INQUEST.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13608, 17 December 1909, Page 8

INQUEST.

\x the Hospital, yesterday morning. Mr H. W. Bishop, Coroner, conduced an inquest touching the death ot W illiaro Samuel James McLean, a young man. who died at the institution oa Wednesday. . William McLean stated that he lived at Belfast, and deceased, who « 6 his sen, w«s twenty-nine years o! age. On Saturday witness and his son were carting hay. when the horse moved torward. His son over-balance.! and fell on a post. He was taken home and brought to the Hospital at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. His son complained of preot pain after the fall, and said, "Mv heart is broken." Dr. Steven, assistant house surgeon at the Hospital, stated that McLean was brought in about 2 pun. on Wednesday. He was quite unconscious, ond every attempt was made to arouse him. but" without result. He died about 5.10 p.m. Witness had made a post mortem examination, and found that McLean's sixth rib on the left side was fractured very- badly, and the pleura was injured. The seventh rib aho was broken. The body was otherwise normal with the exception of latent disease of the kidneys. The cause of death was asphyxia, caused, probably, by morphia administered to relieve the pain. An ordinary dos*> was from one-eighth to half a grain, which would be perfectly safe in a normal case, but would be dangerous if there was idiosyncrasy. Dr. Gerald Russell said he was called to see McLean on Saturday afternoon about 4 o'clock. Witness was out and Dr. Morton Anderson went instead. Witness first saw the case on Sunday morning, and found McLean strapped up on th«» left side in very great pain. "Witness bound him up more securely,

and as the pain was not relieved gave • him half a grain of morphia. Witness saw him again on .Monday morning, ' when he seemed much bettor, and left him two quarter-grain tablets of morphia in case the pain returned. Instructions were given that he -was not to take them both »t the same time, and they were administered , separately dnring the day. On Tuesday morning witness saw McLean again, and he seemed e-esier. On Tuesday night witness was summoned at 11.30 o'clock, and found him in very severe pain. Witness gave him another ha]f-grain of morphia. On Wednesday, at 8 o'clock in the morning, he was again summoned, and found the patient breathing very slowly and unconscious. Witness used every means to bring him round, and partially succeeded. He transferred' him to the Hospital in the ambulance, and came down with him. There was nothing whatever to indicate that McLean was a bad subject for morphia. Witness thought thjß shock of the accident must have caused some temporary disablement of the kidneys. Witness had seen other cases of the same nature. In reply to the Coroner, Dr. Crooko stated that he considered the adtninistered was only a usual dose. In cases where the pain was very great an eighth of a grain -would probably not alleviate the pain. In his ppinion, the morphia had been administered in an entirely scientific and proper manner. Such cases as the present"on» were' not very frequent. It -was not possible to guard against them. The Goroner returned a verdict that death was due to asphyxiation caused by the administration of morphia.