Abstract
Catherine Mackirdy, Tauranga Hospital, Tauranga, New Zealand:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Drs Kumar and Tapsell.
They begin, by asking the wrong question. To suggest something is possibly the case, is to hypothesise, not to conclude.
Their opening paragraph is baffling: they suggest that only three out of the five cases were Maori, when it is quite clearly stated in the article that all five cases, both looked and identified as Maori.
To go through their every sentence in this vein could be seen as ungracious, and be tedious for the readers. I remain willing, however, to debate their views at length, if you would like me to do so.