Medical Appeal Tribunal case file for George Harold Howitt, aged 42, Coal face stripper...

Date of birth: 11/09/1908
Marital status: Not given
Address: 35 Milton Street, Cotmanhay
Type of injury: Amputation - left index finger
Description of accident: Piece of stone fell onto left hand
Further information: The claimant had the index finger of his left hand amputated after a fall of coal on 3 March 1951, after which he started working on a switch. The Medical Board decided on an initial assessment of 13 per cent for life. A diagram on the medical report shows the line of amputation. The grounds of appeal against the 13 per cent, dated 31 May 1951, are that 'impaired use of left hand not given due consideration. Loss of faculty causing inability to resume former occupation as coal face stripper. Loss of craftsmanship. Earnings greatly reduced. Inability in other respects.' The usual percentage for the loss of a whole index finger is 14 per cent. On appeal, dated 5 July 1951, the percentage was increased from 13 to 14 per cent on the grounds that 'The stump of the index finger is so short that in effect it amounts to the loss of the whole finger.'