CAUSE OF HOSPITAL SCANDAL.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXI, Issue 125, 20 May 1895, Page 3

CAUSE OF HOSPITAL SCANDAL.

+ Jn a letter published m the Auck land Herald of recent date, Dr R. H, Bakewell says : — " The Auckland and Christchuroh Hospitals bave both for many years, been remarkable for the perpetual succession of soandals and disturbances, of changes of administration, and of dissatisfaction on the part of the public m connection with them. I have read mnoh and heard much, about these two hospitals, but I have never yet seen any artiole or letter which touched on the root of the matter. I therefore venture, as one who has been for many years a hospital offioial, both m England, m other col nies, and m New Zealand, to lift the veil, and expose the real causes of all this turmoil." After explaining at considerable length the rule and practice regarding hospital appointments m England, and con** demniDg the New Zealand praotioe of appointing general medical practitioners to be hospital surgeons, Dr Bake well makes the folio ring serious allegations :—*' ln this colony, the system of appointing men by personal favour and interest, without any regard to their professional qualifications, attainments, or experience, has produced the most disastrous consequences. I have seen but little of the operations practised here, because the surgeons carefully avoid inviting or even encouraging the presence of surgeons who are not on the staff, but I have seen euoh cases of sheer butchery as nearly made one sick. On one occasion I was present at an operation for ovariotomy, and left after seeing the operators for half an hour trying to get at the tumour. I have eesn a whole staff egregiouply wrong m their anatomy, and cutting down for an organ (Continued on Fourth Page.)

[Continued from third page.] that they could not find, simply because it never was m the place they were cutting. I have seen a case of oancer, m which the surgeon had removed only part of the disease, ' the wound had consequently never healed, and I was obliged to perform l a far more extensive and severe operation than would have been i required at first, if the whole diseased ] mass had been removed. But I , might tell of many other casea which ] have convinced me that the present system of election, both to the resi dent and visiting appointments, is radically wrong." He suggests that a<l hospital appointments should be open for competition, and that examinations should be held with a view to dismissing all members of existing staffs who failed to show their com» petenoy.

The following appeared m oar second edition on Saturday : —