Reguero González v. Jiménez
Reguero González v. Jiménez
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
This is an action to recover compensation for professional services, wherein it is alleged that about the month of July, 1928, the plaintiff, Dr. José Reguero González, was requested by the defendant, Manuel J. Jiménez, to attend his wife, Carmen Diaz, who was about to have a child and was' suffering from the pangs of labor; that plaintiff, acceding to the defendant’s request, went to the home of Jiménez in the ward of Tomás de Castro, of Caguas, where he began to render his services to Mrs. Diaz, whose condition became more serious by reason of the fact that she was bearing her first child and it was a case of a dystocial childbirth taking place in the country, he having been compelled to personally blow with his own mouth air into the lungs of the infant in order to stimulate the pulmonary function of the child and to avoid a' sure death by asphyxia, thus saving* the life of both the mother and the infant; that subsequent to the services rendered to Mrs. Diaz on the night of labor, it was necessary for the plaintiff to continue assisting* her for two months or so, visiting her in the country at least once a day and calling on her two and three times a day when circumstances so required, sometimes at night, for which reason he had to neglect his clientele, limiting himself almost exclusively to said lady, and after she recovered from childbirth he was called again several times to render medical services to said lady and her child; which services are reasonably worth $5,000.
The defendant in his answer denied that the condition of his wife was serious, that the plaintiff blew air into the lungs of the infant to avoid death by asphyxia, and that the plaintiff rendered services to the patient during two months, or
The district court rendered judgment directing that the plaintiff recover from Jiménez the sum of $800 as compensation, together with the costs of the suit. The defendant and appellant urges in the first place that the lower court erred in permitting counsel for the plaintiff to ask the following question: “How many rooms for patients did that clinic have?” This question was asked after Dr. Eeguero had testified that he had a clinic in Caguas. The defendant objected to the question as being immaterial. We are of that opinion also. And inasmuch as the evidence was immaterial, causing no prejudice to the defendant, its admission cannot constitute a reversible error.
It is also urged that the judgment is contrary to the evidence introduced, and that the evidence was erroneously weighed by the district court.
The lower court made a complete summary of the testimony of Dr. Eeguero, which we will transcribe, as follows: The plaintiff testified that “in the month of July, .1928, between 7 and 8 o’clock at night, he was requested by the defendant to render urgent services to his wife, who was seriously ill; that the plaintiff immediately went to the house of the defendant, located outside of the city, and found that defendant’s wife was in labor, with all the difficulties presented by this situation in a woman who is bearing her first child; that he made efforts to obtain the corresponding dilation unsuccessfully and this made difficult the application of forceps, and that he was finally able to extract the fetus early the next morning; that the child did not breathe, it being necessary
The defendant testified that on reaching his house Dr. Reguero wrote a prescription, injected the patient once, and that then the defendant and the physician sat down in the porch awaiting the effects of the drug; that shortly thereafter the doctor injected her again and that one hour later, when the child was about to be born, the doctor sat on the border of the bed, and that when childbirth took place he cut the umbilical cord and injected his wife again; that the doctor did not have to apply forceps and that his wife did not have any hemorrhage; that the child suffered no wound; that it was not afflicted with conjunctivitis and that the doctor remained in defendant’s house until about 11 P. M. The defendant adds that his. wife did not have any puerperal infection; that subsequently the physician kept on coming to his house, but not for the purpose of treating his wife because she was well; that the doctor said he would not charge anything for his services ; that the defendant kept in his farm a cow belonging to the physician for about 8 months and that he used to send to the doctor five quarts of milk in spite of the fact that the cow only produced one quart; that he presented the doctor with a thoroughbred Holstein bull worth about $500 and a black crossbreed heifer; that after the child was born the relations between the doctor and the defendant became very close and that the former frequently visited the defendant’s house accompanied by his own wife.
Dolores Pérez de Matos, a witness for the plaintiff, testified that she had assisted Mrs. Carmen Díaz as a nurse; that Dr. Reguero had the patient all night under observation, administering her drugs and doing the necessary work; that forceps were applied several times; that the child was born in
The testimony of the nurse corroborates what Dr. Reguero said with reference to the services rendered to the woman during the night of labor.
Regarding the services subsequently rendered, the nurse stated that Dr. Reguero visited the house, sometimes twice a day. It seems natural that Dr. Reguero should visit the woman and render to her the proper assistance and care customarily given during the first few days following labor. This was explained by the witness when she said that “all physicians do that.when they have a case.” The testimony of this witness may be commended for its spirit of impartiality. It sets forth the facts in a frank and open manner, both when they favor and when they prejudice the plaintiff. The court held that the facts relative to the childbirth were established as stated by Dir. Reguero. We add that these facts were also shown in the manner expressed by the nurse Dolores Pérez Matos. The testimony of the latter and that
The defendant alleges that he delivered certain chattels to the plaintiff but he does not say on what account, and from the evidence it does not appear that this property was delivered, if at all, with the object of paying for the professional services rendered by Dr. Peguero. On this point the lower court says that, as the existence of any contract with regard to said property was not shown, it feels bound to disregard this evidence, and that it should not be understood that the court thereby prejudges any relationship that might exist between the plaintiff and the defendant by reason of the delivery of said property, and that its statements should not be construed to mean that such delivery had been proved.
With regard to the pronouncement of costs, the plaintiff testified that he sent a bill to the defendant fixing his fees in the sum of $5,000. The defendant alleged in his answer that the services rendered were not worth more than $150, and, further, that he delivered to the plaintiff property worth more than $500. The sum claimed by Dr. Peguero is by all means excessive. If the plaintiff had demanded from the beginning the payment of a reasonable amount, the refusal of
In our opinion the judgment appealed from should be modified so as to adjudge the defendant to pay $400' to the plaintiff, without special imposition of costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.