A LEARNED (?) PROFESSION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 302, 18 September 1882, Page 2

A LEARNED (?) PROFESSION.

Oue telegrams have recently contained scraps of information in reference to an inquest proceeding in Auckland regarding an alleged poisoning case, the circumstances of which case are so peculiar that they are worthy of remark. In July last a young woman named Johnston, residing at Cambridge, gave birth to an illegitimate child, and in consequence of what subsequently occurred, she was arrested on a charge of concealment of birth, and committed for trial. Immediately afterwards the father of the child, a young fellow named Cleaver, suddenly left for Auckland ; a few days still Uteri the girl departed for the same city for the purpose of being married to Cleaver. She was met at the railway station by her intended husband, and some of his relatives on the 1 9th August, and after eating a hearty meal, visiting the waxworfesi and some place of amusement she' was .tak,en jto the house .bf. a Mi's! putler, ia r f friend '<bi •.tbA.iCleapers wlfere she was. tQ. stay until ,the f expiration;, of three days, the term for, which it was necessary that she should reside in Auckland before the > marriage could 'legally take 'place. During, tbat

Richardson was called in. He very aoon arrived .at the conclusion that poison was the cause of the illness, and questioned the girl, but she seemed surprised at the suspicion, and denied that she had knowingly taken any. However, lie treated her as one who had been avsenically poisoned. On 25th, at Bor 9 a.m., at the instance of Dr. Richardson, Dr. Walker visited the girl. Dr. Richardson saw her subsequently, and told the Cleavera that there was no hope of the girl's recovery. They seemed very anxious, and enquired if the celebration of the marriage, by im- ' proving her mental condition, might • not improve her health also. The " doctor said there would be no harm done by the marriage, and .accordingly at 4 o'clock, the marriage took place. The patient still got worse, and on the 26th, the Cleavers called in Dr. Purchas, who treated her for English ■cholera, possibly induced by eating heartily after travelling a long railway journey in a weak state of health. Still no improvement, and the girl died on 29th, suffering greatly. Drs. Richardson and Walker refused a certificate as to the cause of death, a post mortem examination was held, the the police communicated with, and as a result, an inquest ordered. At the inquest there was a mass of very technical evidence given by these two doctors, each of whom professed to bo a capable analytical chemist, and they swore most distinctly that every test applied proved the presence of xarseuic. If their evidence meant anything it meant that the deceased had been poisoned by aflsenie; but though voluminous evidence had been given as to the relations between deceased and various members of the Cleaver family, there was nothing on which any hypothesis could be based as to motive or as to any person having administered the poison ; while tho Cleavers, ono and all, scouted the idea that deceased had attempted to, or even desired to, commit suicide. Still there was no other inference to be drawn from the medical testimony, so far, thau that deceased had been absolutely poisoned, and the evidence was most complete and circumstantial as to the poison used. Now, however, a new witness appeared on the scone, Mr. J. A. Pond, a professional analyst, and he, after relating the tests he had applied— all of them the most modern and most delicate yet known to the analyst— declared that there was not the slightest trace of arsenic or any other poison. His evidence in effect amounted to this : that Drs. Richardson and Walker knew nothing about tho matter of which they had been swearing so positively— that their diagnosis had been completely in error, their treatment absurd, and their analysis — well, perhaps it is not desirable to characterise it. The coroner of course rejected their evidence, and directed the jury that the theory of Dr. Purchas must be correct. The jury therefore found— "That we, the jury, are of opinion that the deceased, Sarah Emily Cleaver, died from gastroenteritis, occasioned by eating a hearty meal after the fatigue of a long journey while in a weak state of health* from her recent confinement." So far, the result is satisfactory to the Cleavers, but a very uncomfortable impression must remain on the public mind as to the value of medical evidence. Important issues are frequently decided— nay, men's lives even are taken, on evidence not a whit more complete or circumstantial than that given by these two doctors ; and we bave no doubt tbat matters would nave taken a very unpleasant turn for the Cleavers had there been no Mr. Pond in the way. The coroner suggested that the doctors' mistake might have arisen " from impure chemicals used in the tests, as doctors in practice were not so likely to be called on for analyses as professional analysts, nor did he think a practising doctor had the complete apparatus. It has been proved by Mr. Pond that some of the tests used by them, and on which they relied, were fallacious if the same material was furnished to Mr. Pond which they tested. The post mortem made was, be must say, somewhat careless and ineffectual. . . The doctors had not put the material up with the cave which should be exercised, and the tests they made as to cleanliness, &c, do not seem satisfactory." This may be an explanation, but it is no excuse. Carelessness, uncleanliness, and gross inaccuracy are not what we expect from a learned profession on ordinary occasions, but when exhibited in connection with circumstances that might lead to the trial of persons for their lives, amount to a scandal.