ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20354, 10 March 1928, Page 12

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

BUSINESSMAN FOUND DEAD. (Per United Press Association.) HASTINGS, March 9. Alfred Edward Billion, an auctioneer, about 56 years of age, left his homo before breakfast this morning. As he did not return, his 13-year-old son went to look for him, and found him dead in a shed at the back of the house. There was a large gunshot wound in his left breast, and a single-barrelled gun lay alongside him. The deceased was prominent in business circles. He loaves a family of four daughters and three sons.

DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC. .'Feb United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, March 9. The inquest concerning the death of Richard Edward Joughin, aged 41, who > collapsed under an anaesthetic in the Christchurch Hospital early on Thursday morning, was continued ,to-day. Joughin was cycling home late on Wednesday evening when the forks of his bicycle broke and bo fell on his face on the roadway. Ho walked a-quarter of a mile to his home, but was taken to hospital bleeding profusely from a broken nose. An operation was considered necessary to stop the bleeding. James Keith Davidson, assistant medical officer, said be saw Joughin at 12.15 a.m. His injuries were a badly broken nose with a large lacerated wound. The patent was in good condition to stand immediate surgical intervention. The anaesthetic was begun at 12.40 a.m. The patient took it well at first, and the operation had proceeded for 20 minutes when respiration ccased._ The operation was stopped, and artificial respiration was commenced and stimulants were a<U ministered. The heart failed 10 or 15 minutes later. There was no sign of intracranial injury, and the patient showed no signs of shock such as would make an operation dangerous. An operation was needed urgently. The patient was bleeding profusely, and the bleeding could not he stopped without an operation. The operation was limited to opening the wound for the purpose of tying the blood vessels and stitching the wound. Gervan M’Millan. a medical student, who had administered the anaesthetic, said he was qualified for this duty. There was no-apparent reason for the stoppage of respiration in this case. As the post mortem was not completed the inquest was further adjourned.