100 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 
fact that a physician or surgeon has been called 
in an emergency, and has rendered a service, gives 
him no claim upon the future of the case. If the 
patient, or, in the veterinary practice, the owner 
of the animal injured, desires to make a change in 
attendant he has a perfect right so to do, but he 
should give notice thereof to the first attendant. 
That such a practice exists among corporations 
does not place an obligation upon other corpora- 
tions to do the same. Where it is a well known 
practice of a certain company to pay for first aid, 
‘ that practice should be considered as binding 
upon the company until it shall give due notice of 
a change of method; for acting upon the custom 
of that company the physician, surgeon, or veteri- 
narian might respond to a call and render service 
when he otherwise would not do so. 
Likewise, it is the custom of certain companies 
to employ their own medical and surgical attend- 
ants; and in case of emergency, no matter by whom 
ealled or notified, if the company surgeon attends, 
the company pays the bill; but if another surgeon 
be called the company does not pay the bill unless 
it shall be shown that the company was respons- 
ible for the accident. 
The call of the physician, surgeon, or veterina- 
rian may be made by a policeman or other officer 
of the city. This of itself does not imply that the 
city will pay the bill. Unless there be some defi- 
nite provision, either in the statutes of the state, 
the ordinance of the city, or the resolutions of the 
city council giving such officer authority to call 
such professional attendants, his act will be con- 
