DEATH FROM HEART FAILURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15955, 24 December 1913, Page 9

DEATH FROM HEART FAILURE

An inquest -was held at the Morgue yestordaj afternoon by Mr 0. 0. • Graham, coroner, as to the death of Thomas Nicnolbod, who passed away suddenly at his home on Monday. . Dr Watt stated in evidence that when he readied the house of deceased ha found that death had not taken place long, the body being quite warm. Ho examined the body and found no external marks of ■violence to indioato the cause of death. Tho body was fairly well nourished. Witness made a post mortem examination and found that tho heart was moderately enlarged and tho valves diseased. The left lung showed well marked signs of disease. Therowas a recent pneumonia of tho left lung. The other internal organß wero all more or less normal. The conclusion he came to -was that death wtw due- to the pneumonia overtaxng the diseased heart; the immediate cause of death being heart failure. There were no suspicious circumstances connected with tho death.

Thomas AWrrt 'Nicholson, son of deceased, identified the body. His father was an accountant, but had retired from business. Deceased was 73 years of age. He had been in good health, but was subject at times to tightness of breath and pains in tho chest. When witness left homo on the Monday morning deceased 6eemed to bo m the best of health. Margaret Chamley, housekeeper and mother-in-law of deceased, stated that on Mondnv morning Mr Nicholson went to the post office about nine o'clock and returned about 10.30. He complained of a pain in the chest, and ho was put to bed and hot fomentations applied. The doctor was sent for and came about an hour later, but before his arrival deceased was dead. The Coroner said that death was evidently dne to natural causes, and he returned a verdict that death resulted from heart failure, following on an attack of pneumonia, precedent to heart disease.