DOCTORS AVOIDED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19530, 13 July 1925, Page 8

DOCTORS AVOIDED.

MAORI SUSPICIONS. FATALITY NEARLY RESULTS. The suspicious nature of Maoris and their pronounced dislike, especially the older ones, to hospitals and up-to-dato medical methods, was exemplified in the Cambridge Court when Motia Maaka, a resident of the Tauwharo disk - ' ■ t, was charged with having caused unnece. sa.y suffering and injury to health by neglecting to provide his daughter, Kimiroa Maaka, nine years of age, with proper medical treatment. It was slated that on January 22 the girl was playing in a milking shed at Karikari, and had her arm badly lacerated through being caught, by the belting of the. machinery. Subsequently, acting on information received, the police, with Dr Stapley, visited Karikari Pa, and saw that the child had two very ugly lacerated wounds on her left arm, which had become badly septic- The mother and the relatives strongly objected to the child being removal to the hospital. An X-ray examination at the hospital showed the arm to bo badly shattered in two places, and in its septic condition the only thing to be done was to amputate the limb. The police stated that had the Maori woman continued to treat the arm in thenown way, death would have been certain. lire accused, a young, intelligent-looking Maori, snoke with regret of having allowed the women at the Pa to overrule his judgment. Mr H. A. Young, S.M., urged on accused the foolishness! of Maori methods and the benefits of hospjtals and present-day medical treatment. He ordered accused to come up for sentence if called upon, the order to' bo stayed so long as ho paid £1 a month off the expenses.