A " QUACK " DOCTOR.
EXEMPLARY PUNISHMENT.
(From: Our Own Correspondent.) ■ AUCKLAND, February 8. A case of considerable interest was heard at the Police Court yesterday by Mr R. W. Dyer, S.M., when "Max Gotch, a "herbal specialist," carrying on business in Wellesley street East, was charged, on the information of DrvPurdy (District Health 1 Officer), who was represented by Mr Mays, that, on December 31 last, he wilfully and falsely wed ,-a description implying that. he was recognised by 'aw as a practitioner in medicine"; -that on January 11 he sold a. certain", poison (ergot of rye) to one Albert PwciyaJ Bennett without distinctly labelling the bottle containing it " Poison," as Se-quired by "The Sale of Poisons Act, ■jljSTl". ; thafeihe did sell the poison without ,',tnaking an entity in a proper book for the r i purpose, as required by the act, and, furI ther, that he did sell the nreparation without being a, person registered under the , act to sell, ii. -'"" j Mr Sharpies appeared for- defendant, who pleaded "'" Guilty " to tho three las« charges, but denied falsely representing ""liimseJlf as a' doctor. v Albert Pereival Bennett, inspector of the ;■; ■ Health- Department, gave evidence as to jß&ioir Jtni&!s defendant's .shop and complain- [ «jjp cJ^4flis|y*JEeeling in the throat. Gotchi saKf^^l^^fgatevej: was wrong he couldi effect a'feurer Witness expressed a doubt. -Gotch offered to cure him in five months. The^, medicine was to cost Is 6d an ounce j" for >. internal' tftee, and 2s 6d an ounce for outside application. Gotch told witness he '•was suffering' from a bronchial affection, ,_ans. £hat it .was a good job it had. not gone "down to the stomach, or ifc would nave been a bad case. — (Laughter.) Defendant had told witness on the occasion of his first :visit , that -he was not registered in New Zealand, but he was registered over "on ' the other side." On another occasion Gotch had said that lie had spent five years i iv the Berlin Sanatorium. Defendant said ' 'he had a practice among 1 3000 Austrians, from wnom he was drawing* £800 a year. Defendant's .counsel (Mr Sharpies^ •üb* 1 mitt-eid that <jhe,, fitness Bennett had* adr m]irtech thai defendant had said he was not registered as a fully qualified medical practitioner in New Zealand. Mr Dyer said that was not the question. He supposed the greater number of doctor* in New Zealand qualified outside, but that did not debar them from practising here. Registration in New Zealand only enabled a doctor to sue a patient for fees due, andi defendant was charged here with pretending. Further evidence saving been tendered, the Magistrate said that, even taking the most liberal view of the case, defendant had pretended that he was. duly qualified by law Mr May« asfeed for the full penalty, witljr costs on the highest scale. The man wm» "an arrant humbug and a quack of tbe worst' type." ■ Mr Sharpies against such strong terms.
I Mr Dyer: Well, -what is a quack? He if * man who states that he is a doctor, and practises 'medicine without any qualification Whatever- At the same time, I do not think that you are under the circumstances justified in making an attack upon the man. I certainly 'consider, however, that he comes within the term "quack." Counsel' withdrew the charge of failing to comply ; it-ith the regulations by not putting the bebef "Poison" on the bottle. ' Mr Dy#r' sAid that on each of the two charges ' under the Poisons Act defendant ■would be fined £5 and costs (£5 18s). . "On the charge of falsely representing yourself to be #h*t you Jtnenr you were nor," contraue'd' the ' Magistrate, " I am not going- to in&ict this, maximum penalty, because, as far act I know 1 yon have not been convicted before, but 1 am going to impose a fine which I hope will have the effect of stopping you and'nien like you from carrying oa this sort of thing." Defendant was fined £30' and costs (£3 16s).
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Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 17
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664A " QUACK " DOCTOR. Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 17
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