Day 031 - 05 Oct 94 - Page 53
1 well, certainly the committees that I have sat on that
2 both form part of the discussion that the mechanisms for
3 aetiology are part of the discussion that leads you to an
4 assessment of risk.
5
6 Q. I understand, Professor Crawford. May I put it another
7 way, that there will come a point where the evidence is
8 suggestive, sufficiently suggestive, of risk that a body
9 will make a recommendation, yes?
10 A. Yes.
11
12 Q. It does not follow from that that the body has concluded
13 that X is the cause of Y?
14 A. That is correct, but I think if you are referring to
15 bodies like the World Health Organisation and the type of
16 recommendations which they make in these sorts of cases,
17 they are making recommendations which are going to affect
18 governments throughout the world. They are not going to
19 make those recommendations lightly. I would be very
20 surprised if the World Health Organisation made any
21 recommendations that did not actually embrace the evidence
22 on aetiology as a part of their summation of degree of
23 risk.
24
25 Q. I think, though I did not get a "yes" or "no" answer, my
26 question was -- but I am content with that answer,
27 Professor Crawford, thank you. Only these further
28 things: Before you come back to court, may I ask you
29 kindly (if you have not done so already) to read the
30 papers to which Dr. Sidney Arnott refers in his report
31 prepared for this case? Can I ask you a preliminary
32 question: Have you been invited to read Dr. Arnott's
33 report?
34 A. I was invited to read Dr. Arnott's -- well, the
35 transcript of Dr. Arnott.
36
37 Q. You read his evidence in court; is that right?
38 A. Yes.
39
40 Q. He wrote quite a long and detailed report for the purposes
41 of these proceedings which I understand you now tell me
42 you have not read?
43 A. I have not read that.
44
45 Q. It will save time in court. Could I ask you to find a
46 moment between that date which is yet to be fixed and
47 today to read the report and to read his references?
48 A. Yes.
49
50 Q. I think 10 to six; we will make sure you get them.
51 A. I will be pleased to do that.
52
53 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You will probably be quite interested?
54 A. Yes, I am sure I will.
55
56 MR. RAMPTON: With particular attention -- you will get a
57 transcript of today's hearing, I expect, so there is no
58 need to make a note now -- to what I am encouraged to call
59 meta studies or meta analyses on existing bodies of
60 coronary research?
