A nursing sister of the infirmary then gave evidence. She said that at the end of February the boy Allen was convalescent. He was noisy, rude to the nurses, whistled, and used to pick off the paint and varnish. There were 24 boys in the ward and he set a bad example. The plaintiff came to the ward at 6.30 p.m. and gave Allen three strokes with a piece of string. The boy just said, “Oh! Doctor!” The boy was better afterwards. There was nothing cruel, cowardly, or barbaric about that correction. Two other boys, Martin and Carrington, were disobedient and noisy; they interfered with the lights. The witness complained and the doctor gave each three strokes. None of these boys screamed.
Three nurses then gave similar evidence.