HERBALIST’S TRIAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 November 1930, Page 5

HERBALIST’S TRIAL

CONCLUDING STAGES

QUESTIONS FOR JURY

[PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] NEW PLYMOUTH, November 22. The trial of Salaman, the Indian herbalist, on the charge of manslaughter, was continued to-day. Wm. Blair Robertson, sheep-farmer, of Eltham, gave evidence that he took insulfn for diabetes for five years. On June 10, he visited the accused, who examined him with a stethoscope. He was given medicine. Accused did not say anything about taking insulin. He returned later and mentioned the insulin. Salaman said it did not matter as he had not taken it for 14 days before his visit. He received more medicine twice. It did no good. He returned to the insulin. Dr J. S. Church said he was called to see the child Christie after its death. He concluded that the boy died of diabetes coma.

Examined by Mr Weston, witness said that thirst was due to an excess of sugar in the blood. The stethoscope was useless in the diagnosis of kidney trouble. Adults could leave off insulin with less bad effects than children.

To Mr O’Leary: He did not see the boy .alive. His opinions were based on what he was told. Dr C. A. Taylor gave evidence that he had had considerable experience with diabetes at Dunedin, Auckland, and London. From the post mortem on the boy Christie, he considered that death was due to diabetic coma. Had he received treatment on the Friday the child would probably have recov ered, and possibly if treated on the Saturday. The child Macklej’ was taken to the hospital with coma, and received 120 units of insulin in 12 hours, and fluids and recovered. Detective P. Kearney described his visit to accused’s house.

Mr O’Leary intimated that he would not call evidence for the defence. The Court, adjourned till Monday.

CROWN PROSECUTOR’S ADDRESS

NEW PLYMOUTH, November 24. The trial of Wally Mahomed Salaman was continued this morning. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr C. H. Weston) addressed the jury, and said that the qualifications of the accused was not the issue. Anyone could practice and could charge for service, but could not Sue for fees. The questions for the jury were :(1) Did accused as Christie’s medical adviser have the conduct of the case of the boy? ( 2) Did his conduct of the case cause or accelerate the death of the boy? (3) Did such conduct show lack of skill and knowledge, or lack of care or

ioth. Counsel reviewed the evidence and

dealt on the fact that when insulin had been stopped, the boy was brought to accused, evidently in a coma. Salaman took no, action, when the case was evidently beyond him. SPEECH FOR DEFENCE. Mr. O’Leary, counsel for accused, in his address to the jury, submitted that the weakness of the Crown’s case lay in the fact that it placed alternate charges. The’evidence had not shown that Salaman was responsible for the boy’s death. The child had been given till his sixth year to live. He lived eight months beyond that. Concerning the medical evidence, Mr. O’Leary said that insulin had not been in use for more than seven years, and no system had been treated longer than that. It was possible that the child’s condition was the result 6f insulin losing its power. Then, again, the doctors in Wanganui gave no hope for life for the boy, but the doctors at New Plymouth did not hold the same view. It was submitted that tho child was starting on the last fatal onslaught, which could not be averted. The mother, not wanting the child to die without having done everything that she could, took him to Salaman. It was contended that her evidence alone showed that the death of the boy was not hastened by the happenings at New Plymouth. Accused had said that if there was insulin he would not treat the case. Accused had never advised stopping insulin. (Proceeding.)