Day 053 - 22 Nov 94 - Page 51


     
     1
     2        So, if we had thought that causal was a specific issue,
     3        then I would have gone further in asking the witnesses,
     4        when they said that you could not show cause and effect,
     5        whether that necessarily meant that the associations that
     6        had been asserted between diet and cancer were not
     7        necessarily causal.
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  There you are. Are you suggesting there is
    10        any difference in attitude between you and Mr. Morris,
    11        because you conducted the case in harness and when one goes
    12        on to page 30, for instance, when Mr. Morris is asking
    13        questions, we have at line 25:  "So, you can say that diet
    14        is linked to cancer through obesity, but not necessarily
    15        through other ---?"  Answer:  "There is a linkage but not
    16        necessarily in terms of causation".  "Right.  Answer:  "I
    17        mean, it seems logical to assume that aspects of our diet
    18        are involved in the causation of certain illnesses?"
    19        "Yes."  Then the question: "Including cancer?"
    20
    21   MS. STEEL:   I have said already, I am not disputing the fact
    22        that some of our questions were directed at "cause".  The
    23        initial ones I was picking out there, I am trying to
    24        explain that whatever it may or may not appear to
    25        Mr. Rampton, I know what my state of mind was.  My state of
    26        mind was not that we had to prove cause.  Those specific
    27        questions initially were not directed at proving cause.
    28        They were directed at finding out what Mr. Arnott was
    29        saying.  Later on where "cause" was asked about that, that
    30        was because cause was one type of link.  Therefore, if we
    31        proved cause, we would also prove link.  It was not the
    32        fact that we had to prove cause.  Obviously, it was helpful
    33        if we did -- extremely helpful -- but that was not
    34        necessarily what we were directing ourselves at.  Well, it
    35        was not what we were directing ourselves at.  We were
    36        directing ourselves at proving link and that link was
    37        fairly widely accepted as well, as opposed to what
    38        Mr. Arnott initially appeared to be asserting, which was,
    39        yes, there had been some study asserting the link, but an
    40        equal number of studies denying there was a link, so there
    41        was not any proof that there was a link.
    42
    43   MR. MORRIS:  In fact, my cross-examination on that part was to
    44        establish that there was a link which Dr. Arnott did agree
    45        in the end.
    46
    47   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He did.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:  It was hard work.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That came before a number of questions 
    52        about "cause", but I have looked at them.  I will just have 
    53        to make my own view about that.  How are we getting on?  We
    54        are not going to finish today and I cannot sit tomorrow.
    55        I personally consider it very important that we go to
    56        Ms. Dibb and, since Mr. Mallinson has been moved around,
    57        I think it is important we have him.  Then it is probably
    58        important that we have Mr. Oakley.
    59
    60   MR. MORRIS:  Do you mean Mr. Ashworth on Tuesday?

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