ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 244, 8 July 1908, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

SUDDEN* DEATH OF A CHILD.

An inquest was held at the Morgue yesterday afternoon by Mr. AV. -G. Riddell, S.M., Coroner, into the circumstances surrounding the death of a child named Arthur Cheesoman Gibbons, 16 months old. Evidenco showed that the child, which had been suffering with its neck, was placed under an anaesthetic by Drs. Boyd and Ewart oil Monday afternoon to enable an examination of tho neck to be made. After coming out of the anaesthetic tb'e child appeared to be all right, but it collapsed suddenly and died after a short time. " ' ' , ' ' ■ Dr. ll.' J. Boyd stated that at .about i p.m. on Monday lie and Dr. Ewart examined deceased, who was suffering from a painful condition of the neck, so liiuch so that it would not allow itsolf to be examined. It n ; as decided, with the consent of th?' mother, to give the child an anaesthetic in order to relieve its pain. aii(l enable a better examina-, tion .to 'bo made. The examination showed a contraction'of the muscles of' the neck'and I what was;beljeved '.tp bo disease ! of the vertebral column.- The child came out of the anaesthetic . and appeared to'be. all' right. After • Dr. • Ewart' left, ■ the child vomited, .'but it appeared to bo.'all right although it lpoked pa.le.. Witness felt its pulse ana remarked to its mother that tho pulse was all right, but immediately he turned; round the child ceased' breathing, and respiration was resorted to immediately. Witness seilt for Dr. Ewart, and although the child had'not breathed'freely sinco.'thq artificial respiration had been coipmenced, it was alive wljen Dr. Ewart arrived, but;-di,ed a''few pjinutes later. The primary cause of'death was the disease'of the bones of the vertebrae.

', Dr. Ewart gave, corroborative evidence.•,, > , Dy. Fyffe made a post mortem examination of. the. body, which was that of a wellnourished child. Witness assigned, the cans?' of-death, t'o dislocation of the odontoid process due to caries of the vertebrae.

Hilda Marion . Gibbous, wjfe yof Taxman Arthur-Gibbons, master mariijer; and mothor of deceased, stated that the child' had been healthy since it's birth, but a few mouths ago its neck became bad and witness had taken, the child;to'Dr. Boyd,' who'prescribed for -it. "Witness agreed to the child, being placed under an anaesthetic to enable the examination >to be made. The child died about half an hour a.fter it came out of the anaesthetic.

■ Tho' jury returned a verdict, that death was caused 1 by dislocation of the odontoid process due to caries of the vertebrae.

AN INFANT DIES FROM BURNS. ' ' An eighteen-months-old child named Romanos George Solomon, whose parents reside at Peter- Street, ; died at tho Hospital yesterday morning through accidentally scalding itself. It is stated that at 8 a.m. on Monday the infant was sitting in a chair in a. bedroom in which a'kerosene lamp was burning', a'saucepan of boiling water being on top of the lamp. The' mother, who was in the room most pfthe time, went into the kitchen for -a few. moments. She had iust got out of the room when she heard the child scream, and on running iV found'that'it had got out of the chair and had upset the sauce-' pan of boiling water over itself; scalding its chest and left side. Dr. Hogg was called :in, and a,fter. attending the child ordered its Removal to the Hospital, where it died at 11.80 a.m. yesterday'.; .. .', ' >-/, An inquest will be held at 4.10 this Mtcrnoon. • '