HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15954, 23 December 1913, Page 3

HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS.

10 THE EDITOR. Sir,—When in Wellington recently, giving evidence before the Education Committee, Df Colquhoun made certain erroneous statements that are unjust to me personally, to my friends, and more. so to the Hospital Trustees of somo years ago. These statement have obtained such publicity through the printing and circulation of the committee's proceedings that from several directions my attention has been called to them. I wrote directing Dr Colquhoun's attention to his mis-statements, and the enclosed letters havo passed between us. I shall be greatly obbged if you will reproduce them in your columns, a 6 this is the only way in which the late Hospital Trustees, my friends, and myself _ bo put right in the eyes of the public, since the committee is no longer in 6ession._ If Dr Colquhoun had given his evidence in hia own name alone, his errors of omission and commission could not be regarded 36 slight. They become serious when he explicitly states, as reported on page 98 of the " proceedings," that he spoke a 6 the appointed representative of the Faculty of Medicine of the Otago University. It is a matter of deep regret to mo that Dr Colquhoun did not withdraw and amend his statements, also express regret, when he was shown so clearly that his evidence is erroneous and unjust—l am, etc. Wm. Evans. v 185 High treet, Dunedin, December 22. ■185 High street, Dunedin, December 9, 1913. Dear Dr Colquhoun,—A copy of the Education Committee's report for 1913 has just been sent to me, and my attention called to that part of your evidence which refers to myself, I pass over all that you eay concerning my special work at Home among cluldren, though it is to be regretted that you entirely overlooked my comparatively long connection with the East London Hospital for Children, Shadwell, and my subsequent appointment at tho London Hospital. Your evidence concerning favouritism shown to me by my appointment to the charge of the skin department of the. Dunedin Hospital is, however, quite another matter. Such entirely erroneous evidence as you gave reflects not only on mo, but also on my friends to whom you refer, and on the Hospital Board, that, according to you, succumbed to unworthy pressure. Your words, as reported, are: " The only instance of favouritism that I know was this: 60on after Dr Evans carao out a special appointment was made for him on the Hospital, through the influence of somo of his friends, and ho was put in charge of tho skin department." You will notice that you say " I know," but how can you "know" a thing that has in it no single word of truth? The fact is that when I arrived in Dunedin from London in 1900, the skin department in tho hospital already existed, and the honorary physician in charge was the late Dr John- Macdonald. When applications were _ advertised for the vacant position I sent in my testimomak As it turned out, so far as I am aware, I was the only applicant. Clearly, therefore, no favouritism was needed to secure my appointment to the vacant post. It is to say the least, unfortunate that, after minimising my qualifications by greatly understating my training and experience among children, you should almost go out of your way to say two things about my connection with the Dunedin Hospital that are so patently untrue. Taken together, they suggest an unworthy prejudice against me on your part, if not even hostility. It only remains for mo to request you to correct your evidence, and this I am persuaded jou will, in honour, do, A letter to Mr G. M. Thomson, M.P., chairman of the committee before which you appeared, and a copy of the same sent to mo, will meet the requirements c-i the position. It being understood, of course, that I am at liberty to give publicity to your letter and mine, in order to correct the errors that havo obtained currency through the dissemination of vour evidence, -Yours truly, , \Vm. Kvaks. '

High street, Dunedin, December 12,1913. Dear Dr Evans,—l find •some difficulty in replying to your letter, in which you charge me with untruthfulness and personal hostility to yourself. But as I have no wish to be a party to a quarrel I shall try to answer you. You complain that I did not mention somo appointments you held in London, As a matter of fact I know nothing about them—nor if I did had they any relevance to tho matter under discussion, which was whether or not you had been badly treated by tho Dunedin Hospital trustees. That suggestion naturally brought to my mind what I believed to be tho circumstances under which you were first appointed to the Hospital—circumstances which in no way reflected on your professional _or private reputation. The whole affair is absolutely trifling, but, if you want to get accurate information on the subject, pome of the gentlemen who were at thut time Hospital trustees—l suggest Mr Perer Miller—would bo able to give you their recollection of the event.—Yours truly, D. CoLQimoijs. 185 High street, Dunedin, N.Z., December 13. Dear Dr Colquboun,—Your letter in reply lo mine of tho 9th insl. is just to hand. 1 drew your attention to certain erroneous statements concerning myself, made by you in your evidence before the Education Commission in Wellington, and I asked you to take the necessary steps to correct them. I felt sure that as a man of honour you would gladly and immediately meet my wishes in this matter. But you say, "I have some difficulty in replying to' your letter." Is it, then, so difficult for you to acknowledge that you have made misstatements, and to correct, not to sav apoloiife for, them? That you believed this or that to be the case when giving your evidence, surely does not free you from tho obligations of a gentleman to whom his errors have been pointed out. You also say the matter is " absolutely trifling." Is it.'then, so slight a thing with you to understate a fellow practitioner's qualifications and to accuse a Dunrdin Hospital Board of making openings for its own favourites? Am I to understand that you unhappily account these things as "trifling" thrui<rh your familiarity with them? You finally refer me to Mr Peter Miller for "accurate information " on tho subject of the Hospital appointment about which I wrote to you, and concerning which your evidence wan so untrue. This recommendation of yours >s the crowning piece of your strange letter. For I possess, and I gave yon, "e.cnirnte information" on the matter. Surely, if niyone was ever in need of Mr Miller's testimony it was yourself. Still hopuiir to hear from you that you will make the necessary corrections in your evidence.— Yours truly, Wm. Evass.