INQUESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 9

INQUESTS.

DEATH AT THE HOSPITAL. An inquiry into the circumstances attending tha death of Hannah Newicg Ptiarce, who died in the hospital on the 10th, was held at the institution on Saturday morning before Mr E. H. Carevv, coroner, and a jury of six. James Henry Pearce, a carpenter, who resided in Oa«tle street, North Dunedin, deposed that the body shown to the jury was that of his wife, who j was bora at Broadstairs, Ksrit, England, and had \ beeu ia the colony 42 years. The deceased had { suffered from an internal complaint for the past 31 years. She was never strong, and had beeu an invalid for the last six ye»r «, but was able 1 o move about the house a little. On Saturday, 29th January, witness was cleaning the room, and advised his wife to go to bed to ba out of the way. She said she did not like him doing the work." She stood a moment while he bad a broom and a brufh in his hind, hhe then lifted a book and was going to hit. him on the head. He put. up his hand, attd her left hand struck his. She then fell down on the floor, It wag a frequent thing for her to fall down, because she was frail and weak in her legs. She was 73 years of age on the 4th August last. Witness thought her foot nmst have slipped, and that that caused her to fall. He got her up and put her into bed in the adjoining room. She said she had hurt her hip, and asked him to get some arnica to rub it with. He examined her leg from the ankle to the hip, but could find no fracture. This was between 2 and 3 o'clock, and she went to sleep between 3 and 5. She slept all right on Sunday. Ou Sunday she seemed to be in more pain, and he asked Miss Cornish, a neighbour, to coae in and see her. In the evening he went to Dr Gordon Macdonald, who came to see her next morning, } aud ordered her to be removed to the hospital immediately. The doctor said she had a fracture of the hip joint. She was removed to the hospital immediately, and witness saw her every day — sometimes two or throe times a day. She did not seem to improve after being removed to the hospital, and the doctor infoimed him that she might die any time. Isabella Cornish gave evidence as to going to sec the dtceased at the request of last witness, and stated that deceased had informed her that she bad tripped over a mat. Deceased hart been ailing i for a long time, aud it took h-. r all her time to I go about the house. Dr W. A. Logau, house-surgeon at the hospital, stated that he admitted the deceased into the institution on January 31. Stie was suffering from fracture of the neck of the thigh bone.. j She was weak, and was ordered stimulants. jNo internal complaint was made out. She was pretty low for a time, then (the seemed to improve, but again became worse, and getting gradually weaker she died on the 10th inst. about 10.5 p.m. The cause of death was exhaustion, partly from the effects of the fracture, and partly j fiom lying so long in bed and old age. ! The jury returned a verdict in accordance with [ the medical testimony. ' DEATH OF AN INFANT. [ An inquest ou the body of an infant named i Lilian Mary Watt was held at the Ocean View | Hotel, South Dunedin, on Saturday, 12th inst., i before Mr E. H. Carcw, coroner, and a jury of six. I Isabella Watt deposed that she resided in j Cavershatn. The body shown to the juiy was that I of her child Lilian May Watt, who was born in the Benevolent Insiitution, Cavershani, on the 6th of February. The child was delicate from birth. She nursed it a little over a fortnight, 'the matron of the institution then arranged for Mrs Condon to look after the child, and witness was to pay her 63 6-1 a week. Mrs Condon got the child about a fortnight ago last Thursday. Witness took it to her. The child did not seem to thrive very well since it was born. Witness saw the child on the following Saturday. It did not seem very wall then. Witness went three times to Mrs Condon's to see the child, and the last time she saw it was last Thursday night. Ou Monday last Mrs Condon sent to the institution for a doctor, and the matioa sent over a lady medical student to see the child. When witness saw it on Thursday eveuiug it was pretty bad. !?o far as witness could see the child was well taken care of Ellen Condon, wife of Michael Condor, who resided in Macandrew road, South Dunedin, stated that she agreed to nurse the child of the last witness. The child never seemed lyell from the time she got it. She fed it on milk and water and a little sugar. The mixture was half milk and half water. The food never seemed to agree with it. The child always seemed in pain. On Saturday, the sth in&t., a lady medical student came to t,ee the child, and teld her to give it three-parts of water to one of milk. The child, howevrr, did not do any better. It always seemed griped, antl suffered from diairhcea and vomiting. A w«.ek ago witne&s got alarmed about the child, and on Monday she look it to the hospital. The doctor said the child might die any time, and gave her some powders for it. The vomiting afterwards ceased a little, but the diarrhoea continued, and the child seemed to get gradually weaker until it died on Thursday morning at 6 o'clock. To Dr Macdonald : The child had diavrhcea when witness first got it, and was screaming with pain when the mother was present. To Sergeant Brown : The child had had three fits. When it had the first one witness sent to the institution for a doctor. Dr John Macdonald said he had made an i external examirja t ion of the body of the child, which was a small, poorly-developed child. From Hie evidence it appeared that the child had been 1 - 1] iin? from vonntiug and diarrhoea, and I .np full/ it had died from exhaustion. It { ~«t nu ri 10 have been properly fed, but the milk 1 _m i>" ily did not agree with it. That was a very ' ■'.iijuiiti' thing, and would cause the diarrhoea and I > iiitin-?, and also the fits. ; lh" jury returned a verdict to the effect that , * it.^ih resulted from exhaustion from dianhoea.