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MEDICAL PRACTICE NOT TRADE TRADEWASHINGTON WASHINGTON D C Jul 26 The gov ¬ ernments antitrust suit against the Amer ¬ ican Medical Association and allied associa ¬ tions collapsed in District of Columbia Supreme Court today Justice James M Proctor ruled that in his opinion medical practice is not a trade within the meaning of Section Three of the Sherman Act The justices opinion tore down the governments case against the association the District Medical Society Harris County Medical So ¬ ciety of Houston Texas and the twentyone prominent physicians named as codefend ¬ ants The defendants named in the indict ¬ ment returned last December after nearly three months of deliberation by a specially impanelled grand jury were accused of act ¬ ing in restraint of trade in their fight against Washingtons pioneer medical cooperative the Group Health Association In my opin ¬ ion medical practice is not a trade within the meaning of section three of the Sher ¬ man Act 55 Justice Proctor said and in those few words he destroyed the framework for the indictment of organized medicine
