DISPENSER AS DOCTOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20827, 20 March 1931, Page 14

DISPENSER AS DOCTOR.

HOSPITAL FOR REFUGEES.

SEQUEL TO THE EARTHQUAKE.

COURT CASE AT . PALMERSTON. A statement that he was competent to give dressings and anaesthetics and that'he had been employed in hospitals fin England, was made by Bobert Cecil Thompson, aged 32, who was fined in the Magistrate's Court, at Palmerston North, on Wednesday, for accepting a medical * appointment without being a qualified I medical practitioner. Defendant had j taken iv post in (barge of the camp hosi pital for earthquake refugees at the i Palmerston North showgrounds.

A'. J. Phillips, managing-secretary of ' the Palmerston North Hospital Board, I paid defendant had waited on him at I the hospital, and had been introduced to Dr. Ward us I)r. Thompson. He was instructed to proceed to the showgrounds 'to titke charge. His requisitions for supi plies were received and honoured. Thompi son Received no remuneration, On /account- of reports received, he was re lieved by a Napier doctor. | Dr. E. C. Barnett, of Falmerston North, said he visited the showgrounds ' on February 8 and defendant, who wa3 f introduced as Dr. Thompson, asked for i o. nyrse to take < barge of the hospital , for .him. Later witness saw Thompson, ' who' was in a white coat, and had a f ♦ • stethoscope. He discussed diagnoses and '■. was acting in the capacity of.a doctor. Hard Work at Camp, | Major Leslie Potter, assistant in .charge ' cf the camp, said Thompson came in ; and said: "I am Dr. Thompson," addr ing that he had, been .appointed to I charge of the showgrounds hospital, There ' ;were no complaints concerning defendant's behaviour and he worked hard, ! Brigadier J. H. Whyte, said ho was , in charge of the camp at the showgrounds. He knew Thompson as "Dr. Thompson." [Witness sprained his ankle and it .was dressed by defendant. There had been no complaints concerning -Thompson's behaviour, except that witness had been informed that he had refused to etitch a wound in a child's head.

ing statement, which had been made by {Thompson'"l arrived in New Zealand .•with my wife on January 6. Shortly after the Hawke's Bay earthquake I proceeded to Napier bemuse J I «am an unqualified dispenser by occupation and am also used to hospital dressings, and was desirous of rendering any service required. I .attended to the dressing of a numbev of, cases at McLean Park, Napier. I ■was frequently referred to as doctor there, but I say J never definitely represented myself asV doctor. I simply allowed my-, self to be called doctor by others aijd took no notice of it. Actually, I am not a doctor of any sort and do pot possess any degrees in medicine, i «t Studying In England."

"I called at the Palmerston North Hospital on February 7 and saw Mr. Phillips aqd Dr. Ward. I told them I had been belong at Napier and I understood thcv wanted help there. I told them I came from England, but not that I was a medical practitioner. If it is alleged that 1 made such a statement I say it is untrue. I only told them I had been studying medicine in Eng- ■ land and had been helping at Napier. They said; they were only too glad of „ help and asked me to report to the showgrounds, where I would take' charge of the dressing station. .Dr. Ward told niß not to hesitate to ring him up over anything, and in the meantime to carry on as best I could. "I saw all the cases at the camp and any which appeared to be urgent I sent on 'to the hospital. Apart from that, I did not attempt to carry out the duties of a medical practitioner other than to order certain medicines. I gave no anaesthetics or made other prescriptions. I left the supervision of the Etaff to the sister in charge. The sisters and nurses attended, to the routine work of looking after the patients. _ I agree that the work of deciding which were urgent cases would be the work of a qualified doctor, but I accepted the •job because I • understood that all the available doctors were worn out with ;w6rk and were working on the hospital staff. "I ordered one, or it may be two bottles of whisky from one of the hotels in' Palmerston North. I took the whisky myself to the camp, telling the Jiotelkeeper that I was in charge there •and was"not sure /whether it was allowed, but if the authorities did not pay for it, I would. I considered the whisky was necessary as I and others of the staff were worn out. I cannot suggest how I became known as a doctor other than it was probably on account of the work I was doing. Service In Hospitals.

"Mv last job was that of dispenser for a retail cherpist in Cheshire. My wife has' a quarterly allowance of £4O from her • father and, in addition, is holding certain funds. lam not an habitual drinker, though I havo been drinking more than usual of late. It is trye that I went rounu dressed in a white coat and carried a stethoscope with me, I did in one caso listen to the heartbeats of an elderly patent, and J sent; her on in}mediately to the hospital. I oeny that I took temperatures, pulses or - otherwise acted as a medical nian, apart from what I have said." In giving evidence defendant saiu 1)0 did not do many dressing*, that work btfiftg carried out# by the nulrses. .He was competent to give dressings and anaesthetics. Ho was at the Swansea Military Hospital during 1917 and 1918, and gave 1500 anaesthetics ip.ono year, Subsequent to his work at Swansea was stationed at a Somerset hospital, the Chester 1 loyal Infirmary and the Liverpool Hospital. Since coming to New Zenland he had Imeii working at apici t wild bad probably had more whiskies than were good for ,'im, considering the condition of his head as the result of an injury when a child. The magistrate, in imposing a fine of £lO, sa.d defendant's actions might have led to serious consequences in the event C/f urgent medical work being necessary.