DR THACKER'S CHARGES

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 23

DR THACKER'S CHARGES

MILITARY MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. REPORT OF COURT OF INQUIRY. " Considering the antagonistic attitude of mind that medical examiners have often to deal with, and considering the large number of men they have examined without any complaint being lodged, the court considers that aa a whole they have acted with judgment and forbearance." This (3ays the Wellington correspondent of the Lyt'telton Times) is the final conclusion o( the court of inquiry set up by the officer commanding the Canterbury District to investigate the charges brought against various medical examiners by Dr Thacker that they had been insulting to recruits. Four cases were at first enumerated by Dr Thacker, who is a captain of the reserve, but when the inquiry commenced the court requested any persons with complaints t% bring them forward.. Other cases were. brought under its notice. Of the cases mentioned in Dr Thacker's telegram to the Minister on December 15, only two were brought up at the inquiry, these being the complaints of Woods and Burrows, whioh, in the opinion of the court, did not justify the allegation that military medical examiners had been insulting to recruits. " The two other casea adducecT by Dr Thacker in support of his general chargesv against medical examiners," continues the report, "were those of M'Anulty and Cooper, which were subsequent to the telegram .referred to and were of a trivial nature." THE M'ANULTY CASE. In the opinion of the court this complaint appear.* trivial. The reservist was apparently antagonistically disposed towards the examining board because his medical certificate was not accepted immediately as a reason for excusing further examination. The examination appears to havo been con-, ducted with all due regard to military, requirements and the feelings of the reservist. COOPER'S COMPLAINT. "This reservist," says the court, "made no complaint against his classification, but felt 'grossly and offensively insulted' when. after an attempt to hop on a leg injured eight months previously, he states that the examiner said, 'None of your darned nonsense. You can_ hop better than that.' There was no evidence to corroborate this, and Colonel Ewart on oath denies having ever used such language to any recruit at any time. Cooper's attitude appeared to us to be one of antagonism towards the military examiners. CASE OF H. F. WOOD. "This reservist gave the court the' impression that he was antagonistically disposed towards the medical examiners," reports the court, which is.of opinion that the recruit was evidently Snistaken in his idea of the attitude of Colonel Ewart. A DISCHARGED SOLDIER. Reporting on the case of a discharged soldier namedi H. Emmanuel, the court states: " The complaint was of laxity by the medical examiners in not subjecting him to further medical examination to corroborate a medical certificate which was accepted by them as evidence of his state of health. Tho court is of opinion that the examination was adequate and the classification of tho reservist was made in good faith." ' "NOT AN INSULT."' The complaint of Bugler W. Burrows was that ho was insulted by Colonel T. A. MacGibbon when prisoner was arrested while on sick leave ,in that he did: in an insulting manner order him not to visit Dr Thacker, threatening him with solitary confinement if he did so. The report dealing with this caso states: " The court would point out that Burrows under cross-examination admitted that he was not at the time on sick leave, having on his own initiative proceeded to Christehurch instead of staying in Wellington for treatment. The charge of hav-" Big spoken in an insulting manner is not substantiated by Burrows, and the evidence of the military policeman. Corporal Shadbolt, and the attendant at Colonel Mac Gibbon's rooms, Nurse Hassal, directly negatives it. Colonel Mac Gibbon admits having ordered Burrows not to visit Captain Thacker. and pleads that the regulations dealing with medical attendance on invalidied soldiers justified him in doing so. Although in the court's opinion Colonel Mac Gibbon may have exceeded his powers in this matter, nevertheless it considers that the order itself did not constitute an insult. With regard to the alleged threat of solitary confinement the evidence of Burrows that Colonel Mac Gibbon made it a stipulation that if he promised not to visit Dr Thacker he" would be released from detention has not been confuted. The court is of opinion that Burrows was justified in assuming that this stipulation constituted _ a threat. Burrows also claims an insult in that, although on parole, he was prevented from visiting his family doctor, the court would point out that he was not on paroie, but temporarily released from detention on conditions which ho broke. AUDIBLE ASIDES. - Reporting on the caso of P. J. IvLNamara, the court states : "This reservist is a man of obviously high-strung, nervous men. The court suggests that Lieutenantcolonel Fitzgerald was ill advised in making audible asides to his colleague, the tenor of-which might be misconstrued. If the regulations laid down for the conduct of medical examining boards do not permit of a reservist's name being- asked, Colonel Fitzgerald was incorrect in doing so in this case." SUBVERSIVE OF DISCIPLINE. The court is of opinion that Dr Thacker's interference has been subversive of discipline. '•We consider," it says, "that many reservists appear before 'medical examiners armed with certificates which tliey have been persuaded will exempt them from further examination and liability for military service. When they discover that such is not the case they are' inclined to believe that thev have a grievance against the medical examiners. This has apparently in certain cases been fomented by the interference of Dr Thacker, whose conduct as an officer may be regarded as subversive of military discipline, ae in the caso of Bugler Burrows, where he himself failed to report the matter to district headquarters, but instead sent a telegra«i to General Henderson."