HEART DISEASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25180, 18 April 1945, Page 9

HEART DISEASE

COMPENSATION ISSUE EFFECT OF STRAIN AT WORK (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Tuesday Complete reversal of previous decisions in New Zealand in cases where it was alleged that excessive effort at work had caused heart disease has been made in a judgment of the Compensation Court delivered by Mr Justice o'Jß.egan. Hitherto it wag held that where incapacity or death was due to ooronary thrombosis, compensation was not payable, and in lectures to universe students it was maintained that coronary thrombosis bore no relation to effort. The judgment referred extensively to an article in the American Heart Journal of last June, which supports the view of the present case taken by Dr C. R. Burng and Dr Morvyn Williams, of Wellington, and also quoted two recent cases in the Commonwealth High Court, in which plaintiff recovered damages, but these were cases where a post mortem examination had been held. « Plaintiff was Walter Joseph Charlton, of Johnsonville, and the defendant his employer, the Makara County Council. He suffered an attack after using a crosscut saw in an awkward position in March. His Honor said there were many questions in connection with which medical knowledge was in the progressive or developmental stage, and it would appear that the Court wag now concerned with one of them. The article in the American Heart Journal might fairly be taken as the latest word on the subject under discussion. The four authors, one of whom was consulting cardiologist to the American Navy, argued that acute coronary disease should be divided into coronary occlusion and coronary insufficiency.

Coronary occlusion was produced by the complete obstruction of a coronary

artery, and effort playad no part in causing it. Coronary insufficiency, on the other hand, was usually precipitated by some factor which increased the work of, the heart, or reduced the coronary blood flow. The views they expressed, said the authors, had been firmly established both in Germany and the United States. They maintained that coronary insufficiency might be precipitated by effort or emotion, and that coronary occlusion and coronary insufficiency might be determined by diagnosis. "Such an article appearing in a journal of such standing cannot be ignored," said His Honor. "The article is clear and convincing, and it is quite evident that it breaks new ground in that I can find reference to the view set forth in the several text books I have consulted. Some critics may maintain that that fact rather derogates from the value of the article, but argument so convincing by four authors, one of whom at least is a .consultant cardiologist to the American Navy, must carry no little weight, particularly when we bear in mind that it tends to clarify a problem on which professional opinion is so acutely divided." Accordingly, said His Honor, he had no hesitation in finding in favour of the plaintiff. The plaintiff was awarded £BO3. DISMISSAL OF APPEAL FORCED SIGNATURE CASE (P.A.) * WELLINGTON, Tuesday The Court of Appeal in a judgment delivered by Mr Justice Northcroft dismissed an appeal by Walter Roy Webster against the refusal of Mr Justice Blair to state certain points of law for consideration of the Court of Appeal arising out of Webster's conviction on charges of assault and forcing Terence Francis Reillv to sign a document which might be used as or converted into a valuable security. Before Webster was sentenced last October the Court of AppeijJ held that the document which he forced Reilly to sign was a valuable security.