I.—la

4

Dr. Ewaet examined. 1. The Chairman.] You are in charge of the Hospital? —Yes. 2. You have been there, how many years? —I think, about eight or nine. 3. And had you any experience in charge of hospitals before you took up your present position ? —Yes ; I had been connected with hospitals for the last eighteen years. 4. And then you are Public Vaccinator, are you not ?—Yes. 5. How long? —Well, I was in the Old Country. 6. How long in Wellington ?—Ever since I came to Wellington. 7. Did you get vaccine from the department, the same as Mr. Fitzgerald?— Yes. 8. Then, you have no choice, I suppose ; you simply apply for lymph and you are supplied ?— Yes. 9. This child was under your care, was it not ?—Yes, for three months. 10. Well, assuming that Mr. Fitzgerald applied to the department for vaccine in the way in which you applied, could he have done anything more than he did in the way of applying for vaccine ?—No. 11. Supposing the parent of a child took to him his baby to be vaccinated, it would be his duty to vaccinate it ?—Yes. 12. Supposing he vaccinated it from the vaccine received from the Government, he was simply doing what you are doing?— Yes. 13. Well, from the evidence which we have, that is just what he has done. Can you suggest that he has done anything else?— All I can say is, that the child was suffering from syphilis. It caught it in the vaccine wound. 14. How? —I do not know how it got it. All I know is that it had syphilis. 15. Mr. Groivther.] I would like to ask the doctor if he had any occasion to doubt the purity of the vaccine supplied by the Government? —No; it has been most satisfactory. 16. And can you assign any reason why it failed in this case ? —I do not think the vaccine did fail. 17. The Chairman.] Is it from impurity of blood?— The infection came from outside sources. If calf-lymph was used, then it was not the lymph at all. It must have come from a person with active syphilis. That is an active or syphilitic sore. It may have been conveyed from a child that was previously vaccinated, or, if there were syphilitic people in the house with syphilitic sores, then it is quite possible it got it from that. There was a period of at least a fortnight when the poison might have been introduced. 18. Now, supposing this woman who died in the hospital—Minnie Dobson—had been living with the child in the same condition that she was in in the hospital, and at the same time as the child was vaccinated, could she have infected the child?— The chances are that she would have conveyed the infection. 19. I suppose the poison would remain with her clothing?—. Yes. The poison of syphilis may get into the clothing of a person and may remain there for some length of time, and then infect the person who wears it. 20. Mr. Crowther.] And more especially sleeping in the same bed?— Yes ; that is most dangerous. But this woman I speak of was not in an active state of syphilis at the time the child was ill, but there may have been others. 21. The Chairman.] Or the poison might have been deposited at some previous time?—lt must have been deposited within the period of vaccination, or within a fortnight or three weeks afterwards. 22. Mr. Crowther.] Then, in order to find out that, we would need to inquire as to the time that this infected woman was resident in the house ?—lt could not have been from the woman that died in the hospital. She was in the hospital and died there about five weeks ago, and she could not have been ill longer than three or four months. Mr. Izard : I did not put it with a view of suggesting that she caught it from this woman. I only put it to show the class of women who were and who may have been in the house. It certainly could not be considered a respectable house where abortions were performed. 23. Mr. McKenzie.] Do you carry on a private practice in Wellington besides the Hospital?— No; but I have consultations with other practitioners. 24. The Chairman.] You get fees for vaccinating ?—Yes, but I say Ido practically nothing. I would sooner do without it, for the matter of that. 25. And then, what salary do you get as doctor of the Hospital ?—£7oo. 26. Mr. McKenzie.] I see that the petitioner says that Dr. Cleghorn and other medical men give it as their opinion that this child was not suffering from syphilis ?—As a matter of fact, when they saw me, they said it must have been syphilis. Mr. Izard : Oh, no. Dr. Ewart: But, as a matter of fact, the child has got it now. Mr. Fitzgeeald examined. 27. Mr. Izard.] Mr. Fitzgerald, you are a Public Vaccinator, carrying on business in Wellington?— Yes. 28. You were so appointed, in what year?—lBB4. 29. You were examined, were you not, by Dr. Johnson?— Yes. He was appointed by the Government as certifying officer under the Public Health Act. 30. The Chairman.] He was competent to examine ?—Yes. 81. And he held that position, how long? We want to show that he is a competent man. Mr. Izard : From the passing of " The Public Health Act, 1876." 32. Mr. Izard.] On the 4th October, Mr. Fitzgerald, you vaccinated the child Olive Eoberts ?— Yes.