NEWS
SCHEDULES
COLUMNS
PREVIOUS TOURS
OTHER SPORTS
STATISTICS
INTERVIEWS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Cross-Examination of Dr. Lewis

COMMISSIONER: Would you expect him to remember all the occasions upon which, and I am not suggesting that there are any others, other than those that have already been admitted to, would you expect his condition with regard to lapse of memory, to interfere with his ability to recall incidents where he has behaved dishonourably?

DR LEWIS: No, I don't think that that would be the case, I think that certainly he would remember incidents, they would have been significant and important to him, but possibly again the finer details, he might not know.

COMMISSIONER: Yes, Mr Wallace? Thank you Dr Lewis.

RE-EXAMINATION BY MR WALLACE: Thank you Mr Commissioner. Just a couple of matters, Dr Lewis. You do not suggest, as I understand your evidence, that Mr Cronje's illness prevents him from giving truthful evidence to the best of his ability, is that so?

DR LEWIS: That is correct.

MR WALLACE: In other words you are not suggesting that because of his illness, he may be led into telling untruths about events?

DR LEWIS: Again, that is correct.

MR WALLACE: Now, in regard to his reaction to questions, and treating them as being hostile, just to make that clear, would that extend even possibly to questions I might ask him as his legal representative?

DR LEWIS: I think that is important, I think that it would extend to the questions that you ask him as well.

MR WALLACE: Notwithstanding his knowledge that I am here, representing him and trying to help him and look after his own interests?

DR LEWIS: That is correct, I think maybe an image that makes that a bit clearer is the image of trying to rescue a cat from a tree, when the cat feels that you are a threat to it, it will scratch you, despite knowing you. So in other words, people even who are friendly and who are genuinely trying to help, in the position in which people are under acute stress, they might see those people as being threatening.

MR WALLACE: Then in regard to a question which my learned friend, Ms Batohi, asked you about the reliance in making a diagnosis upon information furnished by the patient, is there anything unusual or peculiar to psychiatry about relying upon what the patient tells you as part of the information on which you base your diagnosis? Or is that in fact commonplace in all fields of medicine?

DR LEWIS: It certainly comes in in all fields of medicine, all medical fields follow a protocol of history which is gathered from the patient and from others, examination and then special investigations. The difficulty in fact with depression is that there is nothing that will show up on examination, other than one's clinical impression, and on special investigations, we have no blood tests or no brain scans that will determine whether somebody is depressed or not, so we are forced really to rely as are many of the other specialties, on history gained from the patient.

MR WALLACE: Thank you Dr Lewis.

NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR WALLACE

COMMISSIONER: Thank you Dr Lewis.

WITNESS EXCUSED