INQUESTS

Evening Star, Issue 15433, 5 March 1914, Page 7

INQUESTS

DEATH OF MRS DOOCIY.

TORDICT OF DEATH FROM NATTJBAL

CAUSES.

The adioutafcd ittioest on the oody of M» Mary Boooey, 51 years oLage, *ho lived in Main avenue, St. KiHflP was cpntittred in H» Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon before Mr H. 1". Widdowaon, S.M. It will be remembered that the deceased lady was alleged to have been bumped by a drunken man, and that tha irjimes sustained by her fall were th© cause of death- Senior *rgeant Dart re presented th© police, and Mr J. B. Callan, jun., appealed on behalf of the relatives of the deceased Senior-sergeant Dart said that since the adjournment inquiries had been made, and they- had been able to ascertain the names of several gentlemen who actually saw Mrs Doocey fall m High street op'posite the Grand Hotel. Ibe evidence obtained gnmed to be a little bit in conflict with that of Mrs Doocey s little daughter. Those featiemen would" say that Mrs Doocey Sipped on an iron plate. The girl wi.> walking in front of her mother, and had so look round, and quite possibly was very lastly mistaken as to how her mother came to lose her feet. He thought it best to lay at one© that the relatives dM not seem quite satisfied with the attention deceased received, at the Hospital, and he thought it would be far better to go into the matter. Ho thought it was due to the relatives and in the interests of the Hospital and the public. Katherine Theresa Doocey, aged 12, said that on Saturday morning last she left home with her mother at 10 past 10, and came into town by tram. They first went, to Dr Evans's to "see her two sisters, w.k> were emploved there. They walked down High street, and crossed over to the Arcade aide. Just before they canto to the Grand Hotel her mother had occasion to ate her handkerchief, which she took out >f a bag. She save witness tbe bag, and isked her to walk in front to clo.-e it, as j

the footpath was crowded. A man was xming up High street, and he was swaying. He was on the outside of the footpath, near the kerb. He passed witness, who heard a fall and turned Tound. few saw her mother Iving on the footpath. She thought the man had bumped up agamsi her mother. Two centlemen helped heup. and she did not- then seem any the worse for the fall. They walked round the corner into Princes street, and her mother then asked if her ear was cut. Hitness told her mother it was not. but she said she felt a pain in her left ear. and said to witness -The idea of hirfi knocking me down." Thev went on to George street. where thev "did some shopping. Wnen they came "out of one shop witness's mother complained of giddiness, and asked her to take her am to go across the street. They went to another shop, where she had to ?ifc down. When going towards tne Octagon witness had some difficulty in helping her mother, and a woman tame to her assistance and took her into Scott's Pharmacy, where the chemist gave her something to drink. She said she left a little better, but when she tried to get up staggered, so the chemist made her sit down . again. She said her right arm and side ! were getting stiff, and that the could not moire her fingers. Her face grew pale. The chemist rang up Dr Evans's house for me> of her daughters to come down, Wit:i«S3 was then sent home. It was 1 o clock rhen thev got into the shop. To Mr" Callan : She had never known her mother to fall down before. She had complained of giddiness on a few occasions, bet not recently. % Alexander Gtmn. traveller, ot Leith street, said that last Saturday he was standing in the Grand Hotel doorway about noon in company with a Mr Levido and a Mr M'Donald, when he saw an elderly lady walking down High street on the footpath. Two gentlemen were c*omu'g up High street. Just opposite the hotel door the Jady semed Jp hesitate which side she would pass on. As she was going past the porch where there is an iron plate she seemed to cai.dk it with her heel and fell on her side. The asphalt was a little below the plate. She fell towards the Grand Hotel porch on her left side. Witness did not think her head struck the ground. He did not see any drunk man. The two men whom he saw were both all right. There was a big crowd about. Had anyone bumped into the. wwnsn witness couid not have failed to see it. ; To Mr Callan: At the time of the accident he and his companions had said to each other that it was tho grating the woman slipped on. Edward Levido, builder, ot Ferbury crescent, said he was with the last witness and saw the accident. He noticed the lady coming along on the footpath. He <aw two gentlemen coming up the street, and they were in the middle of the footpath. As they approached her they divided, aud she seemed to hesitate as to which side she would take. She stepped aside, and slipped on the. plate. It appeared to witness as if she- had slipped. He saw no one touch her. Neither of the two men was drunk. Thomas Doocey, husband of deceased. said he left home about 1.30 p.m. on Saturday on being told of tho accident, and went to Dr Evans. Ho did not go to the Hospital till 7 p.m. His daughter Josephine rang the Hospital up. and asked the porter, as he thought, how her mother was jetting on. About 4 p.m. his daughter Lena came to Dr Evans's from the Hospital. She said that no doctor had seen her mother during that time. He got one of the girls to ring up the Hospital to see if they could get any information. That would be about 5 p.m. The information they got was that they did notjaiow what was wrong with his wife. Witness left Dx Evans's between 7 and 7.15 p.m., and went to the Hospital. He was accompanied by his daughter Josephine. Ho went to the ward where h:s wife lay. There was a nurse there with her, and witness asked heT if there were no doctors about. The nurse replied that Dr Allen was to be there at 8 p.m. He did not ask : her whether any doctor had seen his wife. Josephine and himself then went down to the main entrance door, where they were again told by the porter that Dr Allen was coming at 8 p.m. They were there a few moments —it was then about 10 or 15 minutes after B—when his daughter suggested that as Dr Allen had not come they should ring Dr O'Neill up and p-st him to come down. This was done immediately, and Dr O'Neill came within a quarter of an hour. Dr Allen had still not Dr O'Neill went up to the ward, and returned after 10 minutes, and said that he was sorry to say that there was no hope for Mrs Doocey. About a quarter of an hour of 20 minutes later Dr Allen came. I>r O'Neill was still there, and they both went and saw Mrs Doocey. Dr Allen sent for witness, and told him that his wife was dying, and he would like to have an operation, as it was the Only chance of saving her. Witness consented to an operation, and, with his daughter, went downstairs again. While they were standing Dr O'Neill came down and told tnem that Mrs Doocey htL& passed awav. It was betweffla. 20 minutes and a quarter to 9 when Dr Allen suggested the operation. If his wife got a cold or anything like that she sometimes complained of a cold in the head. ?

Helena Dooeey, another daughter of deceased, employed at Dr Evans s, said that at a few minutes to 1 p.m. on Saturday she got word of her mother's illness, and proceeded to Scotia pharmacy. Her mother asked if her left ear was cut, and -witness replied that it was not. Her mother was taken in the ambulance first to Dr Evans, and then straight to the Hospital at Dr Evans's instance. She was admitted to the Hospital about 2 p.m. Her mother was taken up to one of the wards, where a nurse asked witness if her mother had been seen by the house surgeon. Witness replied in the negative, and stayed with ner mother till about 2.30 p.m. When she finally left the Hospital she was under the impression that no doctor had seen her mother. She was rung up by her sister before she left the Hospital, and the porter then told her that Dr Short wished to see her. Dr Short told her that the nurses were with her mother, and that he would be going to see her presently. He did not say tHsi he had not seen her* .but witness

understood from the way in which he moke thfct he had not seen her mother. That was considerably after 3 p.m. To Mr Callan: "When she told the nurse that the house surgeon had not seen her mother the nurse said she would go away and get the house surgeon, and she went. The nurse left the ward, but came back alone. In answer to Br Falconer: The doctor did not meet her mother at the door.

Dr Short;, a junior house surgeojl at the Hospital, said he was on duty as casualty officer on Saturday last. He received notice between 2 o'clock and 10 past that a patient had arrived with a history of having been injured in a street accident. He told the porter to transfer tha patient immediately to the Houghton ward, which he did. Some 10 or 12 minutes must have elapsed when he <risited her at the bedside. She was undressed, and ono nurse was in attendance. He examined the patient and found she was in a semi-dazed condition, and quite unable to give any history of the accident. From consideration of the symptoms he made a provisional diagnosis of deep-seated cerebral hemorrhage. Senior Sergeant Dart: Did you assume that the woman had had an apopletic nt or that the hemorrhage was the result of an accident?—-I thought it was a natural hemorrhage, not necessarily the result of an accident.

Witness said he thfti left the patient with the intention of reserving his opinion to watch the progress of the case. He was sure he had concluded the examination by 2.30. There was a change of nurses at 2.30, and the change had not taken place when he left. The examination took from eight to ten minutes. He attended to other duties for three quarters of an hour, and i then revisited the patient. When he saw her first he prescribed the usual treatment for hemorrhage, and saw no reason for surgical interference. When he again examined her, the nurse then 6n duty told him that Miss Doocey had Just gone down to ring up at the office. That was the first indication he had of Miss Doocey*s presence. made the examination, he went in search of Miss Doocey. He met her at the door, and found she was in rather a hysterical condition. He was not sure of his diagnosis at that time, and endeavored to calm her fears. He got from her what she knew of the accident, and by 4 o'clock he had made his third examination of deceased. The progress of deceased from then onwards was such as to cause him some concern as to her condition. He got into .communication on the telephone with a member of the honorary staff, Dr Allen, at about half-past six. He gave ; Dr Allen the history of the case, and asked him for any further advice and for confirmation of treatment. The doctor confirmed witness's treatment and added some advice, which witness immediately carried out. Dr Allen said he would be down to see the result of the treatment as soon after 8 o'clock as he could get. A few minutes after 6 o'clock, before witness rang up Dr Allen, Dr Evans saw the patient in his company. He said he thought the condition was serious and suggested no further treatment. From 7 o'clock the patient got rapidl* worse, and was being frequently visited by Dr Roland Fulton, another junior house surgeon. The patient was seen by Dr O'Neill at about half-past 8, and he told witness he thought an operation was quite out of the question. Dr Allen arrived ten minutes later and also examined the patient. Witness did not know the result of his examination. If Dr Allen advised an operation, in the opinion of witness it would be as a forlorn hope. Senior-sergeant Dart: If you visited the patient so often, it seems awfully distressing that Miss Doocey could not have got any information.—l was not informed other presence. Senior-sergeant Dart: The nurses knew she was there. Was it not their duty to bring or direct Miss Doocey to you to get some information? Or should not one of the nurses have got some information for her?—No; the persons authorised to give information are the doctors.

tVmor-sergeant Dart: Don't yon think the nurses should haves directed Miss Doocey to you?—lt was Miss Doocey's business to ask.

Senior-s&rgeant Dart: But did she not say often enough: " I wish the doctor would tell me what is the matter with mother " ?

Mr Callan: When Miss Doocey exhibited so much concern, was it not the duty of one of the nurses to get information as to what was with her mother?— No. In reply to a further question bv Mr Callan, witness said it was not the duty of a house surgeon to ask assistance of a member of the honorary staff unless he was doubtful of the case.

Dr Roberts, honorary pathologist at the Hospital, stated that" he made a postmortem examination of the body of the deceased on the Ist inst. There were no external marks. On opening the brain he found the floor of the left ventricle torn up by hemorrhage, and the, ventricle distended with blood. > The vessels were not markedly diseased. The kidnevs were in an early state of chronic inflammation. That form of kidney disease was usually associated with the disease of the artery vessels, fend in such cases death often took place from apoplexy. The heart was not examined, as the trouble in the head could have no connection with the heart. Such a condition of the brain could be caused by a fall, but it would be a violent fall. Probably the lesion besran when she felt the first attack of giddiness. That would be when the hemorrhage began. He regarded it as a case of spontaneous hemorrhage, and thought that the fall had nothing to do with it. It was a case of death from natural causes. The case was a hopeless one from the start, and no operation could have done any "Cod. The cause of death was cerebral pressure. He thought that Dr Short had done all he conld.

Senior-sergeant Dart: Can you tell us the ride in regard to a house- surgeon asking for advice?—l cannot tell if it is a rule, but certainly if the house surgeon is in trouble he should seek advice.

Senior-sergeant Dart said that that was all the evidence.

Mr Callan auijgtsted that Mr Josephine Doooey and Br Allen should be called. Whv 'he suggested Dr Allen should, be called was that experts had said that no operation could have been of any use for Mrs Doocey, whereas Dr Allen had talked of an operation at a very late stage in the case. Doubtless Dr Allen recognised that the woman was dying, and that the operation gave her one" chance in a thousand of saving her life. The Coroner said that he thought it hardly necessary. EveiTthing had been cleared up. It was plain that the fall in the street had nothing to do with the accident whatever. With regard to what occurred at the Hospital, they had the evidence of Dr Short, who. saw the patient very soon after she came in, and periodically during the afternoon. According to Dr Roberts, Dr Short made a correct diagnosis of the case. The husband of deceased had spoken with regard to Josephine ringing up and not being able to get any inf*matiOn from the Hospital as to her mothers condition. What took place exactly between the Hospital and Josephine "ho did not know. When the relatives were at the Hospital they simply asked if any doctor was about, and not if any dictor had seen the patient, and they seemed to have cOme to the conclusion "that no doctor had seen Mrs Doocey. They had come to a conclusion that had not bean borne out by fact. If they had asked the question whether the doctor had seen \the patient, the whole matter would have been cleared up and their own peace of mind preserved. It had been unfortunate, but he did not think there was any blame attachable to anyone in the case. He would return a verdict that death was due to natural causes—namely, intercerebral pressure, due to cerebral hemorrhage.

A CAB DRIVER'S DEATH. An inquiry was held at the morgue last night, before Mr Widdowson, S.M., into the circumstances surrounding the death of William Henry WaHren, 28 years of age, a hansom cab driver. * Dr North said ■ that he was called in by the police to see the deceased, whom he knew, at his father's place in King street at 7.30 yesterday morning. Seecased was lying pa a bed, fully cbthed with the exception

of his coat. He Hud been dead uot less than four or fire hours—he probably died" some time after midnight. A pest mortem examination showed the stomach to bs empty. There were no traces of alcohol. The liver was considerably enlarged, and the left side of the heart showed sign* of k>ng-staftdin£ trouble. It was empty of blood, but contained three large white thrombi. Death was due to a thrombus setting into the general circulation and blocking important vessels at tha base of the brain. This trouble might have caused death at any time. The evidence of the deceased's father, William Thomas Waldren, -showed that the deceased, who. had been in his usual health of late, came homo early and retired to his room nt 7.30, p.m. He did not take off all his clothes, aa he thought he mighty hava occasion to go out during the night. Witness was awakened at an early hour, ana was told that his son was dead, whereupon he went, and tang tip the police. Later on Dr North also came. , Arthur Bfathawav, laborer, S*|d that he staved at Mr Watdren's on Tuesday night. He"had known the deceased for a good number of years. Hs taw bin* about 6.30 p.m., when he complained of feeling slightly Unwell. Witness went out for the evening, and returned at 11.30 r-m., when deceased was Iving oii his bed. Witness got into the same bed and went to sleep. He woke up between 5.30 a.m. and 6, and asked deceased the time, but got no answer. He got out of ard saw that Waldren was dead. Mr AViddowson said it wag olear from the doctors evidence that death was due to natural causes—thrombosis. A verdict was returned accordingly.