MEDICAL SCANDALS

Southland Times, Issue 18964, 11 June 1923, Page 6

MEDICAL SCANDALS

ALLEGED FRENCH FRAUDS. SOMfe AMAZING DISCLOSURES. Further remarkable revelations are made concerning the Marseilles medical scandal, writes the Paris correspondent of' the London Morning Post. There are now 33 doctors, chemists, and officials in prison, charged with having defrauded the Ministry of Pensions by traffic in medical coupon books issued to disabled soldiers. Exsoldiers who received treatment presented a coupon from one of these books to the doctor and chemist, who attached them as vouchers to their accounts against the State. Following the arrest of Dr Gustave Cousin, Medical Officer of Police and Professor of Anatomy at the Marseilles School of Medicine, one of the largest chemists in the town, Louis Dianoux, jun., has ibecn taken into custody. The authorities have also provisionally seized the property and bank deposits of Dr Cousin and M. Dianoux. Proceedings were taken against M. Dianoux last year in connection with this scandal, but there then insufficient evidence against him. .Since his release on that occasion what are stated to be new facts have come to light which led to his re-arrest. According to witnesses heard by the examining magistrate. M. Dianoux made a practice of buying prescriptions on medical coupons for 5f each, but instead of medicines he supplied razors, eau de Cologne, alcohol, and other articles which had nothing to do with medical treatment. In this way he is alleged to have made illicit profits of about 1,000,000 f, some fourfifths of which has already been paid to him. His account for one quarterly period amounted to 600,000 f. In the case against Dr Cousin witnesses have related that instead of taking one coupon from the patient’s medical book he often took two, which enabled him to charge double fees, and a police inspector told the examining magistrate of an occasion on which he was told to leave his medical book. When he reclaimed it later all the coupons had been taken out, and he was advised by the doctor to apply for a fresh one. Dr Cousin is also alleged to have increased by 10 per cent, the degree of disablement of certain patients in return for a fee of 300 f. A police officer who applied for sick leave declares that Dr Cousin refused to grant his request, but made him visit the surgery as an ordinary patient and hand in a coupon for 20f, whereupon sick leave was granted. The magnitude of the frauds being brought to light has caused the Minister for War and Pensions to intervene as “civil party” in the cases now pending.