Day 023 - 13 Sep 94 - Page 20


     
     1        respected body of health?
     2        A.  They would certainly listen to them, yes.
     3
     4   Q.   Are they likely to trust ---
     5        A.  I cannot answer that.
     6
     7   Q.   -- their conclusions and recommendations?
     8        A.  I cannot answer that; I do not know.
     9
    10   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is a slightly difficult question to ask a
    11        specialist, because I am sure he is far too modest, but he
    12        might say he knows much more about cancer than X, Y and
    13        Z.  You are asking him what the person who does not know
    14        anything about it might think, you see, or trust -----
    15
    16   MR. MORRIS:  Or people that are looking for guidance overall.
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes, but who has no particular expertise.
    19        It is very difficult for an expert to put himself in the
    20        position of someone who does not have expertise.
    21
    22   MR. MORRIS:  When, for example, McDonald's expert witness
    23        previously in this case -- we read this out before, you
    24        remember -- said it was generally accepted, Professor
    25        Wheelock said:  "Whilst it is now generally accepted that
    26        diet does play an important role in the development of the
    27        so-called degenerative diseases, which includes coronary
    28        heart disease and some cancers, the precise role of the
    29        different components in the diet are difficult to
    30        elucidate".  But when he says "generally accepted" -- we
    31        did not ask him this question at the time -- would it be
    32        reasonable to say that the World Health Organisation is
    33        making such statements that that would contribute to
    34        someone saying it is generally accepted?
    35        A.  As I said yesterday, the World Health Organisation are
    36        in a situation where we have already accepted -- this
    37        group met in 1989, for example.  It took until 1990 to get
    38        published but that is not uncommon.  In the 1970s and 80s
    39        there was felt to be a much stronger relationship between
    40        food, diet and possible development of cancers.  I think
    41        it is certainly true to say that there is a relationship
    42        between coronary heart disease, diabetes -----
    43
    44   Q.   Let us just concentrate on cancer.
    45        A.  All right, but what we have learnt in the last few
    46        years is that the position is by no means clear.  A lot of
    47        this information has only become available in the last
    48        three or four years.
    49
    50   Q.   Let us look at the position when this report was 
    51        produced.  This is 1990.  Although Vernon Wheelock, 
    52        Professor Wheelock, wrote his evidence and gave his 
    53        evidence only a few weeks ago ---
    54        A.  I would say -----
    55
    56   Q.   -- he was saying then it is generally accepted that diet
    57        plays an important role in the development of cancer?
    58        A.  Well, I would have to say that I could not accept
    59        that.  What I would say is that diet may play an important
    60        role in cancer but we actually do not know the answer to

Prev Next Index