3094
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 81

or of Medical Officer of Health, or of Medical Superintendent of a public hospital, or any other office.

(2) The trustees shall also appoint a Deputy Medical Referee possessing the like qualifications to act in the absence of the Medical Referee, and in any case in which the Medical Referee has been the medical attendant of the deceased.

(3) The trustees, on making any such appointment, shall notify the name, address, and qualifications of the Medical Referee or Deputy Medical Referee to the Minister.

(4) Notwithstanding the terms of any appointment of a Medical Referee by the trustees, no person shall act as a Medical Referee if he ceases to be registered as a medical practitioner, or is suspended from practice of the medical profession, and the Minister may at any time suspend a Medical Referee from discharging any duties under these regulations.

REGULATION 6.—DUTIES OF MEDICAL REFEREES.

(1) The Medical Referee shall not give his consent to any cremation unless—

(a) A certificate in Form B in the Schedule hereto be given by a registered medical practitioner who has attended the deceased during his last illness, and who can certify definitely as to the cause of death; or

(b) A post-mortem examination has been made by a medical practitioner expert in pathology appointed by the trustees, or (in case of emergency or in case of cremations taking place elsewhere than in an approved crematorium or a cemetery) a medical practitioner expert in pathology appointed by the Medical Referee, and a certificate given by such medical practitioner in Form C in the Schedule hereto; or

(c) An inquest has been held and a certificate has been given by the Coroner in Form D in the Schedule hereto; and

(d) He has satisfied himself in all cases that the requirements of Regulations 3 and 4 hereof have been complied with so far as applicable.

(2) The Medical Referee shall, in every case where it may appear necessary, require evidence in writing to be furnished to him by statutory declaration or otherwise of the identity of the deceased.

(3) No Medical Referee shall give his consent to any cremation in any case in which he attended the deceased as a medical practitioner during his last illness; but this provision shall not apply to the case of a person dying in a public hospital of which the Medical Referee is the Medical Superintendent, if such deceased person shall have also been so attended by another medical practitioner, whether a member of the hospital staff or not.

(4) The Medical Referee, unless he attended the deceased as a medical practitioner during his last illness, may himself, if he has made the post-mortem examination, give a certificate in Form C, or, if he is a Coroner, give the Coroner’s certificate in Form D.

(5) The Medical Referee shall discharge the following further duties:—

(a) He shall, before allowing the cremation, examine the application and certificates and ascertain that they are such as are required by these regulations, and that the inquiry made by the persons giving the certificates has been adequate. He may make any inquiry with regard to the application and certificates that he may think necessary.

(b) He shall not allow the cremation unless he is satisfied that the fact and cause of death have been definitely ascertained, and, in particular, if the cause of death assigned in the medical certificate be such as (regard being had to all the circumstances) might be due to poison, to violence, to any illegal operation, or to privation or neglect), he shall require a post-mortem examination to be held; and if that fails to reveal the cause of death shall decline to allow the cremation unless an inquest be held and a certificate be given by the Coroner in Form D.

(c) If it appears that death was due to poison, to violence, to any illegal operation, or to privation or neglect, or if there is any suspicious circumstance whatsoever, whether revealed in the certificates or otherwise coming to his knowledge, he shall decline to allow the cremation unless an inquest be held and a certificate given by the Coroner in Form D.