MEDICAL CORONERS.

Evening Star, Issue 4015, 8 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

MEDICAL CORONERS.

To the Editor, Sir, —Dr Bakewell is not the only person who has raised the question as to whether or not medical men should act as 1 oroners. In the columns ot some of the .English newspapers this discu-sion has been lately going on, and, amongst a large class of people the absurdity of the system isadmiited. The pre.-eut office of Coroner is somewhat analogous to that of a Juryman some hundreds of years ago. Jury men were formally chosen not because they were unconnected with the question to be tried as they a-e at pr.-rent, hut b cause they ware either acquainted with the circumstances of the particular case, or were experts ; they were, in fact, witnesses as well as jury me i. The old system has long been condemned, and few relicts remain outside the office of Coroner. The Coroner’s office is ambiguous, he gives medical evidence exeathrdoa, and determines at the same time as to ■ he admissibility and weight of other medical evidence. Putting aside altogether the f ict that one medical man may indiiectly ao infinite harm to his competing brother, the question arises whether the training «>f a doctor fits a man to act as a Judge. We can, without much hesitation, say “I think that however clever a man may be in his own piofesdon, that is no proof that he is quite in capable to act iu any overcapacity.” A Coroner may, in a case of murder for instance, direct the jury how the deceased has met his death: but can he determine whether the crime is excusable, justifiab'e, or felonious, homicide ? No doubt his mistakes will be r> c lifted in the Sup eme Court, but will an acquittal there compensate a man for the loss of time and business he must necessarily sustain through being convicted ? not to speak of the chance of a compulsory stay in the gaol, A good illustration of the capability of a coroner to draw an indictment appeared some time ago in the '-up erne Court in Dunedin. A mm was indicted for murder after a coroner’s inquest, and the indictment charged the muroered mm wi hj feloniously killing aud slaying the living one, instead of vice versa. This is one of the many instances wnich might be adduced to show how incipable medical men are to do legal work.—l am, etc., Aliquis.