Jansz vs Usubu Lebbe – clr volume 1 page 090_1

In the case between the appellant (defendant) and the prosecution under Ordinance No. 4 of 1878, the issue concerned whether the appellant, charged with selling “legium” (a medicinal opium preparation) without a license, qualified as a “medical practitioner” within the meaning of section 13 of the Ordinance, thereby invoking exemption from penalties under section 10. It was determined that the term “medical practitioner” must be given its ordinary meaning, not restricted by formal qualifications. Evidence established that the appellant was recognized as a Moorish medical practitioner and that the substance was used medicinally. The holding reaffirmed that legal classifications should be interpreted according to everyday understanding when statutory definitions are absent, relying on the la