Day 269 - 25 Jun 96 - Page 45


     
     1        I think that COMA has had this reputation of not
     2        particularly wanting to commit itself, because of the
     3        political implications which some of these recommendations
     4        generate.  So I think that one needs to look at this
     5        document with the hindsight of history, with COMA reports
     6        consistently being that little bit behind the times
     7        compared with some of the others.
     8
     9        I think the best example is one that I quoted was the
    10        corresponding COMA report in the early 1970's compared with
    11        the report from the Royal College of Physicians, which is
    12        the one that really started the action on preventive
    13        coronary heart disease in this country.  The COMA report
    14        did nothing to start preventative action, but the Royal
    15        College's report did.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We will adjourn there and resume at
    18        5-past-2.
    19
    20                        (Luncheon adjournment)
    21
    22   MR. MORRIS:  Can I just bring up one thing.  Mr. Rampton
    23        referred to something Professor Crawford allegedly said in
    24        his testimony last time and it was Mr. Rampton told us that
    25        it was on the 5th October 1994, day 31, page 53 about
    26        recommendations not including the causative links, the WHO
    27        recommendations would not necessarily be causative links.
    28        And, in fact, Professor Crawford did actually say the
    29        opposite on that page.
    30
    31   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Read it out.
    32
    33   MR. MORRIS:  Mr. Rampton said:
    34
    35        "There will come a point where the evidence is
    36        sufficiently suggestive of risk that a body will make a
    37        recommendation.
    38        Answer:  Yes.
    39        Question: It does not follow from that that the body has
    40        concluded that X is the cause of Y?
    41        This is not about WHO, this is general.
    42        Answer:  That is correct but I think if you are referring
    43        to bodies like the World Health Organisation and the type
    44        of recommendations which they make in these sorts of cases,
    45        they are making recommendations which are going to affect
    46        Governments throughout the world.  They are not going to
    47        make those recommendations lightly.  I would be very
    48        surprised if the World Health Organisation made any
    49        recommendations that did not actually embrace the evidence
    50        on etiology as a part of their summation of the degree of
    51        risk."
    52
    53   MR. RAMPTON:   Quite, and I said at the time, I went on to say I
    54        was quite content with that answer, which I remain.
    55        A.   I apologise, Mr. Rampton.  My Lord, I was a little
    56        confused.  I gave a statement just prior to lunch which I
    57        would like to modify.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes?
    60        A.   Reference to the committee on this publication here,

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