INQUEST AT THE HOSPITAL

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 202, 24 August 1904, Page 4

INQUEST AT THE HOSPITAL

DR. MURPHY'S EVIDENCE. The inquest on the body of Mrs. M. A. Pople was continued this morning at the hospital by* Mr. T. Gresham (City Coroner), Sergeant Hen&ry conducting i/Tairs for the police.

Dr. Murphy deposed that Mrs. Poplt ■ailed to see him at his rooms in Queen«treet with reference to a pain in her ide from which she was suffering. She told him thai she had been attended previously by Dr. Keller, and askeA him •■o fix a, time for an examination. On Wednesday, 17th, ?he came to his rooms ipompanied by Mrs. Mawkes. An exlmination was conducted by himself and jr. Brockway. They discovered more or less inflammation, which was treated ■.vith, a view to allaying it. Witness gave I ('ceased instructions not to exert herself unduly. He did not consider her coniition of sufficient severity to confine her to bod. Witness did not hear anything further of Mrs. Pople's condition untii Saturday about 11.15, -when he was about to leave the dispensary to attend an urgent case. On the attendant telling him that a. gentleman wanted to see him he at once returned, and Mr Pople was shown up. Mr. Pople then told witness that his wife was ill. He (Dr. Murphy) was certain the husband did not tell him it was an urgent ease, only stating that his wife was giddy and her eyes were bad. not using the term of semi-conseio-jsness at all in his presence. He then asked Mr. Pople if he thought his wife hp.d contracted a cold. On being asked where he lived Mr. Pople said "Onehunga," and on hearing this witness asked Pople if he did hot Snow that that Tv'as outside his district. -If it had been within a radius of 3$ miles he would have visited deceased in his ordinary round, but. as it was outside, a special request would have to be made before the doctor would visit a.patient. fTe then pave Mr. Pople some medicine for his wife, which consisted of a solution of boracic acid for an eye-wash and a slight tonic. Mr. Pople also had instructions to telephone for the doctor should his wife get any worse. There was no request made to Dr. Murphy to visit the. deceased «r he would have gone at, once.

The Coroner said it was a very queer thing that, a husband should come m al! that distance to see a doctor and then omit to tell the doctor some of the mostimportant symptoms. Mr. Pople said he was not quite sure whether he did give this information, but if he did not he must have been mad Dr. Murphy persisted, in Spite of the husband's repeating that the term "semiconscious" was used in describing his wife's condition, that no such remark had been made to him. He was led te believe that a cold or a bilious attack was the cause of the illness. The Coroner thought it strange that the husband should have told the assistant that it was a case of life and death, and that he did not tell the doctor the same thing. Dr. Murphy stated that the deceased should never have been taken to the hospital in a cab, as the jolting was too severe for a person in her condition. Sergeant Hendry asked the doctor if, after hearing the evidence of Dr. Pabst, lie was of the opinion that death was diie to blood-poison ing from infection introduced from without. Dr. Murphy said he agreed with Dr. Pabst in this matter. It was impossible that thr infection had been introduced during the examination. Dr. Brockway corroborated the statements of Dr. Murphy in every particular >o far as his knowledge of the ease went. Dr. Ferguson described the circumstance? of the admission of the deceased to the Hospital when she was in a. state of utter collapse. Shortly after her coming under his care he rang up Dr. Pdbst with reference to her and le-nrned that it was a possible case of bloo-d-poisoning. The Coroner, in changing the jury, pointed out that there was a cont-radic-| tion of testimonies in the evidence of Dr. Murphy and Mr Pople in that Dr. Murphy maintains that no mention of s-emi-eonsciousness was made to himwhile there was also the strange position that the husband, after coming all the way from Onehunga and saying to the doctor's assistant that it was a case of life or death, did not repeat it to tbe doctor. Mr Pople, on the other hand, maintains that he told Dr. Murphy that his wife was semi-conscdous, and the question of which of the two was telling the truth was a matter for the jury to consider. The jury retired to consider their verdict, which after some time was delivered as follows:—"That death was due to blood-poisoning, and that no cotoblueive evidence has been brought forward to show how the same had tjfeen contracted.' .