PATHOLOGIST ON WITHES STUD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 135, 9 June 1936, Page 8

PATHOLOGIST ON WITHES STUD.

RETRIAL OF MAREO. MANY QUESTIONS ASKED. MRS. MAREO'S CONDITION. Detailed cross-examination of Dr. Walter Gilmour, pathologist to the Auckland Hospital, who drew couclu-"'--sjpns from the evidence of Miss Fred.i Stark Regarding Mrs. Marco's condition on the Saturday, night "oefore her death, was carried out to-day by chief counsel for the defence, when the retrial of Eric Mareo was continued before Mr. Justice C'allan in the Supreme Court. Mareo, . .-the well-known Auckland musician, aged 45, is charged with . the murder of his, wife, Thelma Clarice Mareo;'aged 29, by the administration of the drug veronal. Again to-day more interest in the trial was displayed by women than by men. ■ The case for the Crown,is being conducted by Mr. V, R. Meredith and Mr. F. McCarthy, while Mareo is defended by Mr. Humphrey O'Leary, K.C., of Wellington, Mr. Trevor Henry and Mr. K. C. Aekins. Automatism In Veronal. Mr. O'Leary's cross-examination of Dr. Gilmour was continued when the Court resumed. Dr. Gilmour said he knew there were cases reported of what was known as automatism in regard to veronal.

Mr. O'Lcary: That is, a person who lias taken veronal will get up before the effects have worn off, seek out the store of veronal; and take it, or a portion of it? —No, that is not my interpretation of automatism with regard to veronal. My interpretation is that if an individual takes a <lose of veronal lie intends to take another if that one has no effect.. ... If the first one fail-* to have effect, he takes a second dose, and this produces the effect on him that ho remembers that he is gpijlg to take another dose, but fails to remember that he; has already done so. , He goes on repeating this second dose, maybe until ho has finished-the supply. One layman giving veronal to another is not the same as one layman giving arsenic to another?— No. Up to the time of the conclusion of the first trial in this case, had you ever heard of a normal adult being murdered by the administration of veronal? —No, not of -any. human being. Dr. Gilmour knew there had been ■ rases of persons taking , drugs, and those in close association with them not knowing of it. In such pases the effects had sometimes been attributed to liquor Did you consider the possibility. of Mrs. Mareo beinrr at some time prior to Friday,-April 12, a veronal addict? — Yes; I thousrht it unlikely that she was such an addict. Drv Gilmour said he thought distinc•tion should be made between an addict : and: a person who took veronal regularlv ■" to,produce a night'e sleep. 'It was pos^ • fiible. for a. .pei'.sqn to) take veronal: for. medicinai' purposes .over a long ■pei'-iicjd wtthoafcvill effect. ._.;... ; v : ;V. -.. ', ~.,^ : that.it was"proved to your satisfaction that for some period be/or-; <virJy in 1933,' and' possibly later, .this .'ady was accustomed to taking veronal, . ivoiild it alter the opinions you have expressed oii this ' case?—No", because veronal differs from such drugs as. morphia and cocaine in that an .addict "can be broken of the habit of taking veronal without any craving continuing. It was not impossible that the person might return to veronal, however, said Dr. Gilmour. He knew it had been proved that Mareo had bought veronal for "sleeplessness, and, assuming, that Mrs. Mareo knew- veronal- arid its uses and came on its store, there was, nothing to prevent her from taking; it: .' , : .'.--" v Request from Jury. . ... -;,. v . : . While further cross-examination being carried out. the. foreman of thejury asked if the jury could look atStho. last page of evidence typed and whether they were entitled to • the whole of th depositions. His Honor pointed out that the practice of handing notes of evidence to the jury was not followed, but it was the duty of his Honor and counsel to clear anything up about, which the jury was not clear. At a later etage counsel would review the evidence, with great thoroughness, he had no doubt, and finally it would be his duty to address the jury. His Honor felt certain that matters would bo cleared up, and the foreman agreed. If Mrs. Mareo got a dose of veronal on the Friday night, it was capable of interpretation that it was an innocent dose given to help her to sleep, continued Dr. Gilmour, in answer to further questions. On the Saturday morning the pathologist was guided by Graham Mareo'e evidence, in which he stated he found Mrs. Mareo standing by the dressing table. That was open to two interpretationsr-tbat she was recovering from a dose on the Friday night or one civen on that Saturday morning. Witness was satisfied that Mrs. Mareo had veronal on Saturday morning at some time or other, otherwise lie could not explain her long sleep. Dr. Gilmour admitted that it wae possible that when Mrs. Marao was found at the open drawer of the dressing table she had already found some veronal which she had secreted and had taken it. Witness agreed that there was no evidence that Mrs. Mareo was in a coma on Saturday morning. Authority Quoted. ■ Much time was devoted, by Mr. O'Leary to a case quoted in Taylor's book on medical jurisprudence, in which, counsel suggested, a man showing signs of recovery from coma, ultimately died without a. further dose of veronal. Dr. Gilmour did not agree. He said the mar. could be roused only by stimulation, by slapping on the face. * The case wa? not in any way comparable with Mrs. Mareo's. In the case of Mrs. Mareo. Dr. Gilmour said .that if she had been left alone on the Saturday night she would have gone off to sleep again, but that it would have been easy to prevent her going off to sleep. The Court adjourned at 12.4? until 2.15 p.m.