Day 053 - 22 Nov 94 - Page 49
1 even consistency in the finding of an apparent relationship
2 between that aspect of diet and the development of cancer".
3
4 To me, he was denying there was any credible association at
5 all, but a few people had asserted there was an
6 association, or a few scientists, but that was not
7 something that was generally accepted. So, that was an
8 indication that the issue was whether or not there was any
9 kind of respected association or relationship.
10
11 The questions that Mr. Rampton referred to on page 4 as
12 being an indication that I was asking him about "cause" in
13 particular, are misinterpreted because I was asking him
14 about what his job was, because it appeared that he just
15 was dealing with treatment, or it appeared that he might
16 have been just dealing with treatment, so he was not that
17 au fait with all the scientific literature that had been
18 produced. That is what those questions were directed at.
19 They were not specifically directed at getting at the issue
20 of "cause" in particular.
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I have to say that is what I thought; that is
23 what at the time I thought you were getting at. I thought
24 you were starting off your cross-examination by seeing an
25 eminent physician (though he no doubt is) how much research
26 he had actually done into causes of relevant cancers. That
27 was the point of starting your cross-examination in that
28 way, had he really made much enquiry into.
29
30 MS. STEEL: Yes, but it was causes and prevention in terms of,
31 you know, what was asserted to be a link or
32 association. I was trying to distinguish between as to
33 whether he was just someone who only dealt with the
34 treatment side of things. Those words that are used are
35 examples of something that would be different to that. I
36 do not think that should be taken as an indication that
37 I was concentrating my cross-examination on causes.
38
39 MR. MORRIS: My understanding is that it was the opposite, which
40 is that he was dealing with the end product, if you like,
41 which is the biological, the pathological pathways and
42 development inside the body, and it is precisely because we
43 did not feel under a burden, a need to prove that end, if
44 you like, because we did not feel that proof of causes was
45 part of the case to prove. We were seeing whether, in
46 fact, Dr. Arnott was going to throw any light on the
47 medical opinion, in general, on the links between diet and
48 disease.
49
50 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Look at page 5 line 29, after he has said
51 what some of the activities he has been involved in: "What
52 percentage of all those things was involved in, was kind of
53 looking up the causes of cancer as opposed to treatment?"
54
55 MS. STEEL: Yes, that was -----
56
57 MR. JUSTICE BELL: He obviously treats people because he is a
58 consultant oncologist.
59
60 MS. STEEL: He had already mentioned causation, that he did look
