AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE

Evening Star, Issue 13014, 8 January 1907, Page 8

AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE

Curious evidence was given recently in the Southwark County Court during the hearing of a claim by Ellen ito It, a machinist, against a London bookbinding firm, for £125 damages under the Employers’ Liability Act tor injury to the middle finger of the left hand. The girl was at work on a binding machine, when, by reason of an alleged defect in the machine, the needle penetrated her finger. A piece of steel which broke off in the had to be extracted. A specialist called for the plaintiff said that, as a result of the iniurv, the finger had been lengthened by fivcC.i"hilts of an inch, and would be permanently staff. He knew of a case in which a. man had one log lengthened by 2Jin by an to the limb. The plaintiff’s private mcdioil adviser, Dr Judge, corroborated the specialist as to the increased length of the finger, and in cross-examination domed indignantly that ho laid worked hand in glove with a sohcw tor. A house surgeon r rom St, Bartholomew’s Hospital, called by the def “ d ““j®' declared that the finger was not lengthened. It had been unskilfully bound up, and m com tiff" only imagined that she could uot now use her finger. She had acted on su„„c--tion” that she could not use the huger and wUlo she remained in that slate of numl she would refuse to use it. Another doctor -dated that the girl’s pain was only “ suggestive- See she cried out.when he looked at the finger and before IZt H but T th= ’pontiff"™ subsequently awarded a Workmen s f n^ pcn.tsation Act- ine , l T t caused !, ir r ß fy Mo™7TL° bem! so m HSdl» continued under iho hospital treatment there would have been nothing to try.”