Illustrations of medical evidence and trial by jury in Scotland.

Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrations of medical evidence and trial by jury in Scotland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to that object, that if Professor Syme had heard of it any other way than he did, he must have seen this ; for bear in mind, it was the property of the Crown, and that it could not be parted with to any one. Any information of a crime given by one individual against another the Crown must give up, but this being part of the evidence upon which they themselves were to institute proceedings, Professor Syme was not entitled to it. But this young gentleman, Dr Dobie, having been allowed to read the certificate in the hands of the she¬ riff’s officer, to whom most strangely it appears to have been given, and who flourished it about before the lads in the Infirmary, imme¬ diately thinks that he has got a famous case for Professor Syme, and immediately copies it, and sends it to him, Professor Syme not inquir¬ ing and not knowing the object or purpose of it. Now you have that purpose and object completely proved in this case. It was not intended to be medical evidence; it was for the purpose of satisfying the mind of the Procurator-Fiscal in the first instance, and then the Sheriff, if he joined in that opinion, that this boy was in danger, and ought to be examined by the Sheriff. Now what does Mr Glover do ? He goes to the Infirmary, and asks to see the house-surgeon, Mr Syme’s clerk. Not only he swears to it, but Dr Dobie proves it, as he says the nurse came for him, and he also says he went as soon as he was in¬ formed that Mr Glover wished to see him. What time passed be¬ fore the nurse found him, of course Dr Dobie cannot tell, but the boy says that Mr Glover stood for some time before he came to his bedside. Now knowing, as Mr Glover probably did know, the jealousy of the gentlemen in the Infirmary, even for this purpose, if they knew how limited his purpose was, I think it would have been better had he waited until the house-surgeon came, or until a message that he was not to come. But that is a very unimportant matter indeed, and has nothing to do with the question of the truth of the issue on the part of the defender. Well, after a little he goes forward and asks the boy a few questions. But observe, before that, Mr Glover stated that he went to the police- office, and got information of the injury, and of course in that way he knew that the boy’s leg was broken. Well, he asks the boy some questions, and he turns the clothes slightly down ; but it is plain that he saw very little from that, because he must have mis¬ taken the reddish-brown colour of the gutta-percha covering for the oozing of blood. I think that was a mistake on his part; but he saw that the leg was broken, as he had been told. lie saw the