Allegation of Wrong Diagnosis in Answer to Local Practitioner's Claim for Fees Allegations of carelessness and an error in diagnosis by a doctor were made in a case which came before his Honour Judge Grain at H. M. Supreme Court on Monday. The plaintiff, Dr. Paul Martin, of 11 Nanking Road, sued Mr. Perey Wilfrid Pate for Tls. 125 for professional services rendered to Mrs.
Pate between January 8-20, 1921.
Mr, F. J. Schuhl appeared for plaintiff and Mr. L. K. Kentwell for defendant.
The defence filed alleged that plaintiff "conducted himself so unprofessionally, unskilfully, incompetently and negligently that he made a wrong diagnosis of the case, and following upon such wrong diagnosis, improperly prescribed and caused to be' administered to Mrs, Pate such poisonous and noxious and dangerous drugs as morphine, atropine, and rochelle salts that she became by reason thereof grievously ill, and suffered excruciating pain and prolonged anguish.'
The defence further alleged that Dr. Martin's examination of Mrs. Pate was "perfunctory," and that ho "merely guessed at the case of a floating kidney when in fact she was suffering from typhoid fever." Also, that on his own responsibility, Dr. Martin determined upon a major operation, refused a consulation, and refused to allow Mrs. Pate to go into any hospital other than Dr. Fearn's sanitorium, with the result that Mrs. Pate was kept for nearly a fortnight without proper hospital accommodation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.