(a) Any person who practices or pretends or attempts to practice or use the science or system of osteopathic medicine in treating diseases of the human body or any person who buys, sells or fraudulently obtains any diploma, certificate, license or record of registration to practice osteopathic medicine illegally obtained or signed or issued unlawfully or under fraudulent representation or who uses in any of the forms or letters, “osteopathy,” “osteopath,” “osteopathist,” “diplomate in osteopathy,” “D.O.,” “osteopathic physician,” “doctor of osteopathy,” or any other title or letters, either alone or with other qualifying words or phrases, under such circumstances as to induce the belief that the person who uses such term is engaged in the practice of osteopathic medicine without having complied with this chapter commits a Class B misdemeanor.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 63-9-109

  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any lawfully qualified osteopathic physician or surgeon in any other state meeting a registered osteopathic practitioner in the state of Tennessee for consultation.