H.—22a.

27

You were at the post-mortem. What made you go there? Did I ask you to?—I do not remember. Ido not believe you did. Did any one tell you the boy was dead?—l do not remember. The boy was dead all right. There was no question about that. How many hours after did he die?—l do not know. I saw him dead next morning. Will you swear that?—lt is within the bounds of possibility that it was twenty-four hours afterwards, but my impression is that I saw him dead next morning. You told Mr. Reed yesterday that he died some hours afterwards? —Produce the Hospital records. The boy came in on the 17th July, and died on the 19th. How can you say it was a few hours after the operation? Dr. Neil: What time on the 19th did he die? Dr. Collins: About 4 o'clock. Dr. Neil: In the afternoon ? Dr. Collins: lam not here to answer questions. Dr. Neil: You must show the records. I cannot take your statement otherwise. Dr. Collins: Wlio were there?— The porter, yourself, Dr. Ferguson, and Dr. Walsh. What did the boy's abdomen contain?—A large quantity of pus, enough to cover the floor of the pelvis. What did you say at the time?—l cannot remember. Do you remember saying in front of the porter and myself that everything would be done for the boy that could be done?—l certainly do not remember saying that. If the others present are prepared to swear that you did say this, are you prepared, on oath, to deny it?— That is a big question to ask a person. Do you remember that there was some difficulty in finding the boy's appendix?—l have no distinct recollection of it. Do you remember an orange-pip being taken out of the appendix? —I do not. Do you not remember taking a knife out of your pocket and trying to cut the pip?— Why should I take a knife out of my pocket when there were other knives there? Do you remember it?—l do not, but I may have done it. (After a pause) : I believe now I do remember you saying there was an orangepip there, and my saying that it was not a pip, but faecal concretions, and that I cut it to show you what it was. It is a common fallacy to mistake faecal concretions for other substances in such cases. What methods are generally used to get rid of pus from the abdomen?—lt should have been cleaned out with sponges, and the locality should have been searched to remove it all. Are there not advantages attaching to washing the stomach out with a saline solution?— Certainly there are. How can you say that I did not take that precaution to remove the pus?— Because the pus was there at the post-mortem. In a bad case of acute appendicitis, with septic peritonitis and strangulation of the bowels, such as that boy had, do you not get adhesions in the pelvis. Dr. Neil: Do you mean recent or chronic adhesions? Dr. Collins (raising his finger) : Answer me now. Dr. Neil: Don't you point at me, Collins. Dr. Collins repeated his question, and Dr. Neil again answered with the query, " Recent or chronic? " Dr. Collins: Hew can they be chronic if the case is one of acute appendicitis?—ln that case they would be recent. Is it wise to break down these adhesions?— No. You must have means of knowing what I did to get rid of the pus? —No. A number of technical questions, relating to the details of abdominal operations, were then asked. In reply to one of these Dr. Neil said, " Do you not know that Nature herself does that, and that Nature is the best surgeon in Auckland probably to-day?" Dr. Collins: You have accused me of doing post-mortem work while I was doing surgical work. Can you quote instances?— Yes; the afternoon Drs. James and Stirling were at the Hospital, the day of our interview regarding White's operation. You were doing abdominal post-mortem work. Were you not working at the time yourself?—Y'es, but not on the intestinal tract. I was working on the ear and part of the neck, which is not such an infected area. What did the patient die of?—I do not know. Was there not as much infection where you were working as where I was working?— No. What operation did you do after that?—l have no recollection. You said that surgeons that do post-m.ortem work are not welcomed in operating-theatres. Who administered the anaesthetics for you when you did operating work?—Drs. Walsh and Frost. Did not Dr. Frost do post-mortem, work?—l do not know. I think she was ignored in the matter, and that it was done by a resident. Has she not done post-mortem work during the past twelve month: : —She may have done some, certainly. Dr. Collins: Has Dr. Frost not done the work day by day in the bacteriological laboratory?— She has not been doing anthrax-cultures. Will you answer my question, Dr. Neil?—She has, yes. Has she not done all the work in connection with the plague?— She was the one who made the diagnosis, but the newspaper report said you made it.