THE GOSSIP DISEASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 309, 30 December 1922, Page 12

THE GOSSIP DISEASE.

SEVERE COMMENTS OF A CORONER. UiK. HARTZHORNE ACQUITTBD. (By Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, November 16. It is a well established fact that certain phenomena run in epidemics, ye 1 are pawling through a period in which 'poisoning cases are rife, and nror-e are : suspected. The latest has provided the coroner a peg on which to hang a i sermon on the evils of gossip For let ■us state at once that after the briefest ! consideration by the jury, they returned I the verdict: "We are unanimously of opinion that Mm Jelfs met her death by 'heart failure following anoesthesia, and that no blame is attached to Dr. Hartzhorne.'' I It should be recalled that on the exjhumation of Mrs. Jelfs an inquiry was to be held, and on that day Dr. Hart*:- ---| home was found suffering an (overdose of sulphonal, and he still stands to be tried for attempted suicide. : Yesterday the inquiry into the circumstances of Mrs. Jelfs' death was re- ! sumed. I At the outset. Mr. Reginald Kemp, ; the cononer. asked the jury "not to pay any attention to the disease erf gossip." "We are not," he continued, "going in for trial by gossip, for. if so, probably everybody would be convicted. You may have read that Dr. Harlzhome took an overdose of sulphonal. Ido not think this should -come into tlie inquiry, anel it should not prejudice him in any way." There was a hush in the crowded court when Mr. Kemp went on to speak of the examination of 'Mrs. Jelfs remains by a Home Office expert. "I think," he said, addressing the jury, j "that you will agree that nothing , unusual was found." j Dr. Hartzhorne had administered an anaesthetic without the assistance of another doctor or a nurse. Mrs. Jelfs died nine hours afterwards, and the doctor giavc a certificate for anaesthesia and heart trouble. He gave the certificate very foolishly, no doitbt, and he should have asked for an inquiry. Apparently he had wanted another' doctor to administer the anaesthetic, but Mrs. •lelfs was very sensitive, and dreaded an operation with other people present. i Mr. John Webster. Home Office analyst, wag the first witness. He said that in his examination of the remains he found a trace of an alkaloid, which gave a reaction from morphine. From the reaction given he was of opinion that there was a trace of morphine, but it was impossible for him to say that this had caused Mrs. Jelfs' death.' Later, Dr. Bronte, Home Ofltoe pathologist, said he could find no cause of death, but assuming that Mrs. Jelfs bad an anaesthetic and died without regaining consciousness, he would be ready to be satisfied that death was due to heart failure, consequent upon shock and exhaustion, caused or accelerated by the anaesthetic. He would not have thought that Mrs. Jelfs was a fit subject for chloroform. Miss Porter, a friend of lMts. Jelfs, said that the latter had absolute faith in Dr. Hartuhorne. .Mrs. Jelfs did not wish her to be present in the room during the operation, but seven or ten minutes later Dr. Hartzhorne called her in, and she found that Airs. Jelfs was in a state of collapse. Mrs. Alice Mated Carter, of Sutton \a.ence, spoke to having made the remark in conversation: "It seems Terr strange after he had saved her life «o many times, lie B houM be the one to take her life away." Mr. Kemp: Did you think he had careTesst' "V*"** W-fc In what way did you think he had been careless ?-Through not having , doctor Mrs. Carter added that .he did not know anyone in Ohiswiok \frs° tlw • *\ Er ».°°<l. Co-executor of Mrs. . Jelfg- estate with Dr. Hartthorne Mr. Kemp put the question: "Wm th* ro ' a suggestion that the doctor hS prac" Kft;?? , " d *■■•*• - ?° c v "You ET 00 * repUed in th « •ffirmative. You had no reason yourself to susnect anythtng?" Mr. ffi called. Mc had W n on terms of close riendship with Mrs. Jelfs, he s»id? for tJ»rty-s« years. , She made her will 12 Tears ago, and they discussed it | Examining her o„ the morning of the !tion ra of o, i' '"I dW not tMnk «• «»«* ! ton of her heart prohibited an an<u* be e w^ t H o\ h a adto,dhertha be wise to have someone else to give the anaesthetic, and that she should have a friend with her i„ the house wi* after *° ta Dr. iHartzborne added that he was not in iinanoial difficulties, and that his wife had mopey. me S nT„ f "^ I * US€ , greet * d tlw enouncement of the jury's verdict in the words already recorded.