Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1901 — Must Do Their Work Well. [ARTICLE]

Must Do Their Work Well.

The courts are taking cognizance of the competency or incompetency of professional men. A short time ago a New York tribunal held that a physician was liable for unskillful or negligent treatment of a patient, and now the Court of Appeals of that Stat,* has rendered a decision holding a corporation liable for unskillful dental work. This corporation, according to the complaint, represented that it carried on the practice of dentistry iu connection with its other departments. The plaintiff, a woman, having undergone Ireatmeut. sued tor alleged resultant injury and received a verdict. Apparently the defense of the corporalion was that the dental business was not. in fact, carried on by it. but was owned by the dentist. But the court held that the company, having having held itself out as carrying on a dental department, and the plaintiff having been ignorant of the fact that the company was not the real owner of the dental department, the corporation was estopped from making such a denial. For. under the circumstances, the court said that the plaintiff had a right to rely not only on the preiumptlon that the company would employ a skillful dentist a* it* servant, but also on the fact that if that servant, the dentist, whether skillful or not, was guilty of any malpractice, she had a responsible party to answer therefor in damages.