"CANCER CURERS."

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 267, 10 November 1934, Page 14

"CANCER CURERS."

QUACKS DENOUNCED. "PREYING ON FALSE HOPES." CORONER'S CONDEMNATION. An indictment of "unqualified and unskilled people who held themselves out as being able to cure cancer" was made by Mr. Ingleby Oddie, the Westminster coroner, last month. Mr. Oddie had before him the case of an elderly woman who died from cancer after being treated for four and a half months, at an inclusive fee of seven guineas a week, by David Rees Evans. Addressing the jury, Mr. Oddie observed: "It is well that such persons as Mr. Roes Evans should know the risk they arc running." "Of course," lie continued, "during the last 100 years or so (here have been many rases of this kind—many cases where these quacks, of whom there are a great many in the country—have failed in what they have undertaken to do, and action has been brought against them to recover damages in civil courts. Complete Ignorance. "You see how serious the responsibility is of people of Rees Evans' class, because he is completely ignorant of medicine and surgery, and has no real knowledge of diseases and no scientific •knowledge of cancer. Yet he holds himself as able to cure a disease which has baffled the whole world. "If he had a secret remedy which would cure cancer, ought he not to hand it over to the numerous sufferers from this terrible disease. He docs not do so. He maintains it as a secret .and keeps it to himself. He claims it to be beneficial." Mr. Oddie then explained that to return a verdict of manslaughter the jury would have to be satisfied that Rees Evans' treatment had either caused death or accelerated death. "In this case,' , he went on, "there is no question about the good faith of Evans. He believes he has got hold of something which 'can cure cancer. In that belief he administered his 'quack remedy. Doctors have never heard of any external application of paint' that would effect a cure in cancer.

"There is one thing that is absent in this case— that is evidence to show that Ree<s Evans shortened the woman's life. I asked Dr. Taylor—an experienced pathologist—whether he could say the application of the unknown fluid would, in fact, accelerate death, aud he eaid, 'I cannot say.' '"You are entitled to express your views in the form of a vider as to the propriety or impropriety of a man like Rees Evans practising this so-called cancer cure. 'No Philanthropist.* "Another point is that the woman was a free agent, and could walk out if she wanted to. It is also true to say that Mr. Roes Evans is no philanthropist. What he has done ho hae done for money. He has 28 guineas coming in every week, and cannot pose as a general benefactor. • "You may feel that it is deplorable that this so-called cure is useless, even if it does not do harm. But it preye on the false hopes which it creates for these poor people suffering from this terrible scourge for the purpose of making money. "He buoys up false hopes and intervenes between them and surgical treatment, with which they are doing so much ill these days." In conclusion, the coroner said he did not see anything in the evidence which he could direct to the jury's attention which showed that Eees Eyane' treatment did, in fact, accelerate or cause death.

Jury's Reconsideration. After an absence of a quarter of an hour the jury returned. The Coroner: Have you come to a conclusion? The Foreman: Manslaughter. The Coroner: Did you appreciate what I said that there was no evidence that Rees Evans , treatment accelerated death ? The Foreman: Eight of us came to that conclusion, and one- said, "Grose negligence," which is the earne thing. We had the evidence and the pain'she had suffered. The Coroner: The pain does not necessarily shorten life. If it lias not been shown that her life was shortened, I don't see how you can return that verdict. We have not crot, any evidence that life was shortened. The Foreman: That its our opinion after hearing the evidence. The Coroner: You must show that he did something that directly accelerated death. I can eee no evidence of that, although he probably did no good. You have sworn to come to your verdict on the evidence, and you lmiet come to it on the evidenco and not by prejudice. Will you please reconsider? After a further ton minutes' absence the foreman returned, carrying a slip of paper, which he handed to the coroner. "You now decide," said the coroner, "that death was due to cancer—that is to say, natural causes—accelerated by lack of treatment, and I quite agree. In your rider you condemn the interference and negligence of Rece Evans' treatment." The Foreman: Yes.