DECISION RESERVED IN CASE INVOLVING THE CONDUCT OF A DOCTOR

Wanganui Chronicle, 17 May 1950, Page 5

DECISION RESERVED IN CASE INVOLVING THE CONDUCT OF A DOCTOR

HAMILTON, Last Night (PA).— The hearing of the case of 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, concluded this afternoon, when the chief counsel engaged made their submissions. His Honour, Mr. Justice Callan, reserved his decision. Mr. A. K North, for Blum til, 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 nn.: done so with sinister intent a.vl 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 4 he medio 1 roll. (3) That the Medical Council had not made out any case concerning infamous conduct in the filling in of the death certificate. He contended that there was no direct evidence at all, but that it was inferences based mostly on subsequent conduct, non e of which was incompatible with innocence. Mr. Strang, for the Medical Council, repeated his earlier submissions that all thn evidence pointed to the facts that Dr. Blundell had not only aborted Mrs. Jenkins, but he performed an unauthorised autonsv during which vital parts of the body were destroyed,, and ho then filled in a wrong death certificate.