NEW YORK 
, I -1 
Adopted, January 14th, 1884. NEW YORK 
» X » 
COUNTY mien ASSOCIATION. 
BY-LAWS. 
Adopted, January 14th, 1884. 
NEW YORK: 
Published by the Association, 
1884. Angell's Printing Office, 354 Fourth Ave., N. Y. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR 1884.' 
President, 
WILLIAM DETMOLD, M. D. 
Vice-President, 
CHARLES A. LEALE, M. D. 
Recording Secretary, 
EDWARD A. JUDSON, M. D., 
Residence, 59 East 59th Street. 
Corresponding and Statistical Secretary, 
WHITMAN V. WHITE, M. D., 
Residence, 1522 Park Avenne. 
Treasurer, 
ALLEN S. CHURCH, M. D., 
104 West 48th Street. 
Elected Members of the Executive Committee, 
CHARLES HITCHCOCK, M. D. Term expires in Jan., 1885. 
WILLIAM YOUNG, M. D. Term expires in Jan., 1886. 
AUSTIN FLINT, Jr., M. D. Term expires in Jan., 1887. 
JOHN W. S. GOULEY, M. D. Term expires in Jan., 1888. BYLAWS. 
ARTICLE I. 
ORGANIZATION. 
Section 1. This Association shall be called The New York 
County Medical Association. 
Sec. 2. The objects of the Association shall be : 
First, The cultivation of the science of Medicine. 
Second, The maintenance of the honor and charac- 
ter of the Medical profession. 
Third, The promotion of public health. 
Sec. 3. The Association shall consist of regular practition- 
ers of Medicine and of regular graduates in Medicine residing 
in the County of New York. 
Sec. 4. The officers of the Association shall be the follow- 
ing : 1, President ; 2, Vice-President; 3, Recording Secretary ; 
4, Corresponding and Statistical Secretary; 5, Treasurer ; 6, 
an Executive Committee, consisting of the titular officers of 
the Association, together with four additional members to be 
elected by the Association. 
Sec. 5. The officers of the Association shall be elected by 
ballot at each annual meeting. They shall serve for one year or 
until their successors are chosen, to whom they shall, without 
delay, deliver up and transfer all moneys, books, manuscripts, 
vouchers, and other property of the Association which may be 
in their possession and take a receipt therefor. The four mem- 
bers of the Executive Committee shall first be elected to serve, 
one for one year, one for two years, one for three years, and one 
for four years. Afterward, one shall be elected each year to 
succeed the retiring member. 6 
Sec. 6. The only standing committee shall be the Executive 
Committee ; but special committees may be appointed from 
time to time, when ordered by the Association. 
Sec. 7. Nominations for officers and for one member of the 
Executive Committee to be elected at an annual meeting shall 
be made at the stated meeting immediately preceding each 
annual meeting. The Becording Secretary shall have the 
names of all nominees printed on slips of paper, two of which 
slips shall be sent to each member, with the notice for the 
annual meeting. The first officers and four members of the 
Executive Committee may be elected, without nomination at a 
previous meeting, at any meeting of the Association, and they 
shall serve until the annual meeting of 1885 or until their 
successors are chosen. 
ARTICLE II. 
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS. 
Sec. 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the 
Association and of the Executive Committee, shall preserve 
order at such meetings, shall have the power to adjourn 
the meetings should they become disorderly, and shall appoint 
all special committees, not otherwise ordered by resolution. 
Sec. 2. The Vice-President, in the absence of or at the re- 
quest of the President, shall temporarily perform the duties of 
the President. In case of the death, disability, or resignation 
of the President, the Vice-President shall perform the duties 
of the President until the next annual election of officers, and 
the Executive Committee shall fill the vacancy in the office of 
Vice-President. 
Sec. 3. The Becording Secretary shall make and preserve 
accurate minutes of the meetings of the Association and shall 
perform the usual duties pertaining to the office of Secretary, 
except those specially assigned to the Corresponding and Sta- 
tistical Secretary. 
Sec. 4. The Corresponding and Statistical Secretary shall 
conduct the official correspondence of the Association, except 
the issuing of notices for meetings and the notification to can- 
didates of their election as members, shall preserve all such 
correspondence, including copies of official letters written by 
him, and shall act as Secretary of the Executive Committee. Sec. 5. The Treasurer shall receive all moneys paid to the 
Association in any way and from any source and shall dispose 
of the same as directed by the Executive Committee. He shall 
make a report to the Executive Committee of the condition of 
•the finances of the Association, whenever directed to do so by 
the committee, and shall make a full and complete report of 
the finances to the Association at each annual meeting. 
7 
ARTICLE III. 
Sec. 1. The Committee shall hold regular meetings at con- 
venient times, not more than ten and not less than five days 
before each stated meeting of the Association, and shall hold 
special meetings when called together by the President. The 
President shall call a special meeting of the Committee when 
requested to do so in writing by five members thereof, the 
request specifying the object of such meeting. 
Sec. 2. Five members of the Committee shall constitute a 
quorum. 
Sec. 3. The Committee shall make suitable arrangements 
for the meetings of the Association, and the President, or, on 
the failure of the President so to do, the Committee shall pro- 
vide for papers to be read and discussions to be held at the open 
sessions of the Association. 
Sec. 4. The Committee shall authorize and direct all de- 
posits and investments of the funds of the Association, shall 
order all expenditures to be made by the Treasurer, and shall 
audit the accounts of the Treasurer so as to report upon the 
same at each annual meeting of the Association. 
Sec. 5. The Committee shall report to the Association upon 
the names of proposed members, as provided for in the Section 
relating to the "Admission, Resignation, and Reinstatement of 
Members." 
• Sec. 6. The Committee shall take cognizance of any and all 
apparently flagrant violations of the Code of Ethics of the Asso- 
ciation and shall act upon all charges brought by a member 
or members against another member or other members, as 
provided for in the Section relating to " Ethics, and the Disci- 
pline of Members." 
DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 8 
Sec. 7. The Committee shall fill all vacancies in the offices 
of the Association, except in the office of President, and the 
officers so appointed shall serve until the next succeeding an- 
nual election; and the Committee shall, in the same manner, fill 
all vacancies that may occur in the number of members of the 
Committee who have been elected by the Association. 
Sec. 8. The Committee shall embody in their annual report 
a statement of the investments and of the condition of the funds 
of the Association and shall report upon the same at any stated 
meeting of the Association, when called upon by resolution to 
make such report. 
Sec. 9. The Committee shall take charge of all the real and 
personal property now or at any future time in the possession 
of the Association. 
Sec. 10. At each annual meeting of the Association, the Sec- 
retary of the Committee shall read, as the annual report of the 
Committee, its minutes for the year, except such portions 
thereof relating to the admission or discipline of members as 
are, according to the provisions of these By-Laws, of a confi- 
dential character. 
ARTICLE IV. 
ADMISSION, RESIGNATION, AND REINSTATEMENT OF MEMBERS. 
Sec. 1. Each and every candidate for membership must 
make an application in writing, accompanied with his pro- 
fessional credentials, to the Corresponding and Statistical 
Secretary, which shall be presented to the Executive Committee 
at its next succeeding meeting. If the Committee, after 
due investigation, find the candidate worthy of admission to 
membership, they shall so report at the next stated meeting of 
the Association or at any meeting of the Association immedi- 
ately following the meeting of the Committee at which they 
may decide favorably upon the application of the candidate. 
At the time of the reception of such report regarding a candidate 
or candidates for admission, the report may be adopted either 
entire or in part by the Association, or any two members may 
call for a ballot upon one or more of the candidates. When a 
ballot has been called for as herein provided, the negative votes 
of one-fourth of the members voting shall reject a candidate. 9 
Sec. 2. The names of all candidates to be reported upon at 
any stated meeting of the Association, together with the names 
of all candidates whose applications are before the Executive 
Committee, shall be printed upon the notices of such meeting 
sent to members. 
Sec. 3. All communications received by the Executive Com- 
mittee, which relate to the character and standing of candi- 
dates, shall be treated by the Committee as confidential. 
Sec. 4. The Executive Committee shall not report to the 
Association the names of candidates whom they have decided to 
be unworthy of membership, unless directed to make such a 
report by the Association at a stated or annual meeting; and the 
names of candidates, when thus reported, shall not be entered 
upon the minutes of the Association. 
Sec. 5. Each candidate for membership shall be required to 
sign the By-Laws and pay the initiation-fee and current annual 
dues and assessments within three months after his election; 
otherwise his election shall be null and void, unless the candi- 
date be subsequently permitted, by a resolution of the Associa- 
tion, to qualify as a member by signing the By-Laws and paying 
the initiation-fee, dues, and assessments. 
Sec. 6. Each member who has regularly qualified as such by 
signing the By-Laws, paying the initiation-fee, current dues and 
assessments, shall be entitled to receive a certificate of member- 
ship, which certificate shall be in the following form : 
Certificate of Membership of the New York County 
Medical Association. 
This is to certify that is a member 
in good standing of the New York County Medical Asso- 
ciation, having been duly elected at a meeting 
of the Association held ,18 . 
, Recording Secretary. Presidents 
[l. s.] 
New York City, 18 . 10 
The person mentioned in this certificate has this day resigned 
his membership and has thereby relinquished all right and title 
to any share in the property of the Association. 
Recording Secretary. 
New York City, 18 . 
The person mentioned in this certificate has this day been 
again received into full membership in the Association. 
Recording Secretary. 
New York City, 18 . 
Sec. 7. A member removing from the County or desiring to 
resign his membership shall send to the Recording Secretary 
his resignation in writing, by which act he severs his connection 
with the Association. If the dues and assessments of the mem- 
ber resigning be paid in full to the date of his resignation, the 
Recording Secretary shall, at the request of such member, 
endorse upon his certificate of membership the fact and date of 
the resignation and shall return the certificate so endorsed to 
the member, who shall then be considered as having formally 
resigned from the Association and as having relinquished all 
right and title to any share in the property of the Association. 
Sec. 8. No member shall be permitted to resign while his 
dues and assessments or any part thereof remain unpaid or 
while he is under charges which may lead to his expulsion, 
unless he be permitted to resign by special resolution of the 
Association. 
Sec. 9. Each and every resignation shall be reported by the 
Recording Secretary at the next succeeding stated meeting of 
the Association. 
Sec. 10. An application for reinstatement to membership in 
the Association shall be submitted to and considered by the 
Executive Committee in the same manner as an original appli- 
cation for membership; except that, on the presentation of a 
duly authenticated certificate of former membership, together 
with satisfactory evidence of good professional standing during 
the time following the resignation of former membership, pay- 
ENDORSEMENT. ment of the initiation-fee shall not be required when the former 
member is reinstated. In case of the reinstatement of a former 
member, the Recording Secretary shall endorse upon the certif- 
icate of former membership the fact and date of reinstatement. 
Sec. 11. No former member who has been expelled or who 
has been dropped from membership for non-payment of dues or 
assessments can be reinstated according to the provisions of Sec- 
tion 10 of this Article ; but such former member may be re- 
elected according to the provisions for the election of members, 
if his back dues and assessments be paid in full up to the date 
when his previous membership had ceased. 
11 
ARLICLE V. 
ETHICS AND THE DISCIPLINE OF MEMBERS. 
Sec. 1. The Code of Ethics of the American Medical Asso- 
sociation shall be the ('ode of Ethics of this Association. 
Sec. 2. The Executive Committee shall hear all complaints 
against a member or members, of violation of its Code of 
Ethics, and shall decide all questions of medical ethics sub- 
mitted to them by the Association. They shall notify to appear 
before them any and every member against whom a charge or 
charges have been preferred. With the said notification to appear 
before them, they shall furnish to the accused member a copy 
of the charge or charges made against him. They shall also 
notify the accusing member or members to be present with the 
member against whom the charge or charges have been made, 
when the said charge or charges shall be carefully investigated. 
The Committee shall decide upon the said charge or charges 
at as early a day as practicable and shall report their decision 
to the Association at the stated meeting next succeeding the 
day on which their decision shall have been made. In case the 
accused or accusing members, or both, be not present at the 
time appointed for the investigation, the Committee may, at 
their pleasure, either adjourn the investigation once, and once 
only, for a period not longer than one month, or they may de- 
cide upon the charge or charges at the time first appointed for 
the investigation and report their decision to the Association ; 
provided, always, that the accused member shall be entitled to 
one such adjournment upon his personal or written application 
for the same to the Committee. 12 
Sec. 3. The Executive Committee shall investigate all ap- 
parently flagrant violations of medical ethics by a member, such 
as improper publications that come to their knowledge or are 
brought to their notice in any way. They shall investigate such 
apparent violations in the same manner as provided for in Sec- 
tion 2 of this Article, except that it shall not be necessary that 
any formal charge or charges be made by a member. 
Sec. 4. A charge against a member shall be made in writing, 
signed by the member or members making the charge, en- 
closed in a sealed envelope endorsed, "Charges against a mem- 
ber/' and shall be sent to the Corresponding and Statistical 
Secretary, to be by him presented to the Executive Committee 
at its next regular or special meeting. 
Sec. 5. The only kind and degree of discipline of members, 
except the dropping of names from the list of members for non- 
payment of dues and assessments, shall be expulsion from the 
Association. 
Sec. 6. A member can be expelled only at a stated meeting 
of the Association, upon recommendation of such action by the 
Executive Committee, and then by an affirmative vote of a 
majority of the members present and voting. 
ARTICLE VI. 
INITIATION-FEE, DUES, AND ASSESSMENTS. 
Sec. 1. The initiation-fee shall be five dollars, and the 
annual dues for each current year, payable in advance after each 
annual meeting, shall be two dollars. 
Sec. 2. The annual dues of members elected at the stated 
meetings in October, November, and December shall begin 
with the current year next following the date of their election 
as members; but such members, after payment of the initiation- 
fee and signing the By-Laws, shall immediately be entitled to 
all the privileges of membership. 
Sec. 3. The Executive Committee may, at their discretion, 
make an assessment or assessments upon members, such assess- 
ment or assessments not to exceed three dollars for each mem- 
ber for any one current year. 
Sec. 4. The Treasurer, in his annual report for each year, 
shall read the names of all members whose dues or assessments 
or both for the past year are unpaid. He shall send notices to- 13 
the usual addresses of such members before the next stated 
meeting of the Association, that they will be dropped from the 
list of membership unless their indebtedness to the Association 
be paid in full before the stated meeting in April. At the stated 
meeting in April in each year, the Treasurer shall read the 
names of those who have failed to pay their indebtedness for 
the past current year, and such members shall thereby forfeit 
their membership in the Association. 
Sec. 5. Members whose dues and assessments are not fully 
paid shall not be candidates for any official position in the 
Association nor shall they be entitled to vote in its executive 
sessions. 
ARTICLE VII. 
DELEGATES TO OTHER MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES. 
Sec. 1. All delegates to other Medical associations or socie- 
ties shall be appointed at the proper time and for the proper 
period by the Executive Committee, and the Committee shall 
fill all vacancies in the number of such delegates. 
Sec. 2. Delegates to other Medical associations or societies 
shall be required to carry out, in their representative capacity, 
the views and wishes of the Association; and such delegates 
shall act in strict accordance with the instructions of the Asso- 
ciation. Any action taken by a delegate or delegates, in 
willful opposition to the instructions of the Association, shall 
render such delegate or delegates liable to expulsion from 
membership in the Association, under the provisions of Sec. 
6 of the Article relating to ''Ethics and the Discipline of 
Members." 
Sec. 3. The Association may or may not, at its pleasure, 
instruct its delegates ; but all instructions to delegates shall be 
in the form of a resolution or resolutions passed at an annual, 
stated, or special meeting. 
ARTICLE VIII. 
Sec. 1. The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be 
held on the third Monday in January of each year. 
Sec. 2. The annual meetings shall be conducted in accord- 
ance with the rules of order of the Association, except as re- 
gards the order of business. 
ANNUAL MEETINGS. 14 
Sec. 3. The following shall be the order of business for the 
annual meetings: 
I. Reading of the minutes of the previous stated meeting. 
II. Appointment by the President of three Inspectors of 
Election and the declaration by the President that 
the poll is open for the election of officers and of a 
member of the Executive Committee. 
III. Report of the Executive Committee. 
IV. Report of the Treasurer.. 
V. Reports of special committees. 
VI. Unfinished business. 
VII. New business. 
VIII. Adjournment. 
Sec. 4. The poll for the annual election shall remain open 
for one hour; or until every member present at the meeting has 
had an opportunity to vote, after which the poll shall be de- 
clared by the President to be closed and no additional votes shall 
be received. 
Sec. 5. On the first ballot, all the officers and one member of 
the Executive Committee to be elected shall be voted for upon 
one ticket,and the said officers and member of the Executive 
Committee shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast. 
Sec. 6. At the close of the poll, the Inspectors of Election 
shall immediately proceed to canvass the votes and shall, with- 
out delay, report the result of such canvass to the President, 
who shall then announce the result to the Association. If it 
should appear that no choice has been made in the case of one 
or more of the officers or of the member of the Executive Com- 
mittee, a new balloting for such as are still to be elected shall 
forthwith take place, the poll for which shall be kept open until 
all members present have had an opportunity to vote ; and such 
balloting shall be repeated until all the officers and the member 
of the Executive Committee shall be elected. At the second 
and at each succeeding ballot, the name of a candidate having 
the fewest number of votes shall be withdrawn. 
Sec. 7. Ballots folded in each other, blank votes, and ballots 
containing a greater number of names than the number of offi- 
cers and the member of the Executive Committee to be elected 
shall be rejected by the Inspectors. 15 
Sec. 8. The regular order of business may proceed during 
balloting and the canvass by the Inspectors or the Association 
may direct that the regular order be temporarily suspended, at 
any time, for the purpose of facilitating the election. 
Sec. 9. No member who has been recommended by the Ex- 
ecutive Committee and elected at any annual meeting shall be 
permitted to vote at the same annual meeting. 
Sec. 10. All the proceedings of the annual meetings shall 
take place in executive session. 
ARTICLE IX. 
STATED MEETINGS. 
Sec. 1. The stated meetings of the Association shall take 
place on the third Monday in February, March, April, May, 
June, October, November, and December of each year. 
Sec. 2. The following shall be the order of business for the 
stated meetings: 
I. Calling of the meeting to order in open session. 
II. The scientific paper or papers of the evening, with the 
discussions of the said paper or papers. 
III. The presentation of specimens, and voluntary com- 
munications 
IV. Motion that the Association go into executive session. 
V. Minutes of the last meeting. 
VI. Report of the Executive Committee and the election of 
new members. 
VII. Report of the Treasurer. 
VIII. Report of the Corresponding and Statistical Secretary. 
IX. Reports of special committees. 
X. Unfinished business. 
XI. New business. 
XII. Adjournment. 
Sec. 3. At the stated meeting in February of each year, the 
open session shall be devoted to an address to be delivered by 
the President. 
Sec. 4. At the stated meeting in December of each year, 
nominations of officers and of the member of the Executive 
Commitete to be elected shall be in order immediately after 
the reports of officers and of committees. 16 
Sec. 5. In the open sessions of the Association, it is not 
intended to exclude practitioners of medicine, medical students, 
or other proper persons, who are not members ; and the Presi- 
dent or any member through the President may invite any 
one present who is not a member of the Association to partici- 
pate in the discussions during the open sessions, provided that 
no objection be made by a member present. 
Sec. 6. All persons not members of the Association shall be 
excluded from the meetings during the executive session. 
ARTICLE X. 
SPECIAL MEETINGS. 
Sec. 1. At the written request of fifteen members or at 
the request of the Executive Committee, the President or the 
Executive Committee shall call a special meeting of the Asso- 
ciation ; but in all cases the call for a special meeting and 
the notices to members of such meeting shall be accompanied 
with a statement of the object or objects of the meeting, and 
no business other than that so specified shall be transacted at 
such special meeting. 
Sec. 2. Except as otherwise provided, special meetings shall 
be conducted in accordance with the " Rules of Order" of the 
Association. 
ARTICLE XI. 
RULES OF ORDER. 
Rule 1. Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum for the 
transaction of business in executive session, and the presiding 
officer shall declare any meeting in executive session adjourned 
when it appears that a quorum is no longer present; but a 
meeting may be called to order in open session when a quorum 
is not present. 
Rule 2. In the absence of the President and Vice-Presi- 
dent, the meeting may elect any member present to act as Pres- 
ident pro tempore. 
Rule 3. When a motion is under debate, no motion shall 
be received except motions to adjourn, to lay on the table, for 
the previous question, to postpone, to refer, or to amend, which 17 
several motions shall have precedence in the order in which 
they are enumerated in this Rule. 
Rule 4. Motions to adjourn, to lay on the table, and for 
the previous question, shall be decided without debate. 
Rule 5. During the open sessions, a motion to go into exec- 
utive session shall be in order at any time except while a mem- 
ber has the floor, and such motion shall be decided without 
debate. 
Rule 6. Every member present at a meeting shall vote on 
all questions in executive session, unless excused from voting 
by the President, with the consent of the meeting. 
Rule 7. The ayes and nays on any question, when called 
for by five members present, shall be decided without debate 
and recorded in full in the minutes. 
Rule 8. After a question has been decided, except one of 
indefinite postponement, any two members who voted with the 
majority may, at the same or at the next stated meeting, move 
for a reconsideration thereof, without which no discussion of 
such question shall be allowed. 
Rule 9. Every member shall have the right to speak once 
on any question under consideration, but not oftener, unless by 
permission of the meeting. 
Rule 10. All questions of order not provided for in these 
Rules shall be determined in accordance with the rules of order 
embodied in Cushing's " Manual of Parliamentary Practice." 
ARTICLE XII. 
Sec. 1. Amendments, alterations, or additions to these By- 
Laws may be made by a two-thirds" vote of the members voting 
at an annual meeting or at any stated meeting ; provided that 
notice of such amendments, alterations, or additions shall have 
been presented in writing at the stated meeting immediately 
preceding, and that a copy of such amendments, alterations, or 
additions shall have been'sent to each member, with the notice 
for the meeting at which they are to be considered. 
AMENDMENTS. 18 
Sec. 2. Notice of amendments, alterations, or additions to 
the By-Laws may be given at any annual meeting, the same to 
be acted upon at the next succeeding stated meeting. 
Sec. 3. These By-Laws may be temporarily suspended at 
any annual or stated meeting during such meeting by a three- 
fcurths' vote of the members present and voting ; but they shall 
not be suspended at any special meeting.