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Dr. Dan Currie, 111 Bradford Avenue

*Dr. George W. Fisher, Jr., 903 Hay Street

*Dr. George A. Levi, Corner Bragg Blvd. & Glenwood Dr.
Dr. W. A. Pittman, 446 Hay Street

Dr. John N. Robertson, 453 Hay Street
Franklin: Dr. Frank M. Killian, Box 435
Gastonia:

Davis, Dr. Jefferson, 155 S. York Street Dr. H. K. Herrin, 212 W. Second Street Goldsboro:

*Dr. James W. Bizzell, Borden Building

Dr. Marcus Edward Bizzell, Wayne Bank Bldg. *Dr. John L. Etherington, 910 Wachovia Bank Bldg. Grassy Creek: Dr. James Larkin Ballou

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Dr. W. M. B. Brown, State Bank Building
Dr. M. P. Hoot, 521 Evans Street

Henderson: Dr. C. H. White, 230 Orange Street
Hendersonville: Dr. F. B. Jones, Jr., Professional Bldg.
Hertford: Dr. I. S. Ward, Box 315

Hickory: Dr. H. W. Griffin, Box 2428

High Point:

Dr. O. B. Bonner, 649 N. Main Street

Dr. William B. Donald, 203 East Howell Street

Dr. F. W. Gross, 110 Church Street

Dr. MacLean B. Leath, N. Main Street (529)

Jacksonville: Dr. G. E. Gurganus, 237 New River Drive (New River Clinic) Kannapolis: *Dr. George T. Noel, 204 Cabarrus Bank Building

Kenly: Dr. Robert M. Olson, P.O. Box 126

Kinston:

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Dr. Harold Cranford, 23 West Third Street
Dr. J. C. Leonard, 15 E. Center Street

Dr. Charles R. Sharp, 23 W. Second Street
Lumberton:

Dr. George C. Allen, 2608 N. Elm Street

Dr. L. R. Hedgpeth, Box 1081, Medical Arts Bldg.

Mocksville Dr. Lester P. Martin, Box 512

Monroe: Dr. J. W. Ormand, Box 397

Morehead City: Dr. S. O. Thorne, Box 643

Morganton: Dr. G. M. Billings, 405 S. Sterling Street

Mt. Airy: Dr. R. E. Smith, 615 N. Main Street

Murphy: Dr. Frank Victor Taylor, Murphy Protestant Hospital

New Bern: *Dr. Alan Davidson, Box 1313

Newton: *Dr. Roy A. Stewart, 427 N. Main Street

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North Wilkesboro: Dr. William K. Newton, Wilkes Hospital, Box 191 Pink Hill: Dr. D. W. Ruffin

Raleigh:

Dr. James R. Pallew, 504 Professional Bldg. Dr. Hubert Haywood, 401 Professional Eldg. *Dr. V. M. Hicks, Sr., 201 Professional Fldg. Dr. V. M. Hicks, Jr., 201 Professional Fldg. *Dr. Thomas A. Martin, 1300 Brookside Dr. *Dr. George Thornhill, 720 W. Jones Street Dr. Hale Thornhill, 720 W. Jones Street Dr. Roger I. Wall, 329 Professional Eldg. Dr. John A. Wheliss, 1330 St. Mary's Street Dr. James Wright, 604 Professional Bldg. Reidsville: Dr. Charles P. Lewis

Roanoke Rapids:

Dr. Matthew S. Broun, P. O. Box 105 (606 Roanoke Ave.)
Dr. J. M. C. Covington, 201 Jackson Street

Rockingham:

Dr. Wm. G. Nicholson, Sr., Box 505 (505 E. Franklin St.)
Dr. Wm G. Nicholson, Jr., 505 E. Franklin Street

Rocky Mount:

Dr. C. W. Bailey, 147 N. E. Main Street
Dr. Lloyd Bailey, 147 N. E. Main Street
Dr. L. Ö. Stone, 224 Rose Street

Roxboro: Dr. David T. Long, 405 S. Main Street
Salisbury:

*Dr. Frank B. Cooper, 826 W. Henderson Street
Dr. J. R. Little, P. O. Box 1277

Dr. Frank McCutchan, 102 W. Innis Street (Box 1247)
Sanford: Dr. Roy G. Sowers, Box 333 (130 S. Steel St.)
Shelby: Dr. Julius Doar Johnson, 314 S. Washington Street
Siler City: Dr. G. C. Wrenn, 404 N. Holly Avenue

Smithfield: Dr. John H. Fitzgerald, Upchurch Building-retired
Southern Pines:

Dr. Pinkney J. Chester, W. Broad Street

Dr. George W. Heintsh, 125 E. Pennsylvania Avenue

Statesville:

Dr. A. J. Causey, 310 N. Center Street

Dr. J. R. Stewart, Davis Hospital

Tarboro: Dr. W. K. McDowell, 300 St. Patrick Street
Tryon: *Dr. Eunice Stockwell, Box 668

Warrenton: Dr. Thomas Holt, 110 Fairview Street
Washington:

Dr. James B. Hawes, Professional Bldg.

*Dr. E. W. Larkin, Jr., 211 North Market Street Weaverville: Dr. J. C. Bradley

Wilmington:

*Dr. Elbert C. Anderson, 806 Murchison Bldg.
Dr. Paul A. Black, 419 Chestnut Street

Dr. J. D. Freeman, 1004 Murchison Bldg.

*Dr. Raymond F. Grove, 905 Murchison Bldg.

Dr. David B. Sloan, 201 N. Front Street (Box 277) Wilson: Dr. J. H. Meadows, 201 National Bank Bldg. Winston-Salem:

Dr. Fielding Combs, 522 Nissen Bldg.

*Dr. Belmont A. Helsabeck, 324 Reynolds. Bldg.
*Dr. L. Byerly Holt, 208-209 Reynolds Bldg.
Dr. Beverly W. Jones, 310 O'Hanlon Bldg.
*Dr. Winston Roberts, N.C. Baptist Hospital

*Dr. William P. Speas, Reynolds Building

*Dr. Richard G. Weaver, N.C. Baptist Hospital

*Dr. John D. Wilsey, Nissen Building (310 W. Fourth St.)

American Board Diplomates.

NEGRO PHYSICIANS

Dr. Robert Dawson, 512 Simmond St., Durham, N.C.

Dr. Mason C. Quick, 113% Gillespie Street, Fayetteville, N.C.
Dr. W. J. Wheeler, 910 N. 4th Street, Wilmington, N.C.

Dr. Roy Wynn, 4221⁄2 E. 2nd Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Mr. WHITENER. Another thing, I note in Dr. Lang's letter that he

says:

Our representatives will be happy to appear at a hearing if you will allow us, and let me assure you of our sincere thanks for your fairness.

I wonder if you think in view of all the noise made about the North Carolina Commission on the Blind report, it would be well to ask Dr. Lang and the North Carolina Society to testify? They are very much concerned about this act which they construe as blackening the name of the optometrists in North Carolina.

Mr. Dowdy. Of course, I firmly believe in the right of people to be heard. I believe they are being heard on this. If he still wants to be heard and has something material to add to the hearings, we will get in touch with them and ask them to appear.

Mr. WHITENER. If it is up to the committee, I do think, I believe these gentlemen will agree that the men in North Carolina feel very strongly about this matter. I am sure that you have had contact with them and you probably agree they would like to be heard. Dr. WARREN. If you know Gideon, which I assume you dothat is Dr. Lang-I am sure that he feels very much upset about the blackening of the fair name in North Carolina. However, I wonder if it is really necessary now that it has been explained by his letter in the other facts. I understand time is now becoming somewhat of an element. To bring Dr. Lang up from North Carolina may delay the progress of the bill.

Mr. WHITENER. I do not know that Dr. Lang would volunteer himself as a witness. They would send a representative from their society. They have had a meeting, according to the letter, down in Raleigh with an assistant Attorney General and with legal counsel who represents the Commission on the Blind and they would appear. Mr. DOWDY. Would you contact them to see if they want to appear?

MR. WHITENER. I think the clerk of the committee should do that. Mr. Dowdy. If he wants to come and within a reasonably short time.

(Subsequently, the Clerk extended an invitation to Dr. Lang to appear before the subcommittee, if he so desired, and the following letter was received from Dr. Lang:)

NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN OPTOMETRY,
Concord, N.C., June 4, 1966.

Hon. JAMES T. CLARK,

Clerk, Committee on the District of Columbia,
House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.

DEAR Mr. CLARK: Your kind letter of the 31st of May has been received. I appreciate very much the offer of a "Hearing" by the committee.

In view of the fact that Mr. Whitener presented the letter which I sent in relation to information presented before the committee by the D.C. Medical Society, and in view of presentation of the documents which I sent which showed the true picture here in North Carolina, I do not feel that it is necessary for us to appear on this matter.

The North Carolina State Optometric Society and the Board of Examiners do appreciate the opportunity afforded, but to prolong the "Hearings" would only add to the burden of the Committee.

We are interested in having the Committee to know the facts as they exist. I want you to know that we optometrists in North Carolina are very interested in what happens in the District, and it is our hope that a bill will come forth from the Committee which will help the profession present to the public a more professional situation in the District.

Please express my personal appreciation to the Chairman, Mr. Dowdy, and to the Committee for the opportunity afforded. I am sure that Mr. Whitener presented the facts in a fair and just manner.

If for some reason, the Committee needed our testimony, then we would be glad to come.

Sincerely yours,

Mr. SISK. Mr. Chairman.

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I have just one other thing I would like to pursue briefly. First let me express appreciation to the board and say I am very appreciative for your gentlemen coming this morning because there has been some question raised from time to time in our deliberations in the committee about how much local interest there was.

Of course, I felt there was very strong local interest prior to my introduction of the legislation which is under review. I recognize that as things have developed that you people were a little bit under wraps since you do serve more or less at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners and nothing I say here is intended to be critical of the Board of Commissioners. It does seem to me, as I understand this past history-and I think Dr. Ephraim outlined what happened here a year or a year and a half ago-in order to send down a bill locally here, it was pretty well gutted from the standpoint of doing anything in the opinion of you gentlemen who serve the welfare of the people in the District with reference to eye care.

I would like to explore just briefly with you your ideas on the whole problem of corporate practice and what I believe to be the evils inherent in that. You may agree or disagree.

You cited several cases here dealing with one company. Dr. Warren, in your experience here in the District where corporate practice seems to prevail to some extent, even though there may be some cases where the corporation let us say has a little higher standard of ethics, but is it your opinion that advertising in the corporate practice lends itself to this kind of evil?

Dr. WARREN. Yes, sir. As I stated before, when the corporation controls the license then in effect you have some practicing optometrist who does not have a legal license. This is the way we feel. This was also tested in court back in the thirties. We have had to live with the decision called Silver v. Lansburgh ever since. They felt that our law was so weak that they were unable to outlaw corporate practice which was the intent of Silver v. Lansburgh. Silver was president of the board at that time and Lansburgh's had optometrists employed there. They sort of pulled the name out of the hat and picked on Lansburgh's. All the corporations joined in and defended and it was carried to the appellate level. Still the optometrists lost. This has been a recurring problem all the way along.

Mr. SISK. In other words, what you are saying is that any time in any profession-I think it would seem to me it would be true in the profession of optometry or dentistry or any of the medical professions

or even professions other than that-in other areas, when the situation is such that a corporation or corporate entity becomes the responsible party rather than the individual professional man it tends to weaken the reassurance of the public of getting professional care?

Dr. WARREN. That is right.

Mr. SISK. Is that a fair statement?

Dr. WARREN. Yes, sir.

Mr. SISK. I think that is all, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. DowDY. I do not know whether you have been furnished a copy. I do not think I have seen all of the amendments proposed to this bill. Has your board been furnished a copy of the amendments?

Dr. EPHRAIM. No, sir.

Mr. DOWDY. Is that available?

Dr. WARREN. Are you talking about the Commissioners' amendments?

Dr. DowDY. Proposed amendments to this bill.

Dr. EPHRAIM. We have the amendments proposed in the hearings. We have a record of the hearings where proposed changes were made. Mr. DOWDY. You have that?

Dr. EPHRAIM. Yes, sir.

Mr. DOWDY. Have you examined them?

Dr. EPHRAIM. Yes, sir.

Mr. DowDY. I do not mean for you to express an opinion on each of them right now, but you might, if it is not too big a burden, in writing present your opinion on those proposed amendments.

As I understand the discussions you have various problems, various amendments and suggestions that are well taken. Give us that information. It would be helpful.

Dr. EPHRAIM. Yes, sir.

Mr. Dowdy. I did not mean this question in any way except for finding information. Did either one of you ever practice for one of these corporations we are talking about?

Dr. EPHRAIM. I have.

Mr. DowDY. You might be able to answer the question better than the others. That was the reason I said that. How long ago was that? Dr. EPHRAIM. I first came to Washington in 1948. In 1950 I practiced first with the Kinsman Optical Company, which is a corporation.

Mr. DOWDY. What is the name?

Dr. EPHRAIM. Kinsman Optical Company.

Mr. DOWDY. A short time in 1950?

Dr. EPHRAIM. No, I was there for five years.

Mr. Dowdy. When an optometrist is practicing for a corporation, I assume that the situation would be the same in all cases, substantially all cases, does that optometrist keep patients' records the same as optometrists do in private practice?

Dr. EPHRAIM. No, sir. In those cases the firm felt the records belonged to the firm. In fact, one optometrist who is employed there before me left and the firm sued him to prevent his using the records.

Mr. DowDY. Kept?

Dr. EPHRAIM. They felt the records are the property of the corporation.

63-977 0-66- 20

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