the chiropractic schools and colleges recognized by the chiropractic board of examiners of this State. The prefix "Dr." or "Doctor" shall not appear on any display sign before the name of the practitioner but shall appear in connection with the title "doctor of chiropractic." PREPARED STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES' COUNCIL, AFL-CIO, ON S. 1710 AND S. 2078 (CHIROPRACTIC SERVICES IN COMPENSATION CASES) Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, the 28 AFL-CIO unions associated with the council desire to express their support of the pending measures. These organizations represent Federal employees in all categories of the classified, postal, and wage board services. Purpose of the bills under consideration today is to permit employees with on-the-job injuries to obtain services of licensed chiropractors under the Compensation Act in cases involving strain or sprain. Chiropractic practitioners are generally recognized as qualified by various States as a branch of the healing arts. Their treatment results in alleviating suffering and pain in many instances. In recent months, we have had occasion to inquire about the extent to which chiropractors are consulted and the extent to which their services have proved satisfactory to Federal employees. Particularly in certain sections of the country where proper standards are maintained for licensing chiropractors, we find their services are widely used and patients report considerable relief or disappearance of extreme discomfort. The bills before the subcommittee confine the area of treatment available under the Compensation Act to "strain or sprain." These are the types of disabilities in which chiropractors specialize. In addition, S. 1710 and S. 2078 require that these services be dispensed by "duly qualified." The Secretary of Labor is authorized to determine whether the practitioner in question meets this criterion. To prevent misconstruction, the bill defines the terms "strain" and "sprain." Underlying the entire compensation program is the necessity of relieving the pain of individuals encountering an injury on the job. The objective is to improve their physical condition to the point where they can again contribute a full day's work without loss of income. Through experience, a large number of Federal employees have found the services of chiropractors to be highly effective in restoring them to normalcy. The council urges that the subcommittee take favorable action on the pending legislation at an early date. PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE FEDERAL POSTAL HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 2, 1964. Hon. LEE METCALF, Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Special Committee on Federal Employees' Compensation, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR METCALF: As a carrier under Public Law 382, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act, we have had experience that should be of assistance to you in your deliberations toward the inclusion of chiropractic care in the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. We would appreciate, through this means, the opportunity to present this information. Under our current contract with the U.S. Civil Service Commission chiropractic is defined as "adjustments by hands only of the spinal column and other articulations of the body; and use of instruments for spinal analysis, including X-ray, to detect and determine the presence or absence of nerve interferences due to spinal subluxations or misalinements." In order to be more in conformance with chiropractic definitions we have recommended the deletion of the words "other articulations of the body" from our coming contract. Our association has no regrets for the inclusion of chiropractic in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act. We concede that occasional problems have risen regarding overusage or abuse, but this percentage is in no way comparable to the problems that we have found in other fields of the healing arts. It is our opinion that the Federal Government has much to gain in recognition of chiropractic care in the Federal Employees' Compensation Act through the prompt availability to a source of healing arts that will enable an employee to return to duty at as early a date as possible following a work-related injury. We have found that in the field of strains, sprains, displacements, and other related fields where chiropractic serves, that the patient experiences a more rapid recovery through chiropractic adjustments. Our statistics are somewhat limited, however, they are sufficient to prove to us that we should continue to include chiropractic in our health benefits program. May we respectfully submit that your deliberations be made on a specific controls on scope of practice and not on scope of license since there is a wide variance between State laws and regulations covering chiropractic. It is my understanding that the International Chiropractic Association accepts and approves the terminology used in definitive language of chiropractic by our plan, and I sincerely trust that this information will serve some purpose in your deliberations. We believe that the Federal employee should have the right to select from the field of healing arts services most applicable to his earliest and complete recovery. If we can be of any further service to you, it will be our privilege. Respectfully yours, CHARLES L. MASSIE, President. PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Hon. LEE METCALF, Chairman, Special Subcommittee on Federal Employees' Compensation, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR METCALF: The following statement is submitted on behalf of the American Medical Association with respect to S. 1710 and S. 2078, 88th Congress, which are now before your subcommittee for consideration. The purpose of these bills is to amend the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to permit injured employees entitled to receive medical services under that act, to utilize the services of chiropractors. The American Medical Association is opposed to this proposed legislation and urges that it not be favorably reported by your subcommittee. Chiropractic is not based on sound scientific principles. The medical profession regards chiropractic as a cult, because it follows the hypothesis of its founder, that disease results from pressure on nerves due to minor misalinements of the spinal column. Treatment consists of certain forms of manipulation. Based on such a premise, chiropractors claim that illness and such conditions as allergies, diabetes, heart trouble, tonsilitis, and even cancer, to name a few, can be cured by adjusting or manipulating certain areas of the spinal column. Such a theory, of course, runs counter to the established facts of medical science. We submit as an exhibit a copy of the pamphlet, "The Cult of Chiropractic"* by C. E. Boyd, M.D., of Shreveport, La. To our knowledge, none of the schools of chiropractic has been accredited by any recognized Federal, State, or regional qualified accrediting agency. The only requirement for admission to a chiropractic school is a high school diploma or its "equivalent." The so-called degrees awarded by schools of chiropractic are not recognized by any standard accrediting agency. While chiropractors are licensed in many States, their licenses are limited, and they are prohibited from prescribing medicines or drugs and from practicing surgery. Licensure statutes in the several States are an attempt at control rather than a legislative recognition of the validity of chiropractic. Chiropractors are not educated or equipped, either by background or training, to diagnose human illness. This inability, coupled with their pseudo-scientific method of treatment and their vociferous stand against lifesaving vaccines and the well-recognized advances of the medical profession in the control, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease requires, or perhaps demands, that no consideration be given them. In a case reported in Pennsylvania in April 1964, involving an unsuccessful attempt by chiropractors to require a State official to accept certificates concerning the physical fitness of automobile drivers, the Court observed: "Naturally, the chiropractors would like to be equated with the medical profession, but neither their recognized field of practice nor the statutes relating to these professions makes such an equation realistic. Chiropractors are engaged in a limited field of the healing arts which requires less education and training of them than is required of those practicing medicine and surgery. They are classified separately by the legislature from physicians in numerous ways.' (Howe v. Smith, 199 A. 2d 521.) 15 S. 1710 specifically authorizes treatment by a chiropractor for an injury involving a "strain or sprain." This seemingly innocuous authorization needs careful examination. Assuming that the strains and sprains refer primarily to the back, medical science has much to say about the dangers of manipulation by those uneducated in scientific diagnosis. In many cases, there is no harm; a good back rub or massage can be helpful, as athletic trainers and physiatrists can testify. But it is often difficult to distinguish between a minor ailment and a major one in the back. Deterioration of vertebrae might "feel" like a strain; a slipped disk might give similar pain. To treat such ailments without adequate scientific diagnosis is positively dangerous to the patient. The other bill under consideration, S. 2078, would not specifically limit chiropractic care to an injury involving a "strain or sprain." The proposed bills would authorize injured Federal employees to receive services from individuals with little or no qualifications, little or no knowledge of the medical sciences, and little or no scientific background. Federal recognition of chiropractic as a valid method of treatment would be viewed by the medical profession as a regression from the high point of medical progress which has been made at a sure and steady pace by utilizing scientific methods. Will be found in the files of the subcommittee. We believe that the enactment of S. 1710 or S. 2078 would be neither in the public interest, nor in the interest of those Federal employees who might mistakenly seek the services of a cult practitioner, rather than the sound, scientific advice of qualified physicians. We appreciate having the opportunity to present the views of the physicians of America concerning this important legislation. We request that this statement by the American Medical Association be made part of the record of the hearings on S. 1710 and S. 2078, 88th Congress. Sincerely, F. J. L. BLASINGAME, M.D. Hon. LEE METCALF, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. THE AMERICAN CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION, INC., HONORABLE SIR: We understand that the Burdick bill, S. 1710, comes before you as a member of the Senate Commitee on Labor and Public Welfare for consideration at an early date. In behalf of the chiropractors of my State, I respectfully ask your support of this measure which seeks to establish the availabilty of chiropractic service to Federal employees on the same terms as osteopathic and medical services. Please be assured that I will be grateful for your assistance in this matter. Respectfully yours, Dr. ISAAC P. TIESZEN. CITY OF GLASGOW, Glasgow, Mont., April 27, 1964. Senator LEE METCALF, Washington, D.C. DEAR LEE: I have been informed that Senator Burdick has introduced S. 1710, a bill which will amend the U.S. Employees Compensation Act so that doctors of chiropractic may be reimbursed by the Government for treatment given Federal employees in compensable injury cases. This is a matter of great concern to me and all chiropractors in Montana because of the number of Federal employees we treat. Because of Glasgow being a Federal impact area we chiropractors show in our practices a high percentage of patients who are federally employed. These people must pay for their own treatment of on-the-job injuries. I have discussed this with many Federal employees, and there is a growing awareness in this group of people that they do not enjoy the freedom of choice of doctor and type of treatment they desire. As a member of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare I will sincerely appreciate your assistance in securing a favorable report on this bill. Congratulations on your new subcommittee appointments on poverty and resource development. My compliments, too, on proposing the only sensible solution offered on the silver dollar matter. Best personal wishes, R. J. RASMUSSEN. |