THE M'GILL CASE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3117, 22 June 1917, Page 4

THE M'GILL CASE

REPORT Br DR. BARCLAY. Tho following report by Dr. Barclay, ■Medical Superintendent of tho Wellington Hospital, on tho lamentable caso of tho lato James M'GiU, was presented to tho members of the Hospital Board at yesterday's meeting, and a. motion was specially passed that it should bo handed to tho Press:— ' "Tho history of this man's illness has been published in. the newspapers, e.g., The Dominion, of June 11. It is regretable that a patient suffering from cerebrospinal meningitis should have been brought to this hospital and sent away again. But I think a consideration of the facts will make clear that no blomo can be attributed to the House Surgeon, who Ba.w the patient in tho unibulanoe at tho door. The symptoms in cerebrospinal meningitis vary greatly, and often in the early stages tho diagnosis is by no means clear or easily made. Both Dr. Gahill and Dr. Giliner had seen the patient before ho arrived here, and apparently neither of them. suspected cerebro-spinal meningitis. Had they made this diagnosis and sent a note to this effect with the patient he would have been admitted promptly. But on the contrary, Dr. Oahill at least considered tho patient should be sent, not to this hospital, but to Porirna. If, as Dr. Cahill wished, the patient had been removed promptly to Porirua the scandal would have been avoided; as far as tho patient was concerned, treatment would have been as efficacious at Porirua as hero, and from tho virulence of the disease in this case, I think the patient would have died equally Boon even had he been promptly removed to either institutions. But he was not promptly removed, and tho resulting scandal emphasises Hie need for less cumbersome arrangements for the speedy removal of patients to Porirua Mental Hospital, a subject on which I have already reported i'to this Tjoard."