January 15, 1951 The Hubbard Dianetic
Research Foundation, Inc., was accused of operating a school for treatment
of disease without a license in a complaint by the State Board of Medical
Examiners docketed today in Part I of District Court. The complaint was
served on C. Parker Morgan, 275 Morris avenue, registered agent. The Board, acting
through attorney general Theodore D. Parsons, specifically charged that
the foundation violated R.S. 18:20-18. The foundation is required to file
an answer by Thursday. Otherwise the state may move for a judgment. The
act provides for a penalty of $500. The foundation propounds
a theory its supporters claim to be a simple, scientific cure to mental
illness. In a 400-page book outlining the theory, L. Ron Hubbard, an Elizabeth
resident, claims unqualifiedly that the "hidden sources of all psychosomatic
ills and human aberration have been discovered and skills have been developed
for their invariable cure." Opposition to the
movement has been strong among certain psychiatric and psychological groups,
who claim it does harm to the mentally ill by its oversimplification and
its promises. The act cited in
the District Court case differs somewhat from the section under which
most prosecutions for practicing medicine unlawfully are instituted. It
says:
Judge Milton A. Feller
directed that, conforming to practice giving the State preference in complaints
in this category, an early date be assigned for hearings. |