102 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 



injury, for the recorder may have forgotten to 

 make that record, especially in the case of small 

 bones. Or the omission may be due to the fact 

 that the surgeon has not discovered it, because 

 of his neglect. The fact that he records "no bones 

 broken" is positive evidence as to his findings. 

 Evidence of former injury should also be record- 

 ed. It sometimes happens that unprincipled liti- 

 gants charge old injuries against recent accidents. 



76. Amount of Compensation. The law im- 

 plies an obligation to pay the reasonable value of 

 medical services.^'^ In an action for services of a 

 veterinarian, plaintiff is entitled to recover ordi- 

 nary and reasonable charges usually made for 

 such services by members of the same profession 

 of similar standing, but it is not admissible to 

 show what the plaintiff charged another person for 

 similar services, according to the opinion of a 

 southern court. ^^ While this might be a correct 

 ruling relative to unusual cases, it would seem 

 not to be justified where his charges are generally 

 kno'W'Ti in the community, or where his fee bill is 

 printed, as on his billheads. 



In an Arkansas case invoh'ing damages the at- 

 tending surgeons were instrumental in effecting 

 a compromise, but they were nevertheless forced 

 to bring action for their sendees. The court said 

 that where no amount has been agreed upon, each 

 side may introduce evidence as to the value of 

 the services, but it is an error to introduce evi- 

 dence that the surgeons were instrumental in ef- 



-" Herndon v. City of Spring- =' Marshall v. Bahnsen, 1 Ga. 



field, 137 Mo. App. 513, 119 App. 485, 57 S. E. 1006. 

 S. W. 467. 



