WELLINGTON HOSPITAL INQUIRY.

Evening Star, Issue 6700, 7 September 1885, Page 4

WELLINGTON HOSPITAL INQUIRY.

At the Hospital inquiry on Saturday, the Rev. Father Moore doposed that he had never seen Dr Chilton actually drunk, but he was undtr the influence of drink when witness was attending a dying girl in the Hospital. Eennie M'lntosh, a nurse, deposed to Dr Chilton's intemperate habits. She was aware of no irregularities in the institution except those in connection with Dr Chilton. She had several times seen him very rough with patients, and on one occasion he doused a patient with cold water, leaving the patient to lie on wet sheets. She remembered two girls leaving the hospital on account of the doctor s treatment and manner. Witness called the doctor one night to a serious case of pneumonia, but he refused to come.

Margaret Sheedy, dispenser, deposed that she knew nothing against Dr Chilton except by hearsay. She had never seen him under the influence of drink, or noticed any roughness or unkindness on his part to patients. She denied the statement made by Miss Marsden concerning the conduct of the nurses. Miss Marsden had no consideration for the nurses, calling on them on one occasion to work all night after a tiring day's nursing. She distinctly denied alluding to the doctor at any time as " that drunken man." Lizzie M'Donald, a patient, gave evidence that when in the Hospital her treatment had been very rough. When feeling faint and sick owing to eating fatty soup, the doctor and another medical man came to her bedside, and Dr Chilton said: "Oh, she's going into hysterics; now chuck a jug of cold water over her, and she will be all right." This was not done, but one day following the doctor ordered her to get up and do kitchen work, and in consequence witness left the Hospital. C. E. Dudley, steward of the Hospital, deposed that he had never seen Dr Chilton drunk or drinking, but had noticed him in a very excited state and very shaky, but would not like to say it was from drink. When in that state he was not fit to perform his duties. He had general charge of the stores under Dr Chilton, but had nothing to do with the patients or medical affairs. No irregularities had come under his notice except what Miss Marsden had told him. She had tried to get witness to make a statement to the effect that the doctor was the worse for drink. Three or four nurses were the most taken out at any time by Dr Chilton. These nurses were off duty. He also took the dispenser on these occasions. The patients ran no risk, in his opinion, by the absence of the doctor and nurses. In case <' emergency the head nurses and dispense were quite competent to deal temporarily. A great cause of insubordination in the Hospital was Miss Marsden's practice of trying to set one section of the officials against tho other. There were numerous cases of this. Miss Marsden would come to witness, for instance, and complain of the doctor drinking, and ask should she report him. Then she was extravagant in her own eating, and witness being responsible for the expenditure was thus placed in a false position, having to oheck her, and thus incur her displeasure. Two other nurses deposed that the reason they signed the letter asking for inquiry was on account of a rumor that Miss Marsden had written to the Colonial Secretary complaining of tho familiarity of the doctor with nurses, but had since found out that was incorrect. They had never seen the doctor the worse for liquor.