H.—22a

48

shallow. The patient was ordered to be given stimulants, amongst which was oxygen, which was administered in desperate cases. She died at half-past 9 the same evening. Witness did not send word to any one about death having occurred. It was usually after 10 o'clock when the Medical Officer visited her wards, while she could not say a3 to him visiting the wards at 6 o'clock in the evening. Witness was aware that experiments were being conducted by the Senior Officer in the bacteriological laboratories, and she had two or three times to go there for him. Replying to Dr. Collins, the witness said she knew the doctor gave demonstrations to the nurses in the bacteriological laboratories. He was often in her ward after 5 o'clock, and she could not recollect any serious case being neglectod. In the case of the patient W T hite, witness did not remember what explanation was given by Dr. Collins to Mrs. White when she got to the Hospital, after having been erroneously informed that the patient had died. To Dr. Roberton: It was usual for the nurses to administer oxygen under instructions from the doctors. John Donald McLeod, contractor, of Waipu, said he fractured his thigh on the 18th February, and the injured limb was set by a local doctor. He arrived at the Auckland Hospital on Saturday, the 20th February, but was not attended to till the following Monday, about 11 o'clock, by Dr. Bennett. The splint on his leg was replaced by another one. Sticking-plaster was put on both sides of the leg above the knee down to about the ankle. No side splints were used. There was a nasty wound below the knee after the removal of the bandages, which witness thought was caused by tight bandaging, as it was not there when he entered the Hospital. Six weeks later Dr. Bennett examined the log again, removing the splint and replacing it. Dr. Collins saw him a fortnight later, when he removed the splint and put it back again. He also pulled the sticking-plaster off, tearing away a lot of skin. In all, he was at the Hospital for fourteen weeks. His leg was now weak, and he could scarcely hend the knee. An x-ray radiograph of the injured thigh, taken by Dr. Purchas, was produced, together with a normal thigh-bone, the difference between the two being considerable. Cross-examined by Mr. Reed, witness said he was not prepared for chloroform on the Saturday night he was admitted. He did not remember seeing Dr. Bennett on the Sunday morning; his leg was not examined that day. The leg was set without chloroform. He had had rheumatism whilst he was at the Hospital, but he had not had it previously. His thigh was not so stiff now as when he left the Hospital. In cross-examination by Dr. Collins, witness said he did not remember his leg being seen by him (Dr. Collins) on the morning after his admission. He remembered being treated for about a week for rheumatism whilst in the Hospital, when his leg was swollen. Dr. Collins: Do you remember me being very anxious about you, and coming to see you two or three times a day?— Yes. In reply to further questions, witness said that his knee did not swell till after the sticking-plaster was taken off. He thought the plaster was taken off very quickly. He could see the skin coming off with it. The skin came off nearly the whole length of the leg. He remembered Mr. J McLeod (a member of the Hospital Board) going to see him, and telling him that he had heard that he (witness) was not being properly treated. Witness replied that he had nothing to complain of. He said this because he thought that anybody with a broken leg had to go through the same performance as he had gone through, he never having had a broken limb before. James Frederick Fisher said he was a patient in the Hospital from the 25th June to the 22nd Aueust. He was affected with a throat trouble. He was first in No. 3 Ward. He was seen by Dr. Collins on admission (on a Saturday) He saw no other medical man till Monday, when he saw Dr. Noil. He was afterwards transferred to No. 7 Ward. Mr. McVeagh: Do you know anything about the habits of Dr. Collins in regard to visiting patients in the wards?—He was most irregular. I never saw him to speak to, except on my admission. He sometimes never went near patients for two days at a time. Witness said he did not see a member of the resident medical staff for some time. One day, however, he saw one, and suggested that he should leave. He was advised to stay another week. He remained another week, but nobody went near him. Was Dr. Collins in the habit of visiting the wards at 9 in the morning or 6 o'clock in the evening?— No. Mr. McVeagh: What was the quality of the food supplied?—lt was not good. One morning, in No. 3 Ward, there was fish for breakfast, and it was that rotten that no one could touch it. It stank. The same thing frequently happened in No. 7 Ward. Nobody would touch it. I myself have made a breakfast from porridge and bread-and-butter. What was the porridge like?— Very often it was lumpy and not sufficiently cooked. Anything as to sugar?— There was no porridge for sugar in No. 7 Ward. (Laughter.) No porridge for sugar?— No. (After a pause) : I mean there was no sugar for porridge. What did you do for sugar when you wanted it?— Bought it. I bought it on two or three occasions, and I have known other patients do the same. What was the condition of the eggs?— The quality was good, but there was not enough in No. 3 Ward. There was enough in No. 7. I frequently went without.