SUICIDE AT BURNSIDE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3004, 11 October 1911, Page 34

SUICIDE AT BURNSIDE.

A case of wliafc seems to be suicide is reported from Burnside, a woman named Martha Churchill, about 58 years of age, having taken a dose of iodine. Deceased, who was well known, was recently taken from her home at Maori Hill to the Hospital, where she was under treatment for about six weeks, and then left to stay with her friends at Burnside. On Saturday morning about 10 o'clock she was walkingtip and down the garden, apparently in her usual spirits, when a nurse who was in attendance upon her left "her and went into/ the house 'to prepare' the Winner. About 11.30 the nurse heard the deceased moaning, and on going out and searching' the garden" found deceased in the fowlhouse. She was then consoious, and in answer to questions told the nui-se that she had taken iodine. An emetic of salt and warm water, was immediately administered by the nurse, who sent for assistance, and had Dr Will summoned. Dr Will, on his arrival, administered another emetic, with the result that the ' deceased vomited the poison, and somewhat recovered. Unfortunately, as the result of her tongue being burnt by the iodine, it swelled badly, and the Victim died from suffocation about 12.45.

THE INQUEST. An inquest was held on Monday morning by the Coroner (Mr C. C. GfraaOmJ into the circumstances surrounding the death of Martha Churchill, aged 58 years, the wife of Samuel William Churchill, of Driver street, Maori Hill, at present an inmate of the Incurable Home for Invalid* at Caver sham. *. Alexander Deveme> a candlemaker residing at Burnside, deposed that the deceased had been staying with him for the past nine weeks in- the' capacity of a friend. She was an invalid, and under medical treatment during the whole period, being attended first by Br Will, and then by Dr Fulton and Dr Closs. She was frequently in very low suffering apparently from, neevous prostration, but so far as witness knew,, had never made any threats of doing away with herself. .She said she wished' to die, but witness did not take it seriously, thinking that she would get over it. A bottle of iodine was procured after she left the > Hospital for the, purpose, of painting her side, and this was kept along, with other '-bottles on the shelf in herV-jrOom. ' On. Saturday morning : she .cdmplairied to witness of pains jn the" stomach : and asked him to remain with her,- but .he had i+> go to His work. On returning about 1&30' he. found heir lying on the floor of, the passage .apparently in a dying condition. ' Dr Will and the nurse were theri in attendance upon her, and she expii-ed' shortly afterwards. There was nothing in the behaviour of the deceased that morning to make him suspect anything out of the "usual. Search had been made for the hottle but without result.. It was in a very small packet marked poison on the outside, ~and had neverbeen opened. Deceased was aware ,of what it contained.

Mary Miller, a probationer, said she was in. attendance on the deceased for about three weeks prior to Saturday. On the. day after her arrival she removed! all the bottles from the.mantel shelf in the invalid's room, her ; reason being simply that she thought such things only reminded a patient of her illness. Dr Clbss, who called on the deceased shortly after witness's arrival, gave instructions chiefly with regard to diet, but no hint of any suicidal tendencies, and she herself saw nothing to give rise to such an idea. On Saturday morning deceased was in her usual condition, and 1 took'her breakfast about 7 o'clock. At about 11 o'clock she asked witness if" she might prepare some egg fillet for herself, but though witness consented, she did not do so. Witness was attracted by/ sounds of moaning about 10 minutes later, and on looking around found deceased lying in the hen run. There was iodine all around her mouth, and ori the tongue, so witness at once administered an emetic of salt and water, and starch and water, but it had no effect. Dr Will was immediately summoned, and on nis arrival, within 10 minutes, •he administered another emetic, which had the desired effect.

A handkerchief soaked with iodine and found' by the last witness in the fowl-run was then produced, together with a glass found by another person, which bore traces of having contained about an ounce and an half of the liquid. Dr Will drew the Coroner's attention to the fact that Miss Miller had received a nurse's training in the City of Glasgow, and was very efficient at her work. . - .

Dr Will said he was in attendance on the deceased about seven weeks ago for about a fortnight. She was suffering from distended stomach and' nervous neurasthenia. He saw npthing to give reason to suspect meditated self-destruction on the part of the patient. _ He did not see her again until called in on Saturday, when he found her lying on the floor with the nurse and Mrs Samson in attendance on her. She was then unconscious, and the pulse was imperceptible. He administered a hypodermic emetic, < which acted' properly, and afterwards injected strychnine. Deceased then recovered to a large' extent; her pulse improved and consciousness returned. He immediately sent for the ambulance, and notified the Hospital that he was sending her in. At the time he received the message from Miss Miller' he was absent from home and had nothing with him, so that this was the quickest thing to do. _ The nurse's treatment for an irritant poison was perfectly correct, the only thing being that it would not create a vomit, and no blame in any way was attachable to her. Deceased rallied fo.r about ihalf-an-hour, but the irritation of the iodine produced congestion of the throat and tongue, and she died from suffocation about 12.45. Thero was not the slightest doubt that death was due to iodine' poisoning. The handkerchief produced was probably used by her for the purpose of wiping her mouth. The Coroner remarked that only one verdict could possibly be returned, namely, that the cause of death was poisoning by iodine self-administered; and taking into consideration the neurotic condition of the patient, there was no doubt that she was in a temporary state of insanity. There was no saying what these neurotic people would do.