LIABILITIES 71 



call it is presumed that the physician has agreed 

 to render such service as may be needed in a rea- 

 sonable care of the case. Unless there is an agree- 

 ment to the contrary, it depends then upon the 

 practitioner to determine when, how often, and 

 how long continued, he shall call upon the patient.^ 

 In determining whether a patient has sufficiently 

 recovered to require no further medical or surgical 

 attention, a physician is required to exercise rea- 

 sonable and ordinary care and skill, and to have 

 regard to, and take into account, the well settled 

 rules and principles of medical and surgical sci- 

 ence.* It is not, however, to be presumed that 

 having assumed the care of a case either that the 

 practitioner cannot surrender it, or that the re- 

 sponsible party may not discharge the medical 

 man; however, in either case it is presumed that 

 due and timely notice will be given.^ If a physi- 

 cian, or a veterinarian, desires to discharge him- 

 self from a case in which he is serving, his notice 

 should be given in sufficient time so that the serv- 

 ices of another may be secured. Reasonable notice, 

 then, would be very different according to cir- 

 cumstances. "A physician who undertakes the 

 treatment of a patient is bound to exercise not 

 only the skill required, but also care and attention 

 in attending his patient until he notifies the patient 

 that his professional relations are terminated. 

 * * * And when a physician is employed to 



3 Barbour v. Martin, 62 Me. E. A. 627, 38 Am. St. E. 17. 



536 ; Becker v. Janiski, 27 * Mucci v. Houghton, 89 Iowa 



Abb. N. C. 45, 15 N. Y. Sup. 608, 57 N. W. 305. 



675; Ebner v. Mackey, 186 111. s Lathrope v. Flood, 63 Pac. 



297 ; Lawson v. Conaway, 37 1007, 135 Cal. 458, 67 Pac. 683. 

 W. Va. 159, 16 S. E. 564, 18 L. 



