POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 9 August 1928, Page 4

POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS

SHOU LD BE COMPULSORY

i (By Telegraph.—Press Association)

HAMILTON, This Day. A plea that post-mortem examinations should be compulsory in all cases was made by Dr G. W. Gower, surgeon-sup-erintendent of. 4 the Waikato Hospital, lecturing here last night. He opened his remarks on this subject by referring to the difficulty of diagnosing cancer. “When a patient died of supposed cancer, and this had not been verified by operation or microscopical examination/’ he said, “post-mortem examination should be made. This is in the interests. of the living, and in my opinion should be compulsory. In fact, I would go further, and say that a post-mortem examination should be made for all kinds of disease, and the doctor who attended patient should bh present. The lessons’ learned would be invaluable in the diagnosis and treatment of others.”

Speaking from memory the doctor believed post-mortem examinations were already made in all cases in Austria. In some American hospitals relatives were induced to agree. -In a great majority of cases in New Zealand, as elsewhere, there was some sentiment against it, but once the practice became general people would think nothing of it. The present practice was slipshod. A doctor having made a diagnosis, gave a death certificate upon that diagnosis. Medical knowledge would be greatly assisted by universal post-mortem examinations,’ and doctors would prefer to know the truth, even if they were shown to he wrong.