185 Wis. 513 | Wis. | 1925
It will be noted that the jury found that the defendant failed to exercise such reasonable care and skill as was usually possessed and exercised by physicians and surgeons who specialized in the treatment of the eye, etc., (a) by failing to properly use the instruments and the means employed by him in such a way as to ascertain the nature of the injury to Mr. Kosak’s eye; and (b) by failing to use the X-ray in ascertaining the nature of the injury to Mr. Kosak’s eye. Appellant maintains that there is no evidence to support these findings. We shall not discuss whether the evidence supports the finding that the defendant failed to properly use the instruments and the means employed by him in such a way as to ascertain the nature of the injury to Mr. Kosak’s eye further than to say that the fine particle of steel which was subsequently located and removed from the eye was evidently a very illusive object, as is evidenced by the fact that it required several examinations on the part of Dr. Davis to discover anything resembling a foreign substance in the eye and thereafter two or three X-ray plates to confirm what was formerly little more than a suspicion in the mind of Dr. Davis. We should hesitate to say that under all the circumstances in the case a finding convicting Dr. Boyce of negligence in the use of the opthalmoscope was justified.
The evidence shows that the X-ray is sometimes necessarily employed for the purpose of locating foreign substances in the eye. Although the X-ray is used in not to exceed four per cent, of the cases, according to the testimony in this case, it does indicate that the opthalmoscope cannot be infallibly relied on for that purpose, and the mere fact, standing alone, that Dr. Boyce failed to locate the foreign substance in the plaintiff’s eye by the use of the opthalmoscope does not necessarily indicate that he was negligent in the use thereof, especially in view of the difficulty experienced by Dr. Davis in locating the foreign substance by the same means. But we do think the evidence justifies
According to the testimony the X-ray is employed as a sort of last resort, and its use is rather infrequent. It is used only in from two to four per cent, of the cases of eye injuries. The frequency of its use varies somewhat among the practitioners, and whether its use is necessary depends to no little extent upon the judgment of the practitioner. Whether it should be used depends upon the satisfaction which the opthalmoscopic examinations give to the examiner. The use of the X-ray is somewhat expensive, and the expense must be justified. Notwithstanding this, it was testified to by Dr. Abaly, an expert witness produced in behalf of the plaintiff, that under the circumstances of this case an X-ray picture of the eye should have been taken. Some criticism is made of Dr. Abaly’s testimony by the appellant’s attorneys because, due to the form of the question propounded to him, he was made to say that he would .have caused an X-ray picture to be taken — the criticism being that this does not amount to testimony that the exercise of such reasonable care and skill as was usually possessed and exercised by physicians and surgeons who specialized in the treatment of the eye, and who were of good standing, and of the same school of practice, in the vicinity of Madison, •having due regard to the advanced state of medical and surgical science, required the talcing of an X-ray picture. However, we think that a consideration of Dr. Abaly’s testimony as a whole indicates that such was the effect of his testimony. While Dr. Seaman and Dr. Briggs, produced as expert witnesses on behalf of the defendant, on direct examination testified that the exercise of reasonable care and skill did not require the taking of an X-ray picture of the eye, upon cross-examination they very much receded from this position. They conceded that far greater importance should have been attached to the repeated assertions of the plaintiff
Then it also appears that Dr. Boyce was thoroughly satisfied from his examinations that the cornea had not been perforated, and as a foreign substance could not enter the lens or any other part of the eye without perforating the cornea he was quite convinced that there was nothing in the eye. His testimony is that the examinations he made would have revealed a perforation of the cornea if there had been one. On the other hand, Dr. Davis testified that it was sometimes impossible to discover a perforation of the cornea. If the latter be the case, it would seem to render a most thorough examination for the purpose of discovering whether a foreign substance is in the eye more imperative. We think that the testimony of all the experts might well have left the impression with the jury that the exercise of ordinary care and skill under the circumstances of this case did require the use of the X-ray to ascertain the nature of the injury to plaintiff’s eye. We feel that the answer of the jury in this respect must stand.
But we cannot sustain the finding of the jury that the extent of Mr. Kosak’s disability and the impairment of his eyesight was increased as a natural and probable result of the failure of Dr. Boyce to exercise such reasonable care and skill. The testimony of defendant’s expert witnesses is to
There is, however, another element of damages for which there is support in the evidence. According to the plaintiff’s testimony he suffered much pain until the piece of steel was removed on the 8th day of April. It is apparent that he would have been spared this pain had the removal taken place at an earlier date. We see no reason why this element of damages is not the proximate result of the defendant’s negligence, for the amount of which the plaintiff is entitled to judgment. It is desirable to avoid a retrial of this action, if possible. To that end we have decided to give the defendant, upon the return of the record to the lower court, the option of submitting to a judgment in favor of plaintiff for $500 or a new trial. We believe that this is the most that a jury would award for the pain and suffering sustained by the plaintiff as the proximate result of the defendant’s negligence. The evidence that he did sustain pain and suffering is confined to his own testimony, as both Dr. Boyce, and Dr. Davis testified that he did not complain of any pain, and it further appears that he continued at work until the removal of the piece of steel on April 8th. As this is an element of damages not compensable under the workmen’s compensation act, no deductions from said $500 should be made under the provisions of sub. (3), sec. 2394 — 25, Stats., for any amount paid to the plaintiff by his employer under the provisions of the workmen’s compensation act.
This disposition of the case makes it unnecessary to discuss the alleged errors of .procedure urged as grounds for reversal by the appellant. We shall, however, take this occasion to discuss one or two for the future guidance of trial courts and the bar.
The appellant makes complaint concerning the form of the verdict. It will be noted that the second question of the special verdict submits to the jury two elements of negli
The appellant further complains that in view of the fact that three questions of the special verdict are answered by less than a unanimous vote of the jury, it cannot be ascertained from an inspection of such answers whether the same ten jurors agreed on all of them. This is urged as reversal. This matter was considered in Dick v. Heisler, 184 Wis. 77, 198 N. W. 734, and it was there held that it
By the Court. — The judgment is reversed, and the cause remanded with instructions to grant a new trial, unless within thirty days after the filing of the record in the circuit court the defendant serves notice upon the plaintiff’s attorneys and files the same with the clerk of the court that he elects to permit judgment to be rendered against him in the sum of five hundred ($500) dollars.