The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1930. THE SALAMAN CONVICTION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 438, 2 December 1930, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1930. THE SALAMAN CONVICTION

VERY regrettable movement has been started with the object of getting Abraham Wally Mahomed Salaman, released from prison. Laymen are endeavouring to usurp the functions of the law courts. The danger of such action is obvious to anyone who flunks the matter out.

The facts in the Salaman case can be briefly stated thus: Salaman is an Indian who practices as a herbalist. A six-and-a-half year old boy named Lyall Gordon Christie, belonging to Fordell, suffering from sugar diabetes, was taken by his mother to consult with Salaman as to the treatment of the child. Salaman refused to do anything so long as the child was receiving insulin treatment. The mother thereupon discontinued the insulin treatment and took the boy back to Salaman. Before the boy had received any medicinal treatment from the accused the boy died. Salaman was thereupon charged with causing or hastening the boy’s death.

Sugar diabetes is a well-known disorder and although its pathology is still obscure it is certain that the defective secretion of insulin by a gland near the stomach plays a large part in the disorder. This defective condition cannot be remedied but the

injection of insulin into the body supplies the deficiency and sustains the patient, so that with a cautious diet the effect of the diabetes is warded off. The value of insulin to diabetics has been proved beyond question. In New Zealand deaths of children from diabetes have shown a marked decline since insulin has been used.

The charge against Salaman is not based on the ground that he is not a registered medical practitioner. Had any medical practitioner acted as Salaman did he would have had to meet the same charge. Salaman was accorded a fair trial, lie was defended by able counsel, but no evidence was offered for the defence. The jury convicted Salaman and he was accordingly sentenced to the comparatively light penalty of twelve months imprisonment.

Salaman sought neither to justify his method of diagnosis, which was a futile method, his declining to treat the case while insulin was being administered or his having given medicines in another similar case. Lt is difficult to imagine the jury coming to any other than a verdict adverse for Salaman.

Despite the strength of the case against Salaman and the Jack of severity of the punishment imposed upon him people who are not trained to weigh evidence, who possibly do not appreciate that the purpose of the Jaw in this regard is solely to preserve the sanctity of human life, and most probably did not even hear all the evidence, and see the witnesses and the manner in which they gave their evidence arc moving to have the matter decided by public outcry. Their sympathy in this case has been aroused in favour of the convicted person. If sympathy for the child victim of Salaman’s conduct had first been let louse and made the subject of public emotion the condition precedent to what in America is necessary for a lynching would have been established. It cannot be over-emphasised that popular assemblies are not competent to sit in judgment upon the decisions of our courts and judges, and that attempts to influence the course of justice by popular emotion either fur or against the wrongdoer are decidedly harmful.