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her last, and I recommended her to go into the Hospital. I found that she was suffering from uterine disease. 4345. Is that an unusual discovery?—lt is not. I have a largo number of these cases always under my treatment. Well, I treated her some time ago, and greatly relieved her condition in some respects ; but when I saw that she was going to the bad, and seeing that it was a uterine case, I called Dr. Batcholor in to see her, and he agreed with me that an operation was necessary, and that the sooner it was done the better. I told him chat I had thought of keeping her some time longer, and trying to improve her condition ; but he recommended an immediate operation. I therefore called a consultation of the staff in the usual way, and the operation that I proposed was agreed to. I put it to my patient that Dr. Batchelor was the specialist in the Hospital for these cases, but that there was nothing to prevent me operating. She said that she would rather be in my hands, and I replied, " Very good; but I will have Dr. Batchelor's assistance." On the day that had been fixed for the operation the young woman was brought in and put under chloroform. I think Drs. Barclay and Copland and some students were present; but I was astonished to see that none of the medical staff turned up. I rung xvp Dr. Maunsell, who said that he would be down, but did not come. Dr. Gordon Macdonald came in afterwards, and we consulted, and went on with the operation, which we found to be one of the most serious that could be undertaken. yet it was done successfully and well. The young woman, however, died two days afterwards. 4346. Her temperature was what ?—I do not know. 4347. I find that it was 103° ; does not that indicate a septic temperature ?—Not necessarily. It might be from shock, or inflammation. 4348. Do you not know that the greatest authorities on the subject say that if there is such a rise in temperature immediately after operation, it is an indication that the patient has contracted septic poisoning ?—lt might be septicaemia. 4349. Do you agree with that ?—Yes ; I believe her temperature went up within twenty-four hours. 4350. It was a Tait's operation for the removal of the fallopian tubes, and she had a temperature of 103° just before death ?—Her temperature was 102° on the sth. 4351. But it was 103° the day before she died?— The authorities say that if the temperature goes up after operation it may be septicaemia, but that does not exclude other influences. The operation was necessitated by tubercular disease, and that was quite sufficient to account for the temperature going up, without bringing forward the question of septicaemia at all. 4353. Take another case, that of Mary B ?—lt is one of those cases that come under the care of a physician every day. 4353. Shall I find among your cases a large number of uterine disorders ?—Yes, I have a good many. 4354. Are 70 or 80 per cent, of your cases suffering from uterine disorders ? —You are now stating what is not true—what is absolutely false ; and if anybody told you that, he told you what was maliciously and wilfully false. At one time, as I have already told you, I had a very large practice amongst the working-classes of Dunedin, and I had a great many uterine cases ; as a matter of fact, this class of cases is very prevalent here. I treated them so successfully that I became well-known amongst them on account of my success with uterine cases, and therefore a great many women came to me for treatment. I can tell Dr. Batchelor that I have treated hundreds of cases of uterine disease, and done all sorts of minor operations; and, with the exception of that hospital case in which there was a death—and she would have died in a few months whether Dr. Batchelor or any other man had operated on her—l never lost a patient that I operated on in my life, while Dr. Batchelor himself has lost innumerable cases of minor operations on women. 4355. I understand that you recognise that there are defects, which you call structural ones, in Lhe Dunedin Hospital?— Yes. 4356. Do you agree that there are insanitary defects in the Dunedin Hospital ?— The only defect that could be brought under that is bad draughts. I have seen patients take relapses, which I ascribe to the draughts. 4357. Are you now speaking of the medical wards ?—I have seen patients in some medical wards, and occasionally in all the wards. 4358. How many cases of operation have you had in the Dunedin Hospital ?—I may say that I used to do all the cases that came before me, but I have only had two abdominal sections in the Hospital. 4359. Since November, 1888, how many cases have you had ?—I have had only one abdominal operation. ■ 4360. That was Mary E , was it not ?—You can hardly call that an abdominal operation. I have had a great many minor operations. 4361. But since November, 1888 ?—I have had a good many minor operations. I wish to explain that the abdominal cases mentioned above were done in the Hospital, where I am not allowed to operate now. But, altogether, I have had at least six abdominal cases, with only one death. Indeed, I have only lost one patient after operation, whether major or minor. 4362. Do you think that the structural or sanitary defects of our Hospital are of such a serious character as to call for immediate remedy ?—lt would be better to have 4363. I want you to tell me, yes or no ?—I am not going to give you a categorical answer. 4364. Tell me, yes or no, are the insanitary defects of the Hospital of so serious a character as to call for immediate remedy?— No. I say there are no sanitary defects, with the exception of draughts. 4365. I want you to teil me whether this is correct ? It is what you are reputed to have said at.a meeting of the staff on the 11th April, in reference to what you call now one of the healthiest hospitals in the world : "It was quite true thak their wards were draughty ; that there were patients