MEDICAL BOARDS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 91, 10 January 1918, Page 6

MEDICAL BOARDS

DR. THACKER'S CHARGES

COURT OF INQUIRY OPENED

INSULTING BEHAVIOUR ALLEGED

By Tolonr.iph-Press Association. Christcliurch, January !). A Court of Inquiry opened this morning and'sat throughout tho day to investigate tbo charges mado by Dr. H. T. J. Tliacker, M.P., a captain in the lleserve of Officers, New Zealand Medical Corps, and others, in respect to tho conduct of members of the Military Medical Boards which had done duty in tho Canterbury military district. After tho Court had boon formally opened; tho president, Major Loach, said that tho Court bad been convened primarily for the purpose of enabling Captain Tliacker to justify the statements made in tho following telegram sent by him to the Minister of Defence: —

Four military medical examiners hero are insulting in their remarks to recruits. Please see that this is stopped at once.

Specific Charges Wanted. The allegations were very wide "'n character and effect, said the president, and officers of the Now Zealand Medical Corps were still doing duty in this district. Tho president pointed out to Captain Thackcr the necessity of outlining specific charges in the Court, with tho names of tho officers concerned, :tho place, the date, and the timo of tho occurrences, if possible, in order that a full opportunity might be givon to the officers concerned to he present and to hear evidence, to give evidence, to cross-examine witnesses, of to call evidence on their own behalf. Secondly, the inquiry was convened to hear aiiy charges made against any Military Medical Board which had done duty in the Canterbury military district, and ho suggested that Captain Tliacker should hand in a list of witnesses and also a list of charges, and that afterwards the Court ihould pall for other witnesses. This would givo the Court an idea of what it had to do. After some discussion regarding the scope of the inquiry and the payment of witnesses, tho president said that justice would be done. Further, all 'statements made by witnesses would he absolutely privileged, even if rondo with malice. Evidence was then called.

"H'm! Thackerl" Jeromo M'Anulty, farmer, of Methven, said that lie had been under Dr. Thacker for six or seven years for renal bleeding. "When he attended the metlical examination at Ashburton on December 3 he presented a certificate to the medical officer, and told him or his complaint. Tho officer (LieutenantColonel Ewart) opened the certificate, glanced down it, and said, hml Thacker!" He passed it to the other officer, saying, "Look a,t Thacker! Then he said to witness: Look! Ims is no good to us at all. It's us that aro testing you, not lhacker. He officer picked up the certificate again, and seemed to sneer at it, and kept repeating: "Seems to bo specific. Witness said that the officer did not really examine his kidneys, and Ho took exception to the hostile nature and offensivo attitude of Ewart to the certificate. ~ In cross-examination the witness said that the medical officer's whole atjittude was insulting, and ho considered it was worth making a, complaint

about. _ Ernest "William Webb, farmer, Bakaia, said that he saw the officer pass tho certificate to the other doctor, and exclaim: "Thacker seems to bo specific." Ho also heard the doctor say: "It is not Thacker who is examining von; it is us." Witness left M'Anulty in the room, and as he came out he said to M'Anulty: "I think they gave yoii a pretty rough spin.'

Evidence in Rebuttal. Lieutenant-Colonel William Ewart, N.Z.M.C., giving evidence in rebuttal, said that a good many certificates were produced to tho medical boards. In his experience more came from one medical practitioner than from any other. Thero had come, markedly, more from Dr. Thacker than from other medical practitioners. His examination of M'Anulty differed from that of the other reservists only m tho length of time it took to examine him. Witness gave him a thorough examination, and gave much more time to his case than was usual. Ho emphatically denied that at any time was lie insulting to M'Anulty, who appeared aggrieved throughout, and_ was antagonistic in his manner to witness all the time. He further denied saying, "H'ml Thacker!" but might have said, "Yes," or "H'm! from Dr. Thacker." M'Anulty appeared to resent witness not accepting Dr. Thacker's certificate as an excuse for classing him C 2 without further examination.

A Leg Hop. Samuel Cooper, reservist, Christchurch, said he went to Dr. >Thaeker because he had been hurt and insulted at his mediiial examination in Christchurch on November 13. He was just nbout again after having been laid up for nearly eight months with a broken leg, and the examining doctor told him to "Hop on it." Witness said he couldn't, but made an attempt which caused him pain. The officer said: "I want none of your damned nonsenso here! You can hop on it better than that. Tho leg's strong enough." Tho 'witness identified Lieu-tenant-Colonel Ewart as the medical man concerned.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart: I don't remember anything at all about it. Witness said that the manner in which Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart spoke to and swore at him was worth a complaint about. It was not so much the word "Damn," as the general offensive manner which lie complained about. Dr. Thncker wanted the medical members of the board to examine his leg, but Major Gresson, representing the Defence Department, said that there was no necessity, the complaint being against the alleged insult, not against the medical classification. Lieutcuant-G'olonel Ewart, called ly Major Gresson, said he did not remember Cooper at all. But he did not think the account he gave of his f-x----animation a likely one. He had never used such language to any recruit. Captain G. M. Lester, .N.Z.M.C., who was with Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart at the examination of Cooper, said he did not hirar the language alleged to have boon used.

Anothor Witness. Herbert Francis Wood, reservist, Christchurch, who had been a patient i of Dr. Thacker's for over three years, : suffering from rheumatism and acute i sciatica, said that he was medically : examined about November 10. he handed Dr. Thaeker's certificate ■ to Captain Lester, who passed it MlO Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart. Auer waiting half an hour," said witness, I came beforo him and he asked mo if 1 had been attended by any doctor. I told him ho had just read my doctor s ■ certificate. He asked me how It. Thackcr could attend mo when he was in Wellington in Parliament. I told him that it must be a. queer kind of Parliament, because Dr. Thackcr had attended mo every day except Sundays. , Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart asked _ me i what treatment my doctor had given

me. I told him electric treatment find massage. Lieuteuant-Colonel Ewart said: 'Humph! That's a nice kind of treatment,' in a sneering way. I told Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart that I went to Hanmer on my doctor's orders, and ho replied, 'Humph! That's a rice place to go to.' " Ho complained to Dr. Thackcr about the way he had been treated.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart, called, said ho remembered examining Wood, whose view that he (witness) isad discounted the certificate was nuC a correct one. There- was nothing in the whole examination to account,' fov' the attitude taken up by Wood, and witness could not understand it at all. He denied that 'ho had ever criticised treatment by other doctors to tecruits.

The president asked if anyone else in tho room had any complaints to make against the conduct of the military boards in Canterbury, and several men stepped forward and .handed iu their names.

Tho Court then adjourned till to-mor-row morning.