Can we trust the NZRU medical staff to treat Conrad Smith appropriately?

Can we trust the NZRU medical staff to treat Conrad Smith appropriately?
Monday 6 May 2013

Yesterday the Hurricanes star Conrad Smith was knocked out cold for 45 seconds during his team’s loss to the Pretoria Bulls. Incredibly, sports commentators this morning are blithely predicting he’ll be playing again in two weeks. Such moronic talk is exactly what we expect from rugby commentators, but we can surely expect more responsible and intelligent comments from medical men. Right?

Wrong. This morning on Radio NZ National, Kathryn Ryan interviewed one Ian Murphy, who is billed as the “Medical Director for the NZRU.” Dr Murphy made several outlandish statements, but this was perhaps the most outrageously dishonest: “There is no long term evidence that shows there is a link between individual concussions provided you recover fully from them.”

Although she was clearly concerned about the welfare of the players, Kathryn Ryan did not seem sufficiently well informed on this issue to challenge anything that he said.

Sadly, we have been through all this horrible business before. Ten years ago, it was another star player who was entrusted to the tender ministrations of the All Blacks’ medical staff…..

All Blacks’ sawbones defends bogus “neuro-psychometric tests” again
Sunday 22 June 2003

Much concern has been expressed lately about the state of health of All Black fullback Leon McDonald, who has pulled out of the team again after severe headaches rendered him incapable of playing. McDonald has suffered a string of quite horrifying head clashes last year and this year, and is still suffering from severe concussion.

Worryingly, though, the All Black “management” has had Leon McDonald undertake a series of “psychometric tests” (now re-named, interestingly, as “neuro-psychometric tests”) which will, say the All Black “management”, give a more “accurate” assessment of McDonald’s brain injury. These “tests” have been rejected by all reputable health professionals. Just two nights ago, a leading New Zealand neuro-surgeon expressed his contempt for these bogus tests, and his scorn for the “medical staff” who administer them.

Radio Sport, Thursday 19 June, 7.48 a.m.
Host Martin Devlin interviews Dr John (“Doc”) Mayhew….

DEVLIN: Leon McDonald was severely injured LAST YEAR. Did you take that into account?
DOC MAYHEW: Forget about last year…. Well, obviously we can’t…. but forget about last year.
DEVLIN: If a non-athlete like myself came to you and you knew I had just had my THIRD head injury, would you still advise me to play contact sports?
DOC MAYHEW: [icily] I resent the connotation that I am treating him any differently. He is receiving the best medical treatment…. [continues for an extended time defending his decision to make concussed players do discredited, bogus tests]

DEVLIN: [grovelling] Oh, John, I didn’t mean for a moment to suggest… [grovels for several minutes]

It is not known what response the All Blacks’ sawbones has made to the severe criticism by his medical colleagues.