Catholic Physicians\u27 Guilds

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 22 | Number 1 Article 62-1-1955The South - Host to Annual Meeting, ExecutiveBoard F.C.P.G.: A ReportCatholic Physicians' GuildsFollow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqPart of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, and the Medicine and Health SciencesCommonsRecommended CitationCatholic Physicians' Guilds (1955) "The South - Host to Annual Meeting, Executive Board F.C.P.G.: A Report," The Linacre Quarterly:Vol. 22 : No. 1 , Article 6.Available at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol22/iss1/67'-e soea,- �ut f4-,t"'""at 1/t.eeti1e9-E�eeuti�e �oa,ed Federation of Catholic Physicians' GuildsTHE WINTER MEETING of the_Executive Board of The Fed-Gera�10n of Cath olic Physicians'mids was held in New O I L . . N r eans,oms1ana, ovember 27 195A t th J H . ,, a e ung ate!. The follo w i n gwere present: J. J. Toland, Jr., M.D., President alsorepresentmg Philadelphia GuildN.PF. !hiberge, M.D., Honoraryresident Wm. J. Egan, M.D., 2nd Vice Presidentalso representing Boston GuildRtM. Rdev. Msgr. D. A. McGowano erator Wm. E. Barker Jr M D  B R Guild ' ·• · ·, aton ougel. i· Mz urphy, M.D .. Bronx Guild· · eis, M.D., Houston Guild J. 0. Muscat, M.D., Mobile Guild Rev. P. H. Yancey, S.J., Mobile GuildRuth G. Aleman M D N 0 Guild ' · ·• ew rleansJ. Menville, M.D., New Orleans GuildVery Rev, Thomas Bolduc S MNew Orleans Guild ' · ·•Alice Holoubek, M.D., Shreveport GuildRev. J .. J. Flanagan, S.J., EditorTHE LINACRE QUARTERLY M. R. Kneifl, Executive SecretaryJean Read, Assistant Secretary* * * Dr. Toland called the meetingto order at 9:30 a.m. DUBLIN CONGRESS OF CATHOLIC PHYSICIANS Ms�r. McGowan reported onthe Sixth International Congressof Catholic doctors, recognized bythe Holy See, held in Dublin, Ire-32 Ian�. June 30-July 4, 1954. }- �advised that the Americans prese· tw�uld have preferred more scie1 .tdk papers than were given Tt .hosts for the Congress spa;ed r ;efforts to make the visit of tr· :delegates most enjoyable. The ne' ..meeting is scheduled for Amste: '.dam, Holland, probably in l 9S:( See account Nov. 1954 LQ 132.) , PlLINACRE QUARTERL y . The report concerning circul­t1�n of LINACRE QUARTERLY wagiven by Jean Read who d . h a vise;:t at subscriptions total approxi mately 5,700 of which 2 900 for Guild members. Qua�tities a�.,student subscriptions are financedby the following Guilds: Boston Bronx .. Cleveland, Houston, Min­ne�pohs and St. Louis. Other sub­scn_bei;s are doctors who are not�mid_ members, priests, hospitals.libranes and others interested inthe medical field. �at�er Flanagan,  giving theEd1_tor s report, presented a list oftop1_cs for consideration. Some 34sub�ects were i��luded; a varietyof titles such as Experiences withTelepathy," "The Physician is al­so a _Father," "The Value of theMedic�! Audit," "Does the Tissue�omm1ttee have a Moral Value?"The Role of the Catholic DoctorLINACRE QUARTERLYin Medical Education" were a fewof the suggestions. The list of sug­gested topics was reviewed and discussed and many helpful sug­gestions made to the editor. MEMBERSHIP REPORTThe membership report indiqiteda total of 38 Guilds, 36 of whichare affiliated with the Federation.The Guilds added to membershipsince last December number ten.Prospective Guilds include the fol­lowing to be contacted for aff ilia­tion: Westchester ,  New York;Pittsburgh. Pottsville and Chester, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jer- ·sey; Tacoma, Washington; Wor­cester, Massachusetts; Burlington,Vermont; Seattle ,  Washington;and Toledo, Ohio.THE VISIT OF ARCHBISHOP RUMMEL At this point of the meeting. The Most Reverend Joseph F.Rummel. Archbishop of New Or­leans, joined the group. His Ex­cellency welcomed the ExecutiveBoard to New Orleans and gra­ciously spoke to the members. emphasized that Catholic doctorsmust become vocal in espousingsupernatural principles. Proceed­ing further he stated: "The mis­sion of the Catholic physician hasapostolic spirit. His superior train­ing should make him aware of hisresponsibility and duties and hisinfluence on fellow-physicians. Hemust express himself when oppos­ing points of view are presented.not only to refute conclusions butbe able to explain the basis forthem. He must present convincingarguments to off set damaging opin­ions."FINANCIAL REPORT-1954Having sponsored the organiza­tion of his city's Guild. the Arch­bishop was very enthusiastic aboutthis work stating that the Catholicmembers of the medical professionare becoming more and more im­portant as time goes along. "Theystand isolated and alone," he said,"b�cause of high principles in amaterialistic world t h at has dis­carded all spiritual and moral val­ues and responsibilities. It is thebody, only. that matters to thosewho disregard definite natural andsupernatural laws which should beobserved.'' The Archbishop furtherMr. M. R. Kneifl, execut ivesecretary. then discussed the finan­cial report. This was the first yearfor which an actual budget hadbeen set up which resulted in somedisparity that is being provided forin the 1955 budget. It can be hap­pily reported that the financial ad­vances made by The C a t hol icHospital Association to  assist theFederation of Catholic Physicians'Guilds in its operations have beenfully liquidated. A word of thankswas expressed for this help. Total income for the year 1954( the last two months being esti­mated) exceeded the budget by$1,352.00. Expenditures exceededthe budget by $1.546.00 due to thefact that printing costs on LrNACREQtiARTERL Y were in excess of thebudget figure and several items ofexpense v.:ere unusually high dur­ing the year. EXECUTIVE BoARD MEETINGSDiscussion then concerned fu­ture meeting s of t�e ExecutiveBoard. The June meeting will be33FEBRUARY, 1955held in Atlantic City, New Jersey as it is always convened in con­j unction with the A.M.A. Conven­tion which will be held there in 1955. It was voted to have the winter meeting in St. Louis. ST. LUKE'S DAY OBSERVANCE The observance of the St. Luke's Day Mass is becoming more and more widespread; for that reason it was deemed time to assign aspecial designation to the cere­mony. Dr. Muscat st at ed that since white prevails for the garb of the doctor, he would su·ggest the "White Mass." Discussion fol­lowed and the vote taken favored this name. The Feast of St. Luke, patron of Catholic physicians, is October 18 and since it is movable, this Mass is usually set for the · Sunday closest to that date. With this special d esignat ion, hence­forth, it was felt that promotion of its observance will be further stimulated. PUBLICITY As an item for the future, radio and television programs were con­sidered. When a series can be prepared concerning the Catholic doctor and his influence in medical and al l i e d fields, t im e will be secured on these communication media. MEDICAL NEWSPAPER FEATURES Feature articles in Catholic and secular papers were discussed with special reference to those furnished The Pilot in Boston by members of the Guild of St. Luke in that city. Brief but concise answers to medical problems were presented in this series appearing weekly; 34 when editorial material lagged, t e project was discontinued but w II · be resumed early next year. 0th· r Guilds were encouraged to do lik ·­wise in their local newspapers o combat erroneous material ofo n involving moral issues. PROGRAMS ON MEDICAL ETHICS Many Guilds are located in citi, 3 where there are medical school .It was suggested that these grouJ , i n v e st iga te medical ethics pre, grams offered and if not adequat to provide instruction and oppo!. tunity for discussion. It was advc . cated that Catholic clubs in nor · Catholic mediq1l schools be orgar, ized. Those at Tufts, Harvarc,, and Boston University were cite as examples. It was recommende that the Medico-Moral Problem series by Father Gerald Ke11y, S.J be f u rnish ed a11 medical schoc libraries. INSTITUTES ON MEDICO-MORAL PROBLEMS A project for consideration b; individual Guilds was listed on th, agenda as "Institutes on Medico­Moral Problems." They are highly successful in many parts of tht country in the hospital field. Doc­tors, priests, sisters engag e d fr, hospital .work, nurses and others take part in the sessions. They could we11 be sponsored by Guilds was the g e ne r a l opinion. The Catholic Hospital Association has been assisting in the promotion of these meetings and could give ad­vice on their conduct. THIS y EAR. s GOAL Discussion of special projects for the Federation to sponsor during t�e next year resulted in the fol-LINACRE QUARTERLY lowing-in the order listed: "Promote the "White Mass. Sponsor  f orm at ion of new Guilds. series will be conducted next_ )'.�a�A closed retreat was also provi e for the members during the year.Sponsor Junior Guilds in medicalschools. Take some means to dispel . be-1· f that in Catholic hospitals :others' lives are sacrificed in favor of new-born; this and other antiquated ideas d.o un­told harm to the reputation of Catholic institutions. GUILD REPORTS Gui l d  representatives reporte�. on their respective activities. Dr. Eusebius Murphy repo�ted for the Bronx Guild. He advised that three meetings are held year­ly Members of the Guild staff St. P�trick's Home for the Age?· lon_g in need of special help . m t�1s d Contact is made with thirdregar . . year college students to mterest them in medical careers. _LINACRE QUARTERLY is furnished m quan­tity at the Guild's expense to sen­ior medical students at such schools in New York City. Members make a closed retreat in March. Speak­ers are furnished from the ranks of the Guild for the Marriage Fo­rums that are conducted in New y ark. The Bronx Guild through promotional efforts was greatly re­sponsible fo� the formation of the Guild in Westchester, New York. Dr. L. B. Zeis reported for the Houston Guild. A Mass and Co�­munion breakfast are part of th�s group's activities. A series of six lectures on medico-moral problems has been sponsored; med�cal stu­dents from Baylor College m Hous­ton were invited to attend. Another FEBRUARY, 1955 Dr Wm. J. Egan reported forthe Guild of St. Luke in Bostonand advised that his group hadd a Marian Year Mass to sponsore . d A h. h c1'vic leaders were invite . w IC G ·1d . new project for the .m �s a . f round table discussions. series o Groups are comprised of no more than 12 persons. who in �urn or­ganize other units. Meetmgs areh Id in the homes of the menibers.Tehis Guild also lends invaluab�e t to the Catholic clubs m suppor . non-Catholic medical schools. D Ruth G. Aleman advised that \he New Orleans Guild has four m e e tings during the year.Guest speakers are invited andh . Communion breakfast.t ere 1s a Th M emb e r s  make a retreat. _e Guild provides for physical exam'.-t. of chi ldren in Catholicna 1on . schools. A special committee P.ro-vides reading material for. medicalschools. This group also lends sup­port to the Newman Club. Dr. Barker, spe aking for the Baton Rouge GuHd. indicated that four meetings are held yearly for their group: one social. a Co�-. breakfast a St. Luke s munion , . Supper, and a dinner meetmg to which all obstetricians and gyne­cologists in the area are invit.ed. ': speaker with a pertinent sub1ect isinvited for the occasion. An o.bdjective of the Baton Ro�ge .Gml e is to organize other Gmlds m th diocese. Dr. Muscat, reporting for Mo-b.I advised that a Mass and1 e. tCommunion breakfast repr e s e n  the activity of that group thus far. 35 (Thi� is one of the most recentGuilds to be formed.)Dr. Alice Holoubek from theShreveport Guild advised that allthe Catholic doctors in that cityare members of the Guild. Thisgroup, like Mobile, is newly or­ganized. Small groups have beenformed for discussion; non-Catho­lic friends are included. At presentthe book "Image of His Maker"is being discussed . NEW BUSINESS The Board unanimously recom­mended the reinstatement of theBellevill� (Illinois) Guild in theFederation. Th� Bo�rd authorized a monthlybulletm with news items for theGuilds for the months when TH­LINACRE QUARTERLY is not published. The Board suggested that th(editors list in THE LIN ACRE QuAR­TERL Y, from time to time, localitieiwhere Catholic doctors are neededThere is a shortage in many areaEa.nd information regarding situa­ti.ons would be of interest to physi­Cla�s desiring to make changes fo1various reasons. The Cat  ho 1 i cHospital Association can furnishthis information. The meeting adjourned at 4:30p.m. Members of the Executive Boardwere guests of the New OrleansGuild at a dinner meeting in theJung Hotel. NEW PUBLICATION .... . Part V of the Medico-Moral Problems series of Father Gerald K IJ SJis Just off the press! Complete your set of these valuable bookletse �·o · · copy. The entire series, including the Ethical and Religious 0·1 ect· . c ·aJ b/ f $2 50 s· b f IVeS, ava 1 -. a e or · · ix ooklets. Order from The Catholic Hospital A · f 1438 So. Grand Blvd., St. Louis 4, Missouri. . ssoc 1a ion, 36 LINACRE QUARTERLYTest-tube babies and di..-orce An important ruling clarifying moral and legal problems arising in a recent divorce case was fea­tured with great emphasis in TheNew World, Chicago Catholic weekly. Superior Court Judge Gib­son E. Gorman ruled that "Test­tube babies are illegitimate if the natural fathers· were not the do­nors. Mothers guilty of such prac- . tices have c o m m itted adultery, even if the artificial insemination was performed with the consent of the husband," he decreed. The judge rendered the decision in a divorce suit in which a mother made the claim that her five-year­old son was born as a result of artificial insemination. She claimed that as a result of this, the child is the child of the mother alone and that the husband has no right or interest in the boy. In her divorce suit she accused her husband of ''habitual drunkenness." The husband's opposing petition contended that he is actually the father of the child. But it said that if the woman was artificially in­seminated, then it was "without sanction of moral or natural law, and without regard for the future rights" of the child and constituted an act of adultery. In his ruling, Judge Gorman made judgment on the following propositions which he had been asked to affirm: -Artificial insemination is not con­trary to public policy.FEBRUARY, 1955 -Artificial insemination does notconstitute adultery.-A child born of artificial insemi­nation is legitimate and the childof the mother only; the fatheror husband has no right to saidchild.Judge Gorman decreed:"1. Heterologous artificial insemi­nation ( when the donor is a third party) with or without the consent of the husband, is con­trary to public policy and good morals, and constitutes adul­tery on the part of the mother. A child so conceived is not a child born in wedlock and is therefore illegitimate. As such, it is the child of the mother, and the father has no right or interest in said child. 2. Homologous artificial insemina­tion ( when the donor is thehusband of the woman) is notcontrary to public policy andgood morals, and does not pre­sent any difficulty from thelegal point of view."The answering petition asserted:"The alleged artificial insemination is immoral because both natural and divine law establish the fact that a new life must be procreated only inside marriage. The volun­tary surrender by the plaintiff to another persori of her reproductive powers or faculties should be held by the court to be an act of adul­tery." Attorney for the defendant was expected to file a complaint with 37 

The South - Host to Annual Meeting, Executive Board F.C.P.G.: A Report

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The South - Host to Annual Meeting, Executive Board F.C.P.G.: A Report

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