ST. HELENS INQUIRY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 22, 25 January 1913, Page 10

ST. HELENS INQUIRY.

DR INGLES' EVIDENCE.

A REPORT TO THE MINISTER 1 .

The inquiry into the administration of St. Helens Maternity Home was continued yesterday after "the " Star " went to press, before" the Commissioner, Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M. The cross-examination of Dr. Tracy Inglis, medical officer of the Home, in reference to the treatment of the late Mrs. Laura. Chamberlain, was continued by Mr. A. E. Skelton, who appeared for the complainants, the Auckland Timberworkers' Union.

Mr. Skekon Tead a report upon the case which was made by Dr. Valintine to the Minister, and forwarded to Mrs. Nicol trough Mr. J. H. Bradney, M-P.

Traversing the report, Dr. Inglis eaid that he did not agree with the phraseology of the report where it stated that Mts. Chamberlain was admitted with a bad cold and cough, that she had a "veryquick confinement," and that a private nurse was engaged '"because the hospital nurses were very busy." He considered that Mrs. Chamberlain had a cough on admission, and he got in an outside nurse because he thought that in a case of sustained temperature a generallytraiined nurse was better than one trained only as a midwife. He isolated ■the patient as a precautionary measure, not with the definite opinion that she had septicaemia. He agreed in the opinion, implied in the report, that the insertion of sutuTes was " one of the ordinary duties of a trained nurse," with the reservation that the duty depended on the presence or absence of a surgeon, who, of course, would <lo the work if he were immediate] v avail-able.

In ans-wer to the Commissioner, the witness said that he could not say definitely how many of the 955 cases treated outside the Home he had personally at- ! tended. The nine deaths in 'the history of the institution had all, he thought, occurred in the Home, but he was not absolutely sure. Two deaths had occurred outside, but these had nat been entered in the return because the cases had been under the charge of outside medical men, though attended b}' nurses from the Home. While he was indisposed, Dr. Goldstein had charge of Mrs. Chamberlain's case, but was dependent largely on verbal information from witness and on the report. He saw Dr. Goldstein every day during the interval. He suggested the consultation which Dr. Goldstein had with Dr. Lindsay on September 1, with reference to Mrs. Chamberlain. He suggested it because he thought the patient's conditions demanded it. He understood that the two dootore agreed with his view that septicaemia was supervening on 'bronchial pneumonia. He did not remember forwarding a report to Wellington regarding the case, and ; he did not know whether the matron had done so. He did not know on what data Dr. Valintine's report was 'based.

The inquiry was -adjourned till 10 -a.m. on Monday next.