A LONDON DOCTOR'S END.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 73, 25 March 1912, Page 7

A LONDON DOCTOR'S END.

The sudden death of Thomas Fernlcy, aged aibout 40 yeare, at the Salvation Army Workman's Home, Jjorne-strect, last evening, was investigated by the Coroner and a jury at the Criterion j Hotel, Albert-street. ! Churlce Kdward Abbott, a Salvation I Army officer, deponed tluit the dcccaiwd i was a ship's pantryman. He entercu j the home on Saturday evening, and ■ paid for a bed, being apparently in good I health. I Thomas Myers, a cook at the home, said lift had known the deceased since j boyhood. The latter was formerly a : registered medical practitioner in Loni don, and had been in Now Zealand for about nine years, except for occasional i visits to England. Witness met him for ; the first time after i> lapse of three years at the homo early yesterday morninc. At 7.10 p.m. deceased approached i witness, and extended his hand, aa if to shake hands. Before he could do so, I however, he fell backward*, and expired I instantaneously. ' I>r. <le Clive 1/iwr statod that a poatmorteni examination showed the 'body to have been well nourished and of splendid physique. The organs of th» heart showed siffns of extension and I nlri-gtanriing diaeaso. Dea-th was duo to this cnu»e. i The jiirr returner? a verdict in oceordi nneo with the medical testimony. j

A LONELY DEATH.

j Thomas 'McGregor aged about CO, was i found lying dead on Saturday evening [on the Iloor of a deuichcd ootti.ge which Ihe rented at the back of a 'ruit shop iin Pntteeon-etrc.'t.

Mrs. Matthevit, keeper of the shop, deposed at the inquest thif moruing that she ha*l knowii t lie deceaeed for ltftee.n years. lie was a working man, and h:wi been emr.ioyi'tl at Craig , !. For tho last ei-c wcokfl h? had been away from work on account of nirkiie-sft, wliieh he attributed to the belief that 'ime had pot into his lunps. On Thumdfc.r afternocm witness took a "Stjtr" into him, and he s-id he wen much better. Hβ was out in the street <»i Friday. On Saturday afternoon wiliice* took the paper into hi» room, found the (leceasfld lyin? on the floor. The previous day , * "Star" had not been opened. ; Assistance wn* eummoned. and it w»» found that death had already occurred. Witness ,I'ul not know whether deceased had any relatives". He once mentioned that he had been a widower for 21 year*. Witness had ne\er heard him tailed by anr other nnnic than "Mac."

Dr. Uull, wlio performed a po*t-mort*n» examination, eaid that extensive decomposition imlicited tnsit death must Vave occurred on Saturday mornin<j or earlier. The ileeeaned wt« !> very heery mnn, (md the whnl« of the \aU tula end In* face was extensively bruised, the left eve being blackened* TlieTe was internal evidence of appendicitis. Tn the opinion of the witnenH death wns due to heart di?esse. The fiU'inl injuries srere -not ■sufficient to mn«e death. It -ras nosoible thnt the-so injuries were caused by a fall.

Constable Murphy deposed that wnen tli« bedv wjifl Tjiokrtf up it was lvimr in a position whfrh iT»Ti' w ".tofl th>*t the dp<"«asrd bad mftninetl a li«"ivt f»H

The jury returned a v<*rrfiet of death from heart failure ecrelernted by shock.

DEATH TJICDER ANAESTHETIC.

The circumstance* connected with the death of Erte Dennis Hacon, aged about 28, on Saturday afternoon, was investigated at tin! Criterion Hotel. P. M. turnotr, the partner of t'jc deceased, stated that the latter was a surveyor's draftsman. On Saturday morning h< , told witness that he was to be placed under chloroform during the afternoon for the purpose of ondergoing a slijrht surgical operation. WitncM saw him last at about 2 p.m. He waa unmarried, and lived at Glonalvon boardinghousc. He had h»d an anaesthetic about two montjt* before, and wa» not at all apprehensive To Dr. Miison: Deceased had been smoking very strong tobacco, and was in tbe habit of inhaling cigarette smoke.

Dr. Slilsom deposed that tbe dereased came to his operating room* on Saturday afternoon, according to arrangement, for the purpose of undergoing an examination under an anaesthetic. No operation was contemplated on that ocer%jon. Dr. Fen wick wee in attendance to administer tbe anaesthetic, which was other and chloroform. Previously a. careful examination was made, and the patient's heart was beating regularly and well. He also had n normal temperature. After the administration the patient became excited, and struggled considerably. Dr. Fenwick handled the case bo skilfully that he went off quietly after about ten or fifteen minutes. The operation proceeded, hut in übout ten minutes the pa.ion;- collapsed. They continued with methods ot artificial respiration for abont half-an-honr, when th« patient took about a dw.«n breaths, but he did not revive" Witness aud deceased were schoolmates. In witness' opinion, Dr. Fenwick was extremely careful in administrating anaesthetic, and in tbe present inetanc" he had used ever? reason able care.

Dr. Bull stated that in the course of a post mortem examination he found the deceased's heart in a weak condition, but this would not be manifested by an external examination. Death resulted from the administration of chloroform. Witness considered that this had been carefully administered.

The jury did not consider it necessary to call Dr. Fenwick, and returned a verdict of death from misadventure.

A WHARF FATAMTY.

An inquiry was held at the hoepital this afternoon concerning the death of Thomas Doran, which occurred on Saturday night.

The evidence showed that deceased wa/i a seaman. On the 11th inst. he was standing on the steps leading to the second storey of "F" shed at the wharves, nnd while leaning over the rails he lost his hal.anco, falling a distance of 15ft or 20ft. Tim medical testimony showed that the biiac of the skull wa3 fractured. The inquest is proceeding.