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989. Was her case being treated for erysipelas ?—Yes, I was taken to it and shown it as a case of erysipelas. 990. Mr. Solomon.'] Speaking generally, taking that table, and taking the results of your practice during that week outside of the Hospital, taking also the result of your practice inside ; taking, too, the presence of this known septic case in the ward, and the arising of Miss W 's case in the ward at almost the same time, can you have any doubt as to whether the conditions of the Hospital and the conditions of the ward and the presence of that case had any effect on your different experiences inside and outside of the Hospital ? —I have no doubt at all in my mind about it. 991. That the unhealthy condition of the Hospital made the results inside worse than those outside ?—Yes. 992. Could the conditions of the ward at that time which you know existed—as imperfect ventilation and the presence of this case of Mrs. A——■ in the ward —have failed to have had an injurious effect on these patients of yours ?—No. It must have had some injurious effect on some of them. 993. Now, tell us something about Miss D 's case ? —'She was admitted into the ward on the 12th June. When she came in she was supposed to be suffering from an ovarian tumour. Her abdomen was swollen, and there were other symptoms which looked rather like that. The girl was not very ill, but she was a nervous kind of girl. T set her to work about the ward and tried to impress her with the idea that there was nothing very much wrong with her. After she had been in for a very short time—l cannot say how long—l noticed that her temperature began to go up. That would be, I should say, nearly a month after she came in. She got worse from day to day, and developed symptoms of peritonitis, which I concluded from her history and from her symptoms was of a tubercular nature. My impression of her case is that she came in with latent tuberculosis, and that the unhealthy state of the ward in which she was placed caused the disease to become active. She is in the Hospital at the present time. [Table of cases handed in here : Ex. xx.] 994. Gross-examined by Mr. Chapman.] You have stated that you asked for this inquiry ?— I have. 995. When was that ? —On the evening I met the Trustees. 996. That is to say, on the day on which you wrote the letter which has been read to the Commissioners ? —Yes. 997. You wrote that letter, did you not, with reference to Mrs. S 's case on the 25th July?— Mrs. S died on Tuesday, the 22nd. I wrote that letter the same night, and took it to Mr. Miller, chairman of the Trustees, the following morning. I delivered it to him myself. I told him that I was determined to have this letter made public, to make myself right with the public, and I might send it to the papers for publication. I told Mr. Miller that if the Trustees took the initiative it would be a proper stand, but if I published it they (the Trustees) would be put in a false position. I said:"I am determined that it shall be made public." He said that there was some doubt whether an inquest would be called. I also said to him, "If you would like to have any modifications or alterations made in the letter, I shall be happy to do so, consistent with the truth." After conversing with him for a little time I left him, leaving the letter in his possession. I called on him again the same day —I do not think there was a long interval—when he told me that he did not want the letter altered in any way. I told Mr. Miller that I was coming to the meeting of the Trustees in the evening. I went to the meeting of the Trustees in the evening, and told them of the reasons of my determination to have the matter made public. 998. You went to the Trustees' meeting that same evening. Then a special meeting of the Trustees had been called to consider your letter? —You are wrong ; it was an ordinary meeting of the Trustees. I certainly am under that impression. 999. Where did you deliver that letter ?—At Mr. Miller's shop. 1000. Were you present at the meeting when your letter was considered ?—I had told Mr. Miller that I should be in attendance. I attended the meeting, and waited outside, thinking that they would send for me. 1001. They read to you or communicated to you their minute on the subject, in which they announced that there must be a public inquiry? —I really cannot answer that. They knew perfectly well that I had demanded a public inquiry, and had determined on one being held. 1002. I want to know when you had communicated to you the result of the meeting of Trustees ?—I will tell you exactly what occurred. Mr. Miller sent for me, and told me that a public inquiry would be held, but they (the Trustees) were not quite certain what form it would take. Then I left the room. But I was not satisfied, and thought that I might be put in a wrong position, so I went back to the meeting, and said, " You must distinctly understand that this inquiry must be founded on my letter." They said, " Yes, we understand that." 1003. You say distinctly that they communicated to you the result, which was that they called for a public inquiry founded on your letter? —They certainly did. 1004. Did they communicate to you the terms of their minute?—l do not think they did. At any rate, a doubt remained in my mind, because I went back to their meeting and said to them, " I must put myself right on this matter. I have called for this inquiry. My letter is to be the foundation of this inquiry. 1005. You went back to the meeting and said, " This letter is to be the foundation of the inquiry " ? —I did. Ido not know if there was a minute read, but there was certainly none while I was there. They told me distinctly that they had not made up their minds what the form of the inquiry should be. 1006. Did they communicate their minute or the substance of it to you ? —I cannot say. 1007. Who was it who spoke to you ?—That I cannot tell you.