THE DUNEDIN SCANDAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 423, 23 May 1902, Page 2

THE DUNEDIN SCANDAL.

A CHANGED TUNE. (.Special to Times.) DUNEDIN, last night-. The case of the death oi Mrs Marshall and the inhuman attitude adopted by one doctor has roused up public indignation in a remarkable wax. In nymg to make light of the affair the Medical Association had the impudence to lecture the press for giving vent to the public indignation. In return the Association has received such a trouncing that it has found it necessary to make explanations. The President of the Association now seeks to allay the torm which the Association had helped to increase, and in a letter states : “ I give you my assurance that the Association do repudiate the sentiments- expressed by Dr Davis. Next, the question has been asked, in the event of any person calling in a doctor at any hour, do your Association consider it right that he should be sent from door to door until such assistance is obtained ? No, it is not right. Finally, may I say something which may explain the attitude of the profession towards Dr. Davis ? We have known him as a practitioner

among us for the last 20 years. He has always been diligent in his work, helpful to his brother practitioners, and a most loyal comrade, and has given his services freely to those who cannot afford to pay for them. Fur-

ther, we know, as no layman can, that the circumstances of the message brought by Mr Marshall were such as to lead anyone to assume that the case was one of no special urgency. Dr Davis might fairly consider that under those circumstances any other medical man would be more useful to Dr. Stephenson than himself. May I, knowing how quick some of our readers are to impute evil motives, say that I am certain no can he cast on Dr. Stephenson’s skill, and that the sudden

end was one of those awful tragedies which take the most skilful and experienced men by surprise, and cannot be provided for. Under those circumstances, it is not surprising that we are not prepared to join in the outcry against a tried and trusted member of our profession because lie has done an ill-judged thing, and said some words which are undoubtedly capable of bearing a bad constucfion. We prefer to judge the man by his acts rather than by Ills words, which he has practically withdrawn and apologised for. May I make an appeal to you and your readers that the time has come to temper justice with mercy, and leave the further criticism of Dr Davis to those men and women who have never erred, have never left the right thing undone and done the wrong, and have never said the wrong word and uttered yesterday the sentences which to-day they would give anything they possess not to have uttered.