CORONER AND DOCTOR

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 June 1937, Page 5

CORONER AND DOCTOR

DISSATISFACTION EX PRESSED. [ PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, June 21. Dissatisfaction with the precautions taken by a medical practitioner in the performance of an operation for the removal of tonsils was expressed by the City Coroner (Mr F. K. Hunt l at. the inquest into the death on June 2 of Doreen Lily Paton, aged 171, under an anaesthetic at the surgery of Ur. Albert Arthur Huse. The Coroner said that, in his opinion, another qualified medical man should have been in attendance, and he proposed to bring Ihe matter under the notice of the Medical Council. Dr. W. Gilmour, pathologist, at the Auckland Hospital, who performed a post-mortem examination, said that, apart, trom unhealthy tonsils and adenoids, the organs of the girl’s body were healthy. Death, in his opinion, was due to asphyxia caused by the action of the anaesthetic on the respiratory centre, of the brain. In reply to the Coroner, he said that the removal of tonsils from an adult was considered a major operation, and a person performing the operalion should have a. properly qualified assistant. He thought it was usual to put a case of the kind into hospital, lie was of the opinion that the patient in this case died from the anaesthetic. The need for the presence of a second medical man arose out, of the possibility of an emergency such as hemorrhage. He had' known of patients dying as in this case, even when there were two duly qualified medical men in attendance.

Dr. Huse, a duly qualified and registered' medical practitioner, said that on June 1 he had been called to tlie patient in Manukau Road. Her tonsils were much swollen and she had great difficulty in breathing. He arranged for her to visit, his surgery tho next morning to have her tonsils removed. •

The Coroner: Why didn't you send her to hospital? Tho witness: I am a duly qualified man and I usually leave it to • the patient whether the operation should lie in hospital or in my surgery. You agree this is a major operation? —Yes.

Why didn’t you call in another medical man? —I think there was no work for two medical men, as the administering of the ether and the operation were separate and twd men could not work at. one time. PATIENT’S STRIJGGI.ES. The witness said there were preseni at tilt' operation his nurse, who was net registered, himself, and a -Mr .Meuli, an endocrinologist. The witness administered an anaesthetic and the patient began struggling violent ly and had to be held by Mr Meuli and the nurse. Immediately the patient quietened down she became cyanosed and the pulse and breathing stopped. The anaesthetic had been stopped before the pulse and breathing ceased. She had been swallowing pus from the tonsils and the witness tell that the severe exertion in struggling caused Iter heart to give out. He did not believe the patient died from anaesthesia. Death from anaesthesia resulted from an overdose of anaesthetic, but. in the open method, in which tho patient got free air, it was almost impossible to give an over dose.

Dr. Gilmour, recalk'd, said that all the appearances of the body were those caused by death from, asphyxia and not by death from heart failure. There was no obstruction to the air passages to account tor asphyxia. It was not usual for such operations to

be performed without the assistance of a qualified medical man, except in eases of emergency. Catherine Wilkins, the nurse for DL Huse’s surgery, and Percy Meul-y, endocrinologist, gave evidence.

“I have held many inquests on people who have died under anaesthetics. and it is quite possible that t his was pure accident,” said . the Coroner, “but I am not at all satisfied that this girl was properly treated. I think Dr. Huse should' not have attempted such an operation without the assistance of a properly qualified man. He had no such assistance, just an unregistered nurse and a man who had no medical experience whatever, except through a correspondence school. I find that the cause of death was asphyxia, caused by the action of ether on the respiratory centre of the brain. After hearing the evidence, I am not satisfied it was a .justifiable- thing for Dr. Huse to perform such an operation as tonsilectemy on an adult without a properly qualified assistant being available. '1 his is a major operation and an emergency such as hemorrhage might occur, requiring the assistance of another qualified man. This should have been known to Dr. Huse, and I therefore' propose to send’ to the Medical Council these depositions, so that it can take such action as it thinks is called for."