DEATH OF A CHILD FROM TETANUS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 3311, 18 December 1897, Page 2

DEATH OF A CHILD FROM TETANUS.

The Coroner, Mr Ashcroft, was called upon to hold an enquiry at the Hoepitaljyesterday into the circumstances attending the death of a child named Ida Sparks, aged two years and a half, who had died from tetanus a few weeks after she had been vaccinated.- Mr Grimmott was foreman of the jury. W. C. Fitz Gerald, chemist, stated he was public vaccinator, aud during the last, 16 years had vaccinated a large, number, of infants and others up to five years of age. He had had no complaints at any time up to the present. He vaccinated the deoeased in November. On Tuesday last Mr Sparks reported to him that the child was ill, and he. at once telephoned to Dr Faulke to attend it. The doctor did so, and reported that the child was suffering from tetanus., As Dr Faulke had a large number of influenza cases, Dr Campbell was called in, and-be applied a carbolic poultice to the vaccinated arm, on which there was already a quantity of Fuller’s earth,; The infant was taken to the Hospital. Mrs Sparks told witness that some time ago she lost a child seven days old from tetanus, and that Dr Young attended, and certified that death was due to lockjaw, traceable to the fact that the house in which: it lived was situated hear a stable. Witness had never heard of-a case of tetanus after vaccination until now. On the day the deceased was vaccinated th?re were ten others operated upon with the same lymph. Drs Faulke, Campbell, Young, , Ewart, Adams and Anson, gave evidence. Dr Ypung, referring to the case'quote I by Mr FitzGerald as having occurred in the same family in 1896, attributed it to the existence of the stable. All the medical witnesses stated that it was highly probable that the tetanus germs came from a neighbouring stable. Foul stables were a fruitful source of tetanus. ■ Mary Elizabeth sparks, mother of the child, also tendered testimony, -during, the course of which she siid there was a stable 60 yards from where ..she lived. Dr Kington Fyffa, who made a postmortem examination of tbq body, F. W. Mansfield (vaccination inspector for Wellington district) and James Doyle (sanitary inspector) were the other iwitnesses. The last-named said be had a complaint about a stable 30 yards from Mrs Sparks’ door last summer; It was not yet drained in accordauoe with the city regulations. There was another stable 50 or 60 yards away, also imperfect as to drainage. , . ~q The jury returned a verdict tbat\th i child died from tetanus, but that there was no evidence to shew how it was contracted. '