DEATH UNDER ANÆSTHETIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19249, 13 August 1924, Page 4

DEATH UNDER ANÆSTHETIC.

SEQUEL TO MOTOR ACCIDENT. THE LATE MR EDWARD GOXHEAD. CORONER'S INQUIRY CONTINUED. At, the Police Court, yesterdary morning Mr H. W. Bundle 8.M., Coroner, continued lha adjourned inquest into the circumstances of the death of Edward Coxhead, who died in the Hospital on Saturday, August, 2, after a motor accident in the street the night, before. It. will be remembered that, Mr Coxhcad had tome down from Tirnaru on the Thursday previous and when returning by motor from a friend’s house on Friday night the motor collided with an obstruction in the street, and deceased received injuries from which he afterwards died in the Hospital. The police were represented by Sub-inspector Fraser. Mr 11. K. Barrowclough appeared for the City Corporation, the owners of the welding plant with which the motor collided, Mr W. (I. Hay for the relatives of the deceased, and Mr Hanlon for the driver of the car.

The Coroner read over the evidence of identification given by deceased’s brother when the inquest was opened on August 3. Norman Charles Speight, senior house surgeon at the Dunedin Hospital, said Mr Coxhead was admitted to hospital On Saturday morning at about 1 oclock as the result of an accident. He examined the patient, about 10 minutes after admission. There was a strong smell of alcohol about the patient, a ragged cut about two inches long over the left, eyebrow, and another of the shape of a borso shoe about five inches over the top of the head. The bone was exposed over the eyebrow, and in one place only at the top of the head. There was no evidence of a fracture, hut, fhe patient wag suffering from loss of blood and shock. Witness saw the patient, later in the morning, and ho was in a better condition. He was given an anaesthetic about 5 o'clock to suture, the wounds in tjie head, and on the completion of the operation at about 3.45 p.m. he ceased breathing. Artificial respiration was carried out for about half an hour, hut he failed (o rally. Dr D’Ath administered the antes! hetio which was pure ether. The operation had been stopped for about five minutes before he stopped breathing. Prior to the operation the patient was conscious all the lime, though very confused in his ideas.

To Mr Hay; The patient was examined both by Dr D’Ath and witness before the anaesthetic was administered. There was nothing to contra-indicate an anaesthetic, but his general condition was not very good. That, was why they gave him ether, which was a stimulant. Dr D’Ath became qualified about, nine months ago. Witness qualified about, 14 months, ago. The operation was not a serious one, and they saw no reason to bring in a more experienced honorary surgeon. Ho got no indication from the relatives before the operation as to weakness of the patient's heart. -It was the general rule in tho hospital in minor operations for junior surgeons to administer anaesthetics.

To S«b-inspect or Fraser: When the patient collapsed no senior officer was sent for. There was no need to send for one. They could not leave tho patient. To the Coroner: The patient was really under Dr Newlands. Dr Newlands did not see him at, all. That- was not Dr Newlands's visiting clav. He would have seen him on Sunday morning, under ordinary circumstances.

The Coroner: Who allocated the patients to the doctors? Do you do it? ■Witness: They have special admission limes during the week. All the surgical cases coming in on certain days go io Dr Newlands. There was no rule in the case of a minor operation that the doctor in charge should see the. patient before an operation. The deceased was seen by Dr Perry, acting medical superintendent, before the operation, and ho confirmed that an operation was advisable and the patient in a fit state.

Philip Patrick Lynch, medical practitioner. gave evidence that by order of the coroner he had made a post-mortem examination of the body of deceased on August 3. He handed in a statement describing in detail the result of his examinations. Ho found two recent clean-cut wounds on the scalp that had been closed by sutures There was considerable hoemorrhago and swelling of the.deep tissues of the scalp, but no fracture of the base of the skull and no hremorrhage inlo i-.c brain. The heart was greatly enlarged. There was extensive and old-standing disease of the heart. associated with degenerative changes in tire smaller arteries. Death was caused by heart failure due. f > degenerative changes of the heart muscle, aggravated by injury of the head and anjesthesia. To Mr Barrowclough : A precarious condition such as existed might not have been made apparent by a. careful physical examination. He meant by that that something might have been elicited of the patient’s previous history to give one an idea of the condition of his heart. There would be no means of ascertaining in this case other than the patient’s history because there was no valvular disease of the heart. It depended on circumstances whether an anaesthetic was administered to a patient suffering from concussion or not. It was absolutely necessary for the wound to be sutured on Saturday, but delay increased the danger of sepsis. The danger of sepsis in scalp wounds, even in hospital, was always considerable.

To Mr Hay; Drs Speight and D’Ath ■wen; both looked upon as moroughly competent surgeons. Gordon Leslie Jarman, indent clerk, employed by Briscoe and Co., residing at 16 Corunna street, St. Kilda. said that about 8.30 p.m. on August 1 he went to the residence of Mr G. W. Collie, Coughfrey St. Kilda, in company with Mr Jeffs, (ho driver of the car. At his residence he mot the deceased and spent a social evening there. They left the house in a motor car about 12 o’clock in company with Mr Jeffs and deceased and Mr Findlay. They went direct to the St. Clair road and followed the tram tracks into town. They got near the Ova! about 12.20 a.to. Witness was turning round tabling to Mr Coxhead and Air Findlay. The first thing he knew of the accident, was when the wind screen fell down on top of them, and he was strucy on the elbow. The front portion of the hood also came down on them. Ho said they were not travelling at a high rate of speed—about the rate of a tramcar. Mr Jeff's stopped the car and witness got out to sec what had hap penecl, and he discovered that the car had collided with the electric welding plant. He made an examination, and found that there was only one light on it, and that was on the left hand side. It was a storm lantern, which was burning quire brightly about the level of the eyes front the ground. Ho was standing talking when somebodysaid there was an old gentleman injured in (he car, and witness went to see what had happened. He saw Coxhead having hi.head bathed at a tap. He then accompanied deceased to the hospital. The screen was broken owing to collision with the welding plant. To Mr Barrowclough: There was the usual double row of lights along the road. He had no recollection of what, happened jtiri before fhe accident. To Mr Hay; He was ouile sure no lights were put out by the collision. Ho came back from (he hospital in Mr Collie’s car, and ho saw a red light, about five yards further south of the lorry. Mr Jeffs was travelling on his proper side. One of (ho men working (here sa.id the driver to not to blame, and that, a previous ear had given tlic-m a fright as it had iK-rly collided with the plant. To the Siib-iii.vpector: They had had a moderate amount of liquor at the house. They were all perfectly sober. Constable George Taylor said he was on duty on the morning of the accident. He slopped oui the distance from the plant to the footpath, which was about 15ft. There had been a shower previous lo the accident, and when he arrived there were tracks c.f (he ear. 'Che ear travelled about 40ft after it struck the plant. He could notice tho plan I when about 100 yards away. To Mr May. Me could see (he plant bv the flashes of light. It could be discerned easilv at a distance of 100 yards when fhe lights were not flashing. Tho conditions were not the same after It, o'clock, as one row of lights went out. To the Coroner; He followed the tracks of Ihe car and identified them. To Mr Rarrowclough: Ho did not remember the light on the corner. ITo would not, deny that the distance to the edge of the footpath was 18ft. ’lbe wilder was inside the screen. One could see the flashes illuminating it. There was a gno of Ift 11 gar the ground on the rear of tho vehicle. Inside tnc screen there waa usually a hand lamp, hut he did not take particular police on this occasion. Thomas William Parkhill. constable, said that in company with Mr Neill, a corporation employee, he took measurements of

the corporation's welding plant. He handed in a plan. He accompanied Mr Jeffs to a motor garage, who showed hint the car ho had been driving. The hood had hestn removed, and they were shown the remains of it. He produced a bow of the hood on which were blood stains near the broken end. William Charles Judd, clerk in the tramways department, said that on August 2 about 12.30 a.m. be was riding a bicycle along Princes street South. Tne welding plant appeared to be well lit up, and be noticed it as soon as he came round the corner from Market street. He whs fairly close to it when he noticed a motor approaching from the south on the up-train rail. It seemed to be coming at a fair speed—about 25 miles an hour. The car seemed to Ire coming straight at the welding plant. He thought the car went about 30 yards after touching the welding plant. He went up to the motor car. Princes street was til up on both sides at the time of the accident. To Mr Hanlon : He saw the welding plant about 150 yards away. He thought the car was about a chain away when lie first saw it. He had a light on his bicycle. Ho did not notice another car pass him close to the welding plant. Coming front the north end this welder was well lighted. There was one light on the welder and two storm lamps on the ground outside. Looking from the south, there was one light visible on the left-hand side. The tracks showed that the car had turned off the straight course about Bft or so before reaching the obstruction. To Mr Hay: He did not notice, anyone else ihjured but -the deceased. Harry Berland, a taxi driver, residing at 17 Maeandrew road. South Dunedin, said he was sitting m his car near the telephone box at the Oval at about 0.20 a.m. on August 2, talking to a passenger, when a bicycle passed. A few minutes after they heard a crash. He swung round his car to see what, had happened. He pulled up beside the plant and discovered that there had been an accident. Witness was asked by the driver of the other car to go and have a look at the lighting of tho plant. There was one light at the lefthand side of tho machine about 4ft, from the ground and another on the ground between tho tram rails. The occupants of the car were perfectly The welding plant was not working at that particular time. To Mr Hanlon : The bicycle which passed had no light. To Mr Barrowclough: He was not paying particular attention to the welding plant. Frank Gordon, electric welder, employed by the City Corporation, said he was in charge of the welding gang in Princes street South. Tho electric welding plant was a motor lorry with screen extending about. Bft on the right-hand side. Around the screen were hung canvas curtains which came to within about six inches of iho ground. At the top of the curtain at the rear there was a gap of about a foot. There was a hurricane lamp about 3ft from the ground at the left-hand rear corner. There was a light inside which would show a certain amount of light through tho spaces in the curtains. The electric are was working on the left-hand rail going north at the time of the accident. Ho heard the motor strike the screen, and it. dashed through under the roof cf the screen, carrying away the rear and the side curtains. The car continued a chain and a-half before stopping. Witness went to the car. The driver asked why ho-had not better lighting on the plant, and witness replied that lie thought he had plenty of light. Til© driver pointed out the light on the left-hand, and said he thought, it was a stationary vehicle or a voheile travelling north, and he had turned in to pass it, on bis right side. The street lamps were burning on both sides of the road. The plant, could be clearly noticed from the south from at least three chains away. The car tracks inclined slightly towards (he. plant, at about 40ft. distance, but, did not cross the tram rail till within 10ft of tho plant. To Mr Hanlon: He.had five hurricane lamps all burning brightly. They were all white lights. It might -bo better, to hove red lights on the corners and white lights as necessary in between.

At this stage the Cononer adjourned the proceedings till 10 a.m. on August 21.