RETRIAL OF MAREO

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 140, 15 June 1936, Page 11

RETRIAL OF MAREO

WELLINGTON DOCTOR

OPINIONS FOR DEFENCE

(By Telegraph—Fress Association.)

. AUCKLAND, This Day. : Keen public interest, was shown when the retrial of Eric Marco, ■ charged with murdering his wife, • Thelma Clarice Mareo, entered its second week this morning. Ernest William Giesen, medical practitioner, of Wellington, gave evidence that in the course of his practice he had acquired knowledge of the barbituric group drugs. He had experienced one case of veronal poisoning in which 250 grains had been taken and was familiar with the circumstances of the Mareo case. After Mareo was committed for trial from the lower court, he had read all the depositions and had advised the defence from time to time before the first trial. . During the last few days he had perused the evidence of several principal witnesses. "I am still of the same opinion now as I was in January," said witness. "I have studied the literature on barbiturics and veronal generally. I would accept the statements of Dr. Gilmour relating to the average medicinal dose and the average fatal'dose. Usually veronal is taken to induce sleep, but occasionally it is taken by people during the day, although not prescribed like that by medical men. It would be taken by highly nervous, excitable people to calm them but for such cases bromide is usually prescribed." Witness added that it could be said that Mrs. Mareo was likely to be sus-

ceptible to drugs in view of what had

been said regarding her temperament. Published literature showed that people who took veronal automatically would take whatever was available. There was nothing striking about the evidence that Mrs. Mareo had taken not less than 100 grains. No inference could be drawn from the amount of veronal extracted after death from various organs. The literature stated

that the amount taken could be guessed at.but not determined. In none of the reported cases was he able to find any suggestion as to how an estimate could be formed. ESTIMATE OF DOSE. Dr. Giesen said he did not think the factors on which the Crown medical witnesses relied for the statement that Mrs. Mareo had a dose of 100 grains of veronal were sufficient, adequate, or reliable. The fact that 100 grains or more was a fatal dose did not help to estimate how much Mrs. Mareo had.

Referring to the nightdress and kimono which had been removed from Mrs. Mareo before Dr. Dreadon's arrival, witness said it was known that there must have been veronal in those garments. "We have one positive finding, the amount of veronal which the analyst actually found and weighed, and one finding which is unknown, the quantity in the garments sent to the analyst which he was never able to recover," said Dr. Giesen. "W,e cannot account for about one-eighth of what must have been in her body on the j basis of the evidence for the prosecution."

Dr. Giesen said that if Mrs. Mareo had undissolved veronal in the stomach on Saturday night the eilect of taking water, sal volatile and water, and hot milk would be to start the digestive processes which had been arrested and assist the solution of the undissolved veronal, tending to promote its ready absorption into the blood.

Witness said the statement that a person once .under a coma from veronal and rousing would not relapse except, after the administration of a further dose was not supported by reported cases. Witness believed Mrs. Mareo had veronal on the Friday night. It would be difficult to give veronal to an adult in full possession of his faculties without that person knowing that he was being given something. Assuming that the evidence of the Australian witness Whitington established that Mrs. Mareo knew the taste of veronal, she would undoubtedly have been aware what she was taking or getting. AUTOMATISM THEORY. Witness said he believed Mrs. Mareo had veronal on Saturday morning, because without it she would not have remained asleep until late on the Saturday evening. When she was found alongside her dressing table on the Saturday morning it was consistent with her seeking veronal, and witness I considered it a case of automatism. It did not follow that she took veronal at 8 o'clock. She might have got back to bed and got the veronal later. The time she lived after the Saturday morning until death, was consistent with her having taken a lethal dose that morning.

At this stage the Court adjourned for [unch.