THE BYRON ENQUIRY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7600, 20 February 1896, Page 2

THE BYRON ENQUIRY.

I KEI'OJITS OF TIIE STAIT. WHO WAS TO BLAMK? _This enquiry wa3 continued at tho Rcf age after vre vent to press yeaterday. Iho "ollowing reports, prepared by dio responsible nfficerd of tha iurtihuicn at the iastance of the Board, wero read : — bh SIK..-ZIHS, sasa. To the Ohaitmau Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, — Fiefuge Eoiidcaee, Napier, February, 1800. £ir,~-At your desire, I have the honor to report ou the case of Mm Jana .Uyron, late an imnato of tbe "Refuse. I returned from leave of absence on Tuesday evening, 4th inbt., was sent for about 7 p.m. to boo Mrs Byron, and found that in* consequenco of her getting np out of her bad to pull Mrs Moody out of hera aud disturbing everyone, it had been found necessary to restrain her by passing ti sheet over, and securing it in the usual manner ; thia ehe had torn to pieces. _ I then S9nt to the hospital for the strait jacket and niado her a chloral mix- | ture. This quieted her foe a short time. I ! On. Wednesday, sth inst., my son, Dr. P. j Keczka, _ was prevented by engagements from coming up to (leaver over charge of the Refuge. Ho had written to me ou the Ist inst. about Mrs Byroa's re-admis-sion to tho Sofngo and her bad leg and eccentric conduct. _b nothing was said about her leg I pre3umod Mrs Krauss had dressed it. On Wednesday night Mrs Byron would not take her modicine, kept everyone awake, and consequently on Thursday morning I decided to obtain her removal from the institution if possiblo. Tho Stipendiary Magistrate, who haa alwaya come up to decide on such cases, was absent, but aB tbe whole institution waa demoralised (female side) by Mrs Byron's conduct, I sent an information to the Olerk of tha Oourt and in tha afternoon Mrs Byron was removed to tho gaol. Before she left I endeavored to see her leg, but could only pass my baud over it, as she struggled so violently. I felt a dry cicatix and the matron informed me that my son had cured if. I now know that it must have been fly-blown and that the maggots had burrowed deeply and oovered themselves in, as they usually do in such cases ; tho rapidity with which others form is evidenced by their appearing on the morning after Dr. iloore'e careful cleaning on Thursday evening. No one can deploro more deeply than I do the progress of this poor old imbecile's case, and that the*e are no particular asylums as in England. Still I have no doubt that if Mrs Byron could have reached one of those in the oolony ehe would have been treated appropriately with groatar facility than is possible in the Napier Refuge. I consider that Dr Moore was perfeotly right in sending her to the hospital with every comfort aud a large nursing staff at his "disposal. If wo had the same at the Sefnge she would not have been sent away, i trust your Board wiil not oonsider it presuming on my part to suggest that patient*?, i;icurablo from external or internal cancer, or affected with loathsomo disease, should not be transferred to die painful deaths without comforts in an institution supposed to be a home for those who havo to die from the natural ills which flesh is heir to in old age.—l havo, &c, li. Meeziss, Surgeon 0.A.8. DE. MENZIES, J3. To the Chairman Charitable Aid Board, — Sir, —I beg to forward the following report on the case of Mrs Jane Byron while under my oharge. Previous to her removal to the Befuge I saw Mrs Byron twice, tbe last time on January 22nd. She lived with her daughter and son-in-law and their family in one of the Government cottages. The interior of the cottage was wretchedly dirty and her leg very much neglectod. The dirty condition of her surroundings and the grave oondition of her leg rendered it absolutely neoessary to remove her to the Kef dge. The condition of tbe affected leg was as follows: —Limb swollen and cedematoua from foot to knee; there was a largo deep ulcer on the calf of the leg filled with a blackish-looking gangrenous slough, edges of ulcer unhealthy and undermined and surrounding skin dusky red in color. There was a second ulcerating patch on the outer surface of ankle joint, also unhealthy-look-ing color of skin of foot, dusky red, with threatened commencing gangrene or mortification of big toe of same foot. Under treatment in tho Refuge the swelling and cedema of limb disappeared. The black gangrenous slough in the deep ulcer on the calf came away—the odor of the discharge, whioh was extremely fcotid when first admitted, was very much improved and the ulcer was commencing to heal and fill up, aa was also tbo ulceration on the outer surface of the ankle joint. This improvement continued up to February 3rd. There never was at any timo any sign of anything ouggesting the presence of maggots, as has been alleged. Tha treatment of this case was surrounded by groat difficulty on account of the unmanageable disposition of Mrs Byron. She constantly tore off her bandages and poultices, secreting them in all sorts of plaoes, even going so far once as to tear her own clothes from her person, ancoyod and frightened the other sgsd female inmates, going 50 fa?'as to pull the bed-cloihes from beds at night time. These periodical violent attacks culminated ia one during whioh she became bo unmanageable that the restraining sheet had to be applied. This was on the morning of February 4th, and on my arrival at the Sefuge I . found her so restrained, and I then determined to suggest to Dr. Menzies, sen, who was expected home the same afternoon, hor removal to an asylu'u. In I should like }o add that I notiped'apthing hfit kindness ca the part of tho matron towards thoao under bar charge and especially towards Mrs Byron. That Mrs Byron had at times a great aversion to the matron is quite correct, but I have alao seen _.a Byron in her quieter moods evince great gratitude towards the matron for what sha had done for her. "This delusion, for delusion it certainly was, that the matron was unkind and rough in hor treatment, appeared to me to be encouraged by hor relatives, her msntsl ccad;t»on' being decidedly wpreo after their visits. —I have, &C, P. W. MfKZIES. February 12 th, 1896. P.S.—I have omitted to mention that in the ordinary course I should have met Dr. Menzies, sen., and handed the Sefuge over to him formally, particularly drawing his attention to any thing i hatrasy bare required doing, but X was dcto-'na . ia tha country on that afreruoofl '(tbe'ith) end the next day, so thut'T did not sco him until the 6th "to talk matters over, —P. W.M. IHB MASTiiß's VS23XOW. Napier Sefuge, February llth, IS9G. To tha Chairman U.D,O.A. Board,— Sir,—l havo tho honor to report on tho oase of Mrs Jane ,"?yron, late ou inmate of tho Sefuge. Tho first time I was called in to her was on Tuesday morning l . She was sitting in a chair in tha sitting-room screaming "Murder." Old Mrs Brown told me they could Dot get her in bed. £ carried har ia. li ho was in her a"ght .reso." I afterwards helped to put'the sheet on her, but she soon _&fc out of it. I then put a quilt over the bed and knotted it underneath, but it was no good. She told me if she got a knife she would murder the lo:. The inmates being old wars very frightened. Her talk .-as very bad. When Dr. B. Monzies esms iio&e i+cl uzv he? he ordered tha btrait-jscket to ba p. t on her, whioh I did with tho assistance of the matron,' Mrs Brown standing by. About her leg I know nothing, cut she oould move about pretty wall; ~l* she is not r.'■<", she is tho best actress that i have Bud. An Sunday night and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights she was talking till I went to bad. I have repeatedly asked her daughter to bring up her clothes, but sho did not. Sir, I hii7e h q,d to \ytite Mro liirßue. s japorfc, as sho cannot wute Bnglish,—l have, &c, D. T. Wiihahs, Maaier, •JHS MASBOW. Napier Befnge, February llth, 1806. , To tho Chairmsn, U.D.G.A. "Board,— f ia, —I have the honor to report on the case of Mrs Janp Byron, who was admitted to the Kefuge for the second time on 22nd January iv a very dirty state, as she was on her first admission. When she went out on the 2nd of the month she had a small sore on her ankle. When ehe resumed it waa a great deal woues, and she had a larger soro on the baok of her calf, which the doctor, Mr P. Mecidea, said he thought would mortify, and ordered linseed-meal poultices, which were put on twice a day. I put them on morning and night, and she waa to keep her bed. fcihe kept them on very well at first, but after her daughter saw her on last Sunday I could not kepp anything ion *t. On iho Aloiaday morning the dootor said that it waa getting hotter and I could leavo off poulticing it, using lotion in tho day and oiuttnent in the night, which I did, but she took it off as oi!ton as 1 put }t on. Tuesday sho was very violent and I could not keep hor ia bed. Got the sheet over from the'hospital, which tho dootor and tho master put ou, bui sho got out of it, Bha scratched tho doctor's baud and r-.ssd awful language. TJie taat iar thou p .(, on a quilt and tied it under tho bod, but it was iuo uee. When Dr. 53. Meuzios cams homo ho ordered tho straight jacket to bo put on hor. Sho was quieter that night, but I could not keep an j thing oa her leg ; she got it off somehow. On tho Wednesday isho toio'up ono uiinkct on. a picrso off anothor and knocked a piece out cf tha window, and had nothing on her log all that day. Sho would not lot me put anything ou. On Thursday sho had her tV-inga packed up by daylight, saying that her daughter was coming to fetch hor, bo alia would aot lo£ mo dreao her leg. is for her being dirty, she is always dirty. I havo had to wash hor things every morning, blankots and all. When ebb wont away tho fitat timo Bhe had a lot of good clothes which Mra 1%-ovis gave hor. I gave her one of tho dreasing-gowus that oaaie from the hospital, but sho did not bring thorn back. Her daughter was asked for them, but 1 get .nothing. I then asked Mr Baker to make hor, but bhe did not. I was forced to use things out of tha lyiDg in ward, whioh you know is not right. As for troatiuoiit, tlicro are too other inmates to say what it was.—l have, .0, M. M. Kijauss, Matron. P... —This is no new thing for Mrs Byron to complain of ill-treatment," Har daughter told mo that hor mother had said everything 1 that' was bad about tbo nurses of Paliflere.tott

North Hospital, and thoy had been vory kind indeed to her.—M.M.X. *