DEATH UNDER CHLOROFORM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13435, 13 March 1907, Page 7

DEATH UNDER CHLOROFORM.

THE INQUEST.

An inquest was held before Mr. T. Gresham, Coroner, at the hospital yesterday morning touching the death of Harry Linnell, a middle-aged man. and a horsetrainer by occupation, who died whilst under the influence of chloroform the previous day.

Dr. Bull, who made the post-mortem examination of the body, said that Linnell's heart was flabby and partly deceased. The left lung was inoperative, and the liver bore signs of a disease commonly due to alcohol. The other organs of the body were fairly healthy. The cause of death was syncope, or failure of the heart. In his opinion the syncope was started by partial suffocation, caused by the base of the tongue dropping ovei the entrance of the larnyx. He considered that it would have been impossible to have passed a ligature through the stump of (he tongue to prevent it from, falling back without previously administering an anaesthetic. He did not consider that the presence of another doctor at the administration of the anaesthetic would have lessened the risk of the administration.

Dr. Savage deposed that the deceased was operated on some time ago for a cancerous growth, and the patient'* tongue was removed. He told the patient that it would also he necessary to dissect the glands, and the deceased agreed to have this done as a second operation. Witness saw the deceased taken into the room, and Dr. Blair and tliree nurses were present when the chloroform was administered. The deceased collapsed within ten seconds of the administration, and all known means of restoring animation were taken. Had he (witness) known the diseased condition of Linnell's heart he would ill have advised the deceased to undergo the operation.

The jury returned a verdict that the deceased met his deatli from syncope whilst under the influence of chloroform. Mr. J. Burton, foreman, on behalf of the jury, expressed their appreciation of the straightforward evidence Drs. Bull and Savage had given in the case.