A NURSE AND HER CHARGE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 514, 22 May 1909, Page 6

A NURSE AND HER CHARGE

CHTLD DIES' W A R ECE?VTKQ HO BE. ' THE POETCE TAKE ACTIOJJ. .Pnrtinjr inqniry into tho doath of sn named Harold OLeatlntm;;/aged' fire months,, which occurred in"a 'receiving home at Lower' Halt, .conducted by Mrs.' Callingham, was held beforo tho City Coronor, Dr. A. ll'Arthur, yesterday morning, at the Cdfrthouse'. ' The evidence of Mary Anne Callingham was concluded. Sho stated that 6ho received £3 10s. in all from tho mother. The. child nerar thrived properly. „ _ • • Dr. Mjlrthnx: Did. you ever call Dr. Hector's attention to the child "Hot that I can remember." , 7:, • Was Dr. Minuns's attention drawn to the limbs of the child, which you said were crippled f—"No, but :I drcrw lus attention to its month." • After somo furthor evidence, the Coroner commented on the fact that the witness. was static -particulars in contradiction .to a certain statement which she had' made at Lower Hntt. ' 1 , Witness .went on to .state that the child's mother came at five o'doc&T on' Tuesday evening. Tho' child" died''at 1 midnight. The visit of the mother was in response to a letter from a solicitor, which she had instructed to be written. Sho gave witness six shillings, - and left abont 8.45 p-m. to return to Hastings.. While the mother was nursing, the child, it gave a peculiar scream; witness was not in the room at the time, but she oame in. This would be about half an hour beforo the mother went away.' Witness took the ohild, and put it into tho bed with the bottle, but , it appeared restless, and cried again. It was a peculiar cry ; she had never heard it cry lifco that before. There was also a peculiar smell about the child. She noticed this also about five minutes later, and presently it gave another cry, /and showed another unusual sympto'riC "The mother observed this, but did not stay'longer. Just previousto the first cry, the mother remarked that she was going to Wellington, in order to more easily catch the north train.. From . tho time witness changed tho child up to 11.30 p-m., it was very; restless, and seemed to be in great pain, clawing at itself, ■ and clutching her hand. • . ■ Searching Examination of the Nurse. . . Tho Coroner: Did it strike you to send for tho doctor? 1 I Witness: I meant to do so in the'morning: It got easier after half-past eleven, when it went to sleep. It lay quietly in bed with me. I did not go to sleep. Just about twelve, it moved, and I looked at it; its eyes were star-, ing, and it seemed to. have '■ convulsions. I jumped out of bed and called Mr. Davis. He came in, but tho child had just gasped its last. • : At this stage, witness showed considerable emotion. • ■ Tho Coronor: Did you urge the. mother to stop?' . iWitness: Sho told mo that 6he could not, and I did not urge her. I left her to use her Own judgment. .. ■ ;. Inspootor Ellison: Did you register the birth —"No.■ X-left-it to the,mother." ' Tou know that it was heoeesiiry for you to send,a written notice to the registrar when a child was born in your house?—" Tea." • Did you do that?—l sent my daughter with a verbal message." What was tho matter with the child's limbs? contracted." Tou did not jxrint- H"« out to tho doctor.— "That iras not intentional.;, We both remarted that it was sickly."; ' How many children have . vera had without their parents during the 1 past twelve months? —"Tivo." . , Yon held a" licenSo' under the Infant life Protection Act?—" Yes." ■How long did you havo. that?—" One year." 'Witneea then stated that her house was not inspected while she held the lioonso. She had a child in tho home before she had the license. Inspector Ellison: Why?' • . ■■■■ "Witness:-..1 intended.'to :adopt it . Do yon keep a private hospital?—" Yes." : Was it registered?—"No^"' : ' Is this the first child who. has ever died in your houso?—"The first:in;my life." ■, . Tha Mother's Evidence. ; . . EBzabeth Esther Leatham','.' mother of tho ohild, a' single woman, of . Hastings, deposed that she came to Wellington last April, and went to the receiving home,; whore the child was born. In making arrangements with Mis. Callingham, she 'eiplained that she was a single girl, and said'dothing- whatever, about a husband, llrs.; Callingham'arranged to; take her case for £i, which was handed" over when she entered the home. The; weekly oharge was to bo £1. Mrs. CaUinj*ham > said that die would speak to; a doctor;in. case.-,he' was required. Before she left,\ she; arranged to. pay .-10 a. per week for. the''6hild,. 'and,i whil6 away, Bhe forwarded 10s. in instalments. In consequence of receiving a letter from-a solicitor, she went to, the home on Tuesday afternoon. The child , looked very bad, appeared to be only skin and bone hanging -together. •• Mrs. Callingham showed. her .its ..'whole'; body,., and witness. remarked on it; , ; In. her letters," Mrs. CalEngham had said that the child was getting on fine. Sho heard "no. peculiar oriea from .the ohild : during- the : course- of • her visit. She thought that it could not ory; •it .seemed too weak. Tho Coroner questioned, the witness at lengthns to the arrangement made with Mrs Callingham touched tho- future support of the ohild. Ho remarked that she was :called in suddenly, 1 the -child-, was. dangerously •■.i11,;, and', asked' if anything was said as to future .arrangements ?;■ What. was, the position' between • them?. 1 ' ' ' r ' ' ..Witness hesitated, .first stating that.sho was to pay a solicitor and then that sho was to pay .Mrs. Callingham.. The Coroner: Did,anything pass between you as to calling in. a doctor if neoessiry? Witness: "She,said something about calling one next morning." Again, did you never 'hear theso ones?— "No." . ■ . It 'was .given no■ food of any sort?—" No." There was no pm abont that might havo hurt it?—'"No." 1 ■■■■■■'.. 1 • Witness asked; the nurse if she should stop, hut the latter said that was not necessary,'as the child,seemed so 'much., brighter.: ..She consequentlyi returned to Wellington that, night, and left; in the; morning for Hastings. ' ■ Ellison: Did-you think that the nuree would provide a doctor for the 10s. it week? ■ - '■ ' . ■ ■ Witness: No.;! I thought, that, if it was necessary; I- should .pay' it. Did you have any financial, assistance from tho father ?—"No." ■ Was there any reason why you did not pro-ceed'-against him?—"He had gone to Sydney,and Ilhad not money enough to put down fo. bring ihim back." .George William/Davis, a chef, deposed thist he was residing frith : his wife at ; Mrs. Callingham's. ' . Their ; child, Was there .for' medical treatment,'and,- being "out 'of employment, he thought; he might as well stav there too. He' had seen the'child Leatham at the home. It was very small and weakly, but it was treated quite as well as the other children in the home. The nurse called him up at midnight on Tuesday, when-.the child died. During the previous, few days it 1 had rallied somewhat, v; ,: 9° roner :' Then it must have been <pretty bad before. . What the Coroner Thought of It. - In announcing his verdict,, the Coroner 6aid that tlus child died of inanition, due to malnutrition, probably, aggravated by' diarrhoea. He would; liko to add, as .'he considered it a niattor of duty, that, in. his opinioni the child had not bwn : attended to ; aa it should havo beeni and that a ■■ professional nurse having charge I. of ; suoh a- child was guilty of absolute neglect in, not callmg in a doctor several weeks before the death'of the iihild. The view' whioh ho had of tho bedy confirmed him in' what ho said about it. .-The: mother's desoriution was a it was nothing but skin .and bmes. .. As- te the. license, or so-caUed exemphon from the Education Department that Mrs. Callingham held, ho would .detain it, and Mrs. C&mnjhnm must understand, from that moment, that she had no-more right to keep oluldrcn in '. Ho [undertook'to commnaicato with, the Department in roforence to the; exemption certificate..; /.. ;As. a . inquiry 'tho police havo laid an, lnfonnataon chargmg Mrs. Callingham, Jinder tho- Infant Act, 1808, with neglect ing tho ohfld in a manner likely to endanger its life. R

iho Registrar-General's provisional figures for. 1908 show that the birth rate in England has increased for 'the 'first' time for fourteen years—that: is, since. 1895.7, The rate is ; 26.66 per thousand, as- compared ' with' 26.3 for 1907, which was the lowest rate ever reached. - This is; one of the few cheeks in the steady decline which 1 has been proceeding since 1876, when'tho birth rate was 36.3. Costliness is .not ' always an indispensable attribute erf art : qualityand more antiquarian value is not an ait value. —Sir H. von Hedcdmer. Try Phobphol Envision for delicate children. No chest remedy is so sure" or so pleasant-to take as Phoseiiol. For women, children, and jinvalEJfiPit-is ra«quiUlo<^' , '7 4.