HEARING COMPLETED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27391, 17 May 1950, Page 8

HEARING COMPLETED

Alleged “ Infamous Conduct ” CHARGES AGAINST DOCTOR PA HAMILTON, May 16. The hearing of the application by the Medical Council to have the name of Dr Francis Clough Blundell, of Te Awamutu, removed from the roll of medical practitioners, which opened in the Supreme Court at Hamilton last Wednesday, was concluded this afternoon, when the chief counsel engaged made their submissions. Mr Justice Callan reserved his decision. Mr A. K. North, for.Dr Blundell, contended —(1) that the Medical Council had not proved its case that Dr Blundell aborted Mrs Jenkins on or about July 20 or at any other date; (2) that the Medical Council had made out a case that Dr Blundell had conducted an autopsy without permission or authority, but he contended that it had been proved that in acting as he did, Dr Blundell had not done so with sinister intent, and the result of his conduct did not justify infamous conduct and, if it did, not to such a degree that would justify his removal from the medical roll; and (3) that the Medical Council had not made out any case concerning infamous conduct in the filling in of the death certificate.

Mr North contended that there was no direct evidence at all, but that it was inferences based mostly on subsequent conduct, none of which was incompatible with innocence. Mr J. F. Strang, for the Medical Council, repeated his earlier submissions that all the evidence pointed to the facts that Dr Blundell had not only aborted Mrs Jenkins, but he had performed an unauthorised autopsy during which vital parts of the body were destroyed, and he then filled in a wrong death certificate.