The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUNE 4, 1888. A MEDICAL LUMINARY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1858, 4 June 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUNE 4, 1888. A MEDICAL LUMINARY.

Dr Hacon, one of the honorary physicians to the Christchurch Hospital, when giving evidence at the enquiry as to the necessity of declaring the JRhodes Memorial Home, at Christchurch, a separate institution, made the astounding statement that the Hospital at Dunedin was built on a hill. Some other alarming statements made by Dr Hacon gives one the idea that he is either densely igorant of what he waa talking about, or tried to be intensely funny, though the attempt was rather vapid . Dr Hacon is reported to have said, in cross-examination, that " In the Dunedin Hospital they did not give the patients butter and sugar. If they carried out this idea at the Rhodes Memorial Home, and gave the inmates bread and tea, the cost of maintenance would not be large. Cross-examined by Mr Holmes — The death-rate in Christchurch for the past month was very low. He regretted to say that at present Christchurch was exceedingly healthy and the death-rate very low. He was afraid that the inference of Mr Holmes, that the death-rate in Christchurch was lower than in Wellington and Dunedin was a correct one, but he could not carry the statistics of the past few years in his head ." A doctor, who speaks in such a tone as Dr Hacon is reported to have spoken in, and who in all seeming earnestness regrets that the town is healthy and the death-rate very low, speaks in a style which we think is very unbecoming in a medical gentleman. We don't know anything about Dr Hacon, but if his remarks are to be taken in seriousness, as they were apparently given in such mood, he must be rather an ornament to his profession.