"12. (1) On the death of any person who has been attended during his last illness by a registered medical practitioner, that practitioner shall forthwith sign and deliver to the Registrar of the district in which the death occurred a certificate, on the printed form to be supplied for that purpose by the Registrar-General, stating to the best of his knowledge and belief the causes of death, both primary and secondary, the duration of the last illness of the deceased, the date on which he last saw the deceased alive, and such other particulars as may be required by the Registrar-General, and the particulars stated therein shall be entered in the register together with the name of the certifying medical practitioner. "(2) The medical practitioner shall at the same time sign and deliver to the undertaker or other person having charge of the burial a notice on the printed form to be supplied for that purpose by the Registrar-General to the effect that he has furnished a certificate under the last preceding subsection to the Registrar. "(3) In any case where, in the opinion of the medical practitioner, the death has occurred under any circumstances of suspicion, the practitioner shall forthwith report the case to the Coroner. "(4) Every medical practitioner required to give a certificate and a notice as aforesaid, or to report to the Coroner as provided by the last preceding subsection, who refuses or neglects to do so is liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds." Recently a consultation on this matter was held between the Minister of Health and members of the Council of the New Zealand Branch of the British Medical Association. The Association expressed the opinion that the resolutions of the Royal College of Physicians (England), which were laid down as a result of a similar controversy in Great Britain, constituted the most satisfactory guide in these difficult and responsible situations, and informed the Minister that steps would be taken to make the position clear to all its members. The resolutions are as follows:-- "The College is of opinion-- "1. That a moral obligation rests upon every medical practitioner to respect the confidence of his patient; and that without her consent he is not justified in disclosing information obtained in the course of his professional attendance on her. "2. That every medical practitioner who is convinced that criminal abortion has been practised on his patient should urge her, especially when she is likely to die, to make a statement which may be taken as evidence against the person who has performed the operation, provided always that her chances of recovery are not thereby prejudiced.