YOUNG WOMAN'S DEATH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2925, 6 April 1910, Page 62

YOUNG WOMAN'S DEATH.

THE MEDICAL TESTIMONY

On Friday afternoon at the Magistrate's Court Mr H. Y. Wicklowson (coroner) continued an inquiry into the circumstances 'surrounding the death of Janet M'Coll, a young single woman, who,, after having given birth to twins on March 16, -died on March 25. The death occurred in the house of a Mrs Annie Durston, of 10 Havelock street, Mornington, and Mr B. S. Irwin appeared on her behalf at the inquest Station-sergeant King represented the police, and Mr 0. H. Moller was foreman of the jury. Mrs Annio Durston, the witness examined by Station-scrgeant_ King, said dhe' was a ladies' nurse, unregistered. She was a widow.. She occupied a sevenroomed house. She sometimes let rooms to ■ people. She had a family of three, of •whom two sons lived with her. She also ■kept a servant. On© son was 23 years of age, and the other 22, and both gave her assistance. Witness first saw the deceased on the afternoon of Tuesday. March 15, about a quarter past 3, when she came to witheeis's house and asked for a room for i a, week or so. Witness agreed. Deceased Baid she had not been very well for some time, and she wanted a quiet place for a rest. She said she would require a little attention for a while, and, in reply to witness, eaid she had been vomiting and bad had diarrhoea for some time past. She added that her train journey bad affected her. In reply to witness she said she was married. She had the appearance of being nervous and shaky, though not ill. She had no lug-gage, which, .she said, had been either mislaid or lost when she changed trains at Milton. She made no complaint of _ illness. She retired to bed at half-past *7, and witness at half-past 9. They slept in the earne bed. After taking a cup of cocoa for supper she was very sick. She informed witness she bad been sick for six weeks, and advised witness to take no notice of it. During the night she complained of pain, which grew worse as the night wore on. W : tnoss was anxious, and had suspicions that something was wrong with her, but the deceased denied .. it. She got worse, and witness j-ut. the same question to her an hour later, but she still said No. Witness then told her she suspected she was going to be confined, and she then admitted her condition to witness. She added that she had been (taking medicine, and pills for the past four months, which would account for her vomiting and diarrhoea. This was about half-past 3 in the morning. She consented to witness examining her, and witness then told her her confinement was approaching. After 6 o'clock the deceased was delivered of a child, about three and a-half or four months old. The child was in a state of decay, and witness ■thought it must have been dead for about two- weeks. A second child was born about 8.30 o'clock, also dead. The deceased said she could hardly believe she had been in that condition. iWithess destroyed the bodies, burning them in the ooppei fire between half-past 6 and 10 o'clock. . The deceased appeared vttty well, considering what she had gone through. That morning deceased told .witness she had had a fainting fit a week previously. She was alone at the time. she ' said, and the fit must have lasted about two hours. After the confinement the deceased could not retain solid food, and witness did not force it on her, thinking the stomach might be tho better of a res*'. Witness asked her if anything had fceen done to bring wn tho miscarriage, and deceased replied "No, nothing but . taking the medicine and pills." She said leer married sister knew of her condition. Station-sergeant King: Didn't you think l it was your duty to communicate with her friends? •■-.'. \ Witness: Yes, but she refused to give me their address. I communicated with them as soon as I ascertained where they lived. • ">• Witness (further examined) stated that deceased said it would be ail right; that she would write later on. On Saturday, 'March 19. she asked witness if she would l ,Jet her girl take a letter to Edwards, the -jfruiterer, and ask Miss Edwards to ring Ijiap the peTson wiio.se name was in tho letter. When the letter wan written the deoejosed gave the letter to the girl. It \waa addressed " Mins L. M'Coll. care of "P. 0. Neill. North-East Valley." Up to this time witness did not know deceased's »roper Dame. D<joeased had given witness what witness had understood was her married' name—Mrs Can-. After the confinement deceased said, "I will tell you all ■Slater " and witness did not trouble her about, her name. On Monday, 21st deceased wrote a letter to Miss J. M'Coll, ■North-East Valley, and another to Miss 8. •M'Coll. Waitahuna Gully. Deceased then admitted that the persons to whom the fetters were addressed wtere her «Btea. Next day witness communicated witu a©-

oeased's sisters.' Up ;to this time deceased ssemad. to be improving; she sat up in bed and wrote the lettor-s. On the evening of Tuesday. March 22, witness sent a messenger to Miss L. M : Coll, at NorthEast Valley. She thought it was only right the deceased's sisters should know what had happened. Miss L. M'Coll came to witness's house the same evening about 10 o'clock, her brother coming an hour later. The sister remained all night, sleeping with the deceased, and leaving next morning about half-past 8. Deceased saemed excited at seeing her sister, and was restless during the night. Miss L. M'Coll was surprised) to hear the nature of her sister's illness. She would have more Teadily believed almost anything else. On the morning of Wednesday, March 23, Miss Sadie M'Coll and Mrs Walker (deceased's sister) called. In the afternoon the brothor again called, and in the evening Miss Lizzie and Mi:s Sadie came back, but did not stay long, as deceased was tired. Station-sergeant King: Was any suggestion made about getting a doctor? Witness: Yes, the sisters asked me that day, and I said I did not think it was necessary to get a doctor, as the patient was doing, nicely. They said on the Wednesday .that if a doctor was wanted I could get one, and I think the married sister mentioned Dr Evans. Mrs Walker herself said she did not think a doctor was required, as her sister was looking so well. The deceased herself said she did not require a doctor. Witness (furthov examined): Next morning (Thursday) the brother and Miss Sadie called, the brother staying till about 5 o'clock.- Deceased seemed lively and chatted all the. afternoon. About 10 p.m. she had a cup of cocoa, which she asked for. Deceased said 6he wa6 feeling splendid. Witness then retired to bed, sleeping with deceased. Ten minutes later deceased had a faint turn, but told witness to take no notice, as she often had those terns. She was also sick, and then revived. A quarter of an hour later she had another weak turn, and remarked, in a joking way, " Am I not silly; don't take any notice of me." Witness said she would send for a doctor, and deceased said if witness wanted a doctor she was to call in Dr Marshall Macdonald, who had attended her before. At half-past 10 witness sent her servant girl for the doctor. The girl returned, saying that Dr Macdonald was away, and would not be_ back till Monday, but that Dr Fitehett could be obtained, if required. They could not get Dr Fitehett. The deceased then got a bit better. Witness told the servant girl to start the fire and get hot water ready. Deceased's hands were cold. Witness got a hot-water bag and placed it in the bed. Deceased said she was not cold, that she was splendid, and did not want a doctor. Five minutes later deceased took another turn—this would be about 11 o'clock, —and witness asked the girl to ring up Dr Fitehett. Deceased asked witness not to do so, but witness sent the girl to the chemist's to ring up. The girl got back before 12, and said Dr Fitehett would arrive shortly. The doctor arrived soon after, 1 o'clock, but in the meantime the deceased had had two more turns. Ten minutes before the doctor came deceased was able to tell witness where to find her sister in Stafford street. The servant girl, after ringing up the doctor, had also rung up deceased's sister, but could not get.into communication with her. Deceased died soon after Dr Fitehett came. She was conscious until just before the doctor came, and did not regain consciousness afterwards. In reply to further questions, Witness said that early in the evening deceased wanted to get out of bed and sit on witness's jjnee, but witness would not allow it. Witness gave her port wine to strengthen her. Deceased's sisters did not know that any other doctor had attended her than Dr Closs, who was called in to examine her heart. Witness had had considerable experience of confinement cases without a doctor. She had been nursing for 10 years. Since the passing of the act she had been nursing under doctors, though she had had one or two cases in which the doctor had not been there at the time. Witness was not in the habit of taking women into her house for confinement. No arrangement was made by the deceased for payment. Deceased did not tell witness who was responsible for her trouble, and witness did not ask her. To Mr Irwin: Deceased continued to get better from th« time of the confinement until the Thursday evening prior to her death. There appeared to be lees and less reason during that period, for a doctor to be called in. The members of the family agreed that a doctor was not required. To the Coroner: Witness thought the cause of deceased's illness was mentioned once when the brother was present. He seemed as if he did not wish to know. The sisters would hardly believe it. The married sister told witness on the Wednes- • day that she did not know of her sister s condition. After deceased died the brother told Constable Power that his sister had always been troubled with her heart. Witness "told the brother that she thought the deceased died 6i heart failu.re. She had seen no sign of blood-poisoning. The deceased never mentioned that an instrument had been used on her. She said a lady in the train had directed her to witness e house. „ To Dr Fitehett: During the week following the confinement deceased was not feverish. On the morning of the confinement her temperature was 99, and thereafter it was normal. Witness used-to take her temperature two or three times daily with a thermometer, which was placed under the arm or in the mouth. Witness disinfected her hands when examining deceased and when attending her during the confinement. » Dr Frank Fitohett said that on the evening of Friday, March 25, about 20 minutes to 1, he received a telephone message to go te Mrs Dunstan's house. He went away at once in a motor oar, arriving at the house about 20 minutes past 1. The patient was lying on the bed pulseless, unconscious, and making occasional gasping inspirations—she was dying. She ceased to breathe at haJf-paet 1. Mrs Durstorr was the.only person whom witness raw in the house. On exa.mining the body witness found the abdomen distended and tympanitic. Mrs Durston did not 6eem to realise the gravity of the case; she thought the patient would revive, and frequently spoke to her, as if the woman would rally. Her account of the case was substantially the same as her evidence that day. On 'the 26th, 11 hours after death, witness ma.de a post-mortem examination, of the body, under the instructions of the coroner. There were no marks of injury, and there was no evidence of heart

disease. In the abdomen marked evidsnces of septic peritonitis were obvious. All the other organs were healthy. The cause of death was general septic peritonitis, due to puerperal infection—otherwise, blood-poisoning. To Station-sergeant King: There was an injury, which he was at a loss to explain. The suggestion was that an instrument or something else had been U6ed. It was unlikely to have occurred in any other way, though he would not care to deny that it could happen naturally. There was nothing to indicate when the perforation took place.

To the Coroner: If an instrument had been employed, the indications pointed to its having been used by some person of skill. 2*s the bodies were decomposing, it suggested that germs had been introduced from without, and that fact, coupled with the perforation, supported the view that an instrument had been used. In this, case if the pulse had been noted as well as the temperature the gravity of the case, he thought, would have been recognised. In rare cases the temperature might remain normal, and friends might be deceived by the apparent well-being of the patient. It was witness's opinion that the patient had been dying for two or three days. In witness's opinion there had been a miscarriage. To Mr Irwin: It was possible that the perforation was the result of -the decomposition, though it was not probable. He could not swear positively that an instrument had been used. At this stage the inquest was adjourned until Wednesday afternoon, at a quarterpast 2.