Hier v. Stites
Hier v. Stites
Opinion of the Court
This proceeding was begun in the court of common pleas of Hamilton county by tlie defendant in error against the plaintiff in error.
In his answer the defendant admits that he is a practicing physician and surgeon; that the plaintiff sustained an injury to the nail and end of the middle finger of his right hand and that the defendant was employed by the plaintiff for consideration to treat said injury, and denies each and every other allegation in the petition contained.
On the trial a verdict was rendered for the plaintiff and the circuit court affirmed the judgment of the court of common pleas which was entered thereon. Error is prosecuted here to reverse the judgments below.
There was considerable testimony introduced by the plaintiff which tended to sustain the issue on his part. In the progress of the treatment several amputations were made, and the jury, in answer to special interrogatories submitted on the application
Plaintiff in error urges that the trial court erred in the admission of the testimony of expert witnesses. The plaintiff called a physician as an expert and asked him an hypothetical question, in which, after the nature of the injury was described, there was the following: “Now, what would be the ordinary and proper method — the ordinary, usual and approved method for treating that finger in surgery, the injury having occurred say two hours prior to the time the patient came to you for treatment?” Counsel for plaintiff in error insists that the admission of this question and other similár questions violated the rule laid down in Gillette v. Tucker, 67 Ohio St., 106, in which it is held that the degree of care which the physician or surgeon is bound to exercise is the average degree of skill, care and diligence exercised by members of the same profession, practicing in the same or a similar locality, in the light of the present state of medical
In the same case the court quote and approve the rule stated in Craig v. Chambers, 17 Ohio St., 253: “The implied liability of a surgeon, retained to treat a case professionally, extends no further, in the absence of a special agreement, than that he will indemnify his patient against any injurious consequences resulting from his want of the proper degree of skill, care, or diligence in the execution of his employment.”
It would seem to be clear that a proper course to be followed in the determination of the question whether the average or proper degree of care, skill and diligence has been exercised in a particular case is to ascertain the ordinary and proper method in such cases, and then whether such method was followed in the case on trial. There was no error in the admission of the testimony referred to.
It is also insisted that the court erred in its charge to the jury. Substantially the infirmity suggested is that the court in its charge adopted the principle of law which naturally followed the admission of the testimony to which we have referred.
The court, at the request of the plaintiff in error, gave the following special charge: “In order to recover, the plaintiff must show, by a preponderance of the evidence, and the jury must find, that
“And the plaintiff must also further show and the jury find that the injury complained of was the direct result of such doing or failing to do some one or more of such particular things.”
This fairly stated the question made in the case and the general charge was in entire harmony with the propositions laid down in the special request, and the court fully charged on the issues made in the pleadings.
As we have indicated, there was substantial evidence in support of the contentions of both parties, and the court properly left the question for the determination of the jury. We find no error in the record, and the judgments below are affirmed.
Judgments affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.