CORRESPONDENCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 537, 29 January 1913, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

Letters for publication, and articles for insertion, must be accompanied (not necessarily for publication), by the name of the writer, and, provided they are not offensive in any way, will be -jublished as space permits. The Editor does tot identify himself with the opinions expressed >y correspondents, and accepts no responsibility or them.]

The Editor. Sir, r— In the last issue of the Chronicle appears the report and dpfence of Dr Thomas to a complaint lodged by me with the Waikato Hospital Board. This report requires correcting, etc., and I beg you will allow me apace in your valuable paper to do so. In the first place Mr Nelson was attended by Dr Will at our home in Maneaotaki some hours after the accident was discovered, and did not wait for medical attendance until ho reached Te Kuiti. Dr Thomas did not, as stated by him, attend to Mr Nelson at II o'clock. We arrived at the hospital at 11 a.m., and my husband was attended by Dr Thomas at 2.30 p.m. I waited nearly four hours before I saw Dr Thomas or could receive hiß opinion on the case. This may have been unavoidable, but the fact remains the same. Dr Thomas then informed me, to use his own expression, that he did not think Mr Nelson would pull through. I immediately suggested that Dr Savage should be brought from Auckland to examine, my husband. This proposal was' strongly opposed by Dr Thomas, and he wished to know who was to pay Dr Savage if he came: I said that I would do so, and that no expense was to be spared with a view to saving Mr Nelson's life. Who was to pay Dr Savage., or whether that fee was paid at all or not, did not concern Dr Thomas, and I consider thiH question an impertinence on hia part. The way in which Dr Thomas complains of my want of confidence in him is quite pathstic, but the fault was his not mine, and arose out of his apparent inability to do anything for Mr Nelson, and disinclination to consult Dr Savage. In meanwhile my husband was steadily growing worse, and on 30th October I decided to go to Auckland to cosult Dr Sayage, but he was away. On returning to Hamilton I informed Dr Thomas that allowing Dr Savage was willing to come, I had firmly made up my mind to have his opinion on the case. Dr Thomas again opposed me and said he did not believe Dr Savage would come, and that in any case it would be quite useless However at the end of the interview, Dr Thomas

agreed to consult with Dr Savage. Dr Thomas then suggested I should remove my husband to Dr Savage's private hospital in Auckland. Knowing how serious Mr Nelson's condition was I refused to take the responsibility, and Dr Thomas when asked to ao so, merely said that he had enough to do without having a case of that sort left on his hands. Now, Dr Thomas beleived my husband to be in practically a dying condition, and yet he suggested his removal to Auckland. It is certainly doubtful if Mr Nelson would • have survived the journey. Do hospitals in general and the Waikato Hospital in particular, usually resort to such methods of getting rid of their more troublesome patients? By what right does such a state of affairs exist? Dr Thomas stated that Dr Savage wished him to continue his original treatment. He must pardon me for doubting that statement, but I have the beßt of reasons ifor doing so. Dr Savage distinctly told me in the presence of Dr Thomas that he, Dr Savage, intended to order a drug which would remove the cause of the trouble, and thereby become the means of saving Mr Nelson's life.. On the day Dr Savage visited the hospital my husband had slipped back to a state of coma, and that" to the best of my belief is the state in which Dr Savage found him. Next morning, however, I was greatly surprised to find that he had sufficiently recovered and to again recognise me and to take interest in everything going on about him. This, 1 think, speaks for itself. Ido not think that Mr Nelson's recovery was in the slightest degree due to the skill of Dr Thomas If so, why did the change for the better not occur until immediately after Dr Savage had visited the hyspital? Dr Thomas states that I complained of Dr Savage having been unreasonable in his. charge. This I emphatically deny, and furthermore state that on no less than three occasions when the subject was brought up by Dr Thomas We agreed that the charge made was exceedingly reasonable. This state, ment is contrary to fact, and I request Dr Thomas, in justice to both Dr Savage and myself, to withdraw it. In conclusion, I may say that I did not expect to get the slightest satis faction from the Waikato Hospital Board. Did that body find fault with the treatment received by the patients in the hospital at the hands of Dr Thomas. They would, in the same breath, acknowledge themselves guilty of neglect. Such a state of affairs could not possibly exist in this perfectly governed country,—l am, etc.,

G. J. NELSON

H aku; 23rd January, 1913.