SUNNYSIDE ASYLUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3099, 6 August 1913, Page 7

SUNNYSIDE ASYLUM.

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS. PUBLIC INQUIRY DEMANDED. PRIME MINISTER GRANTS THE REQUEST. {From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 30. Serious allegations regarding the treatment of a male patient at the Sunnyside Mental Hospital were laid before the House of Representatives to-day by Mr Davey. The patient in question died some hours after being removed from the Mental Hospital on June 23. Mr Davey asked that a public inquiry should be granted into the circumstances surrounding the man’s death and his treatment while an inmate of the institution. The Prime Minister readily promised to grant a full public inquiry. THE WIDOW’S STATEMENT. In asking for an inquiry Mr Davey read written statements which had been sent to him by the wife of the deceased man (William Alexander Tribe) and others. Mrs Cecilia A. Tribe’s statement was read as follows :—“ 1 have been asked to make a statement in regard to my late husband's incarceration at the Menial Hospital at Sunnyside. On several occasions I found him looking most neglected, and his clothes most untidy, and his coat on one occasion filthy. His feet were in a very bad slate, his socles being ragged, and one of his shoes had nails in the heel, which caused a wound and was very sore. The first time I saw my late husband after he had been there five weeks I found him with a very bad black eye, and the following week he had the other side of his face badly bruised. Several times my late husband said ‘ There are some brutes here. 5 I said ‘ You mean the patients?’ He said ‘ No, I mean the attendants. They can do what they like with you. They think nothing of taking you by the scruff of the neck and knocking -you about.’ I asked him why he didn’t complain to the doctor, and he said * What’s the use. They take no notice of you here.’ When I went to see him the Thursday before his death he could scarcely walk. He had a dreadful foot and leg, they being inflamed and swollen ajmost to the knee. I saw the head attendant, and he said he had only heard of it half-an-hour before. I then informed the doctor, who told me he had not heard of it, but said he would go and see him then. On the following day I wired to the superintendent to make inquiries, and was told that he was slightly improved, and when I went out the next day (Saturady) he was lying on a hard mattress on the floor of a cell (you could call it nothing else) cold and comfortless, and on that evening when I made inquiries the doctor again told me he was slightly better. I was tedephoned for on the Monday morning to go out to the Mental Hospital, and found him still in this cell dying. Altogether, I think he was dreadfully neglected.—(Signed) Cecilia A. Tribe.” A FRIEND’S TESTIMONY. A letter addressed to John Thornton by Charles Myrtle was as follows : —‘‘Re Mr W. A. Tribe and the Sunnyside Mental Hospital. You have asked me what I have noticed in reference to this patient which calls for criticism or explanation. At the time of entering the institution Mr Tribe seemed to be in an enfeebled condition of health, and after having been there some time he rapidly deteriorated. He appears to have been knocked about considerably—how or by whom I do not know. He received two black eyes, the second just as he was recovering from the first. I saw him in company with Mrs Tribe on Thursday, June 19- On this day he was hardly able to stand ; in fact, ho was only just prevented from falling. He seemed to have wasted very quickly, and he drew our attention to his foot and leg. which were swollen from the instep upwards very badly, being very tender to the touch* On* leaving the* corridor a warder and mvself assisted Mr Tribe to rise and helped him for some distance. I then went in company with Mrs Tribe in the administrative department, with the intention of pointing out Mr Tribe’s condition to the doctor. We met there a warder whose name was, I think, Mr Halley. He pointed out that an inquest was being held at that moment, but as soon as it was over ho would mention Mr Tribe’s condition to the doctor. Ho said

it had only recently been reported to him, however, and he intended to report it to the doctor as soon as the latter was disengaged. I then left, and Mrs Tribe interviewed the doctor. Mr Tribe died on Monday morning, June 23, and the fact that his condition, which must have been serious for some time, had not been reported apparently on the 19th has caused me profound surprise and leaves me with a suspicion that the sick or weak in that institution are not attended to as promptly as they should be. There are oilier small matters in connection with the patients’ personal dress and equipment which we can hardly put in a letter, but I am strongly of opinion that only the very robust could survive under the present svstem. The fact is indisputable that Mr Tribe was dying on his feet when I saw him last —namely, on the afternoon of June 19—and must have been for some time only fit for the hospital and careful nursing, which he would have got had he been out of the institution. Whether such nursing would have postponed or prevented his death I am not in a position to pass an opinion, but the point is that the Mental Hospital is, I think, lacking an efficient sick bay or else the administrator is callous to the suffering of the sick patients.” ANOTHER ACCOUNT. Mr G. C. Bingham, J.P. and accountant, wrote as follows:—“Referring to the case of Wm. A. Tribe, late an inmate of tne Sunnyside Mental Hospital, I beg to state 1 visited him last, in company with his wife and son, on the Saturday before his death —June 21. He was lying on a mattress on the floor of a cell of the ward. The room was unwarmed and very cold. The clothing provided, in my opinion, was insufficient under the circumstances. The patient’s foot was bound up, and he seemed to be quite incapable of moving himself. In my opinion, ho should have been in the hospital. Considering his state to be grave, on my return to town I communicated with other friends with a view to getting a medical opinion. Unfortunately for some reason I have not been able to ascertain, the doctor’s arrangement to visit him failed. As bis wife was present on the Saturday afternoon I certainly think she should have been informed of the condition of her husband. On Sunday morning the son rang up the hospital, and was told that a slight improvement had taken place. The following morning (Monday) a telephone message was received that Mrs Tribe and son were wanted urgently. The doctor was communicated with by telephone, and asked if Tribe could be removed. The answer was that as he might die in the ambulance the attendance of an outside doctor was necessary. This was provided, and about four hours after the notice Tribe was at his home but in a moribund condition, dying half an hour later. 1 would point out that this patient was regularly visited by a number of friends, but little trouble was taken to notify thorn of the patient’s grave condition iti the week prior to his death, or to give them an opportunity of removing him towards the end, which appears to have been hastened by the lack of either attention or conveniences at the hospital for such patients. I am not aware of the cause of death shown on the certificate which was given by the doctor we provided at the last moment; but the condition of Tribe’s foot and leg pointed, undoubtedly, to blood poisoning. If this is a correct assumption there should be a record in the hospital books. Such an illness in one so reduced as Tribe could but have been one which a medical man should have been able to indicate certainly more than four hours before death.” AN INQUIRY JUSTIFIED. ‘‘The present time,” said Mr Davey, when ho finished reading the letters, “ is not one fitting for comment upon the contents of these letters. I think hon. members will appreciate what it has cost Mrs Tribe to write the letter I have read. She says she is quite prepared to go into any court of inquiry and give her evidence, not to benefit herself, but to benefit the present inmates of the asylum, and I think tlie two gentlemen holding responsible positions in Christchurch are to bn commended for coming right out in the open and sending the letters which I have read in the House. Their letters are the strongest justification lor bringing the matter up publicly here and a strong reason why I should ask for a public inquiry, and a strong manifestation for the Prime Minister granting it. If these letters do not contain the truth, then a public inquiry should demonstrate that fact and so clear the medical superintendent and those under

him.” fie would not say more. These letters were moderate in their tone, but there was something behind this case, and he considered lie was fairly entitled to ask the Prime Minister to grant a public inquiry. TWO OR THREE CASES. Mr L. M. Isilt said he had been asked by Mr Thornton to support this application. He did not wish in any way to prejudge the case, but the Postmastergeneral knew. Mr Massey : I am quite prepared to refer the question Mr Isitt: I would just like to say that the Minister of Health knows that this is one of two or three cases which have caused a very great deal of uneasiness amongst those interested in this asylum. He believed that whatever else this inquiry made manifest it would make it manifest that this institution was overcrowded and the staff so hopelessly overworked that it was impossible for them to do anything like justice to patients. This case was one of two or three which had happened at Sunnyside, and while not having sufficient evidence in the other cases to warrant an inquiry being asked for, a very great deal of uneasiness had been occasioned throughout the whole community, URGENT REFORMS NECESSARY. Mr G. W. Russell, speaking as an exMinister who had had charge of asylums, said that during his term of office he had taken a very great deal of interest in their administration. Even from the short experience he had had he came to very definite conclusions with regard to the management of these institutions and the need for greater expenditure by the State upon them. He would not speak upon this point now, but would take a later opportunity —probably on the Estimates—of saying what reforms he considered were absolute! v necessary in the mental hospitals of this country. In the meantime he would say that if the country had made any mistake it had been in starving this department of public expenditure in the past. With regard to this particular case these people would not have signed their names to these letters without their being fully satisfied that the statements were correct, and the fullest investigation should therefore be made. THE MINISTER IN CHARGE. The Hon. R. H. Rhodes (Minister of Public Health) said that although this question was addressed to the Prime Minister, he would like to say a few words as his department was concerned. This particular case was first brought under his notice by a letter addressed to the Prime Minister. He immediately asked for an inquiry, anil received certain information. That information not being full enough, he asked for further information. Ho had not yet received that information, but on its coming to hand lie had intended lo deal with the matter. Since the Prime Minister had been asked for a public inquiry he would say he was not going to shirk any such public inquiry. He was prepared to recommend the Prime Minister to grant that request and set up an inquiry. The department did not shirk any investigation into any matter i of this sort, and was prepared to let the j public know what was going on. If the ! conditions were not satisfactory he would ! be prepared to see that they were bettered. OTH KR SUGGESTIONS. Mr G. J. Anderson suggested a reform of the Seaclitf Asylum. People from Southland who arrived at Seaclitf from j the south about 12.50 could not obtain I admission lo the institution to see their , friends till about 2 o’clock. The down train left at about 2.30 or 2.45, and they thus did not have as much time there as they might. There was no reason why . these visitors should not obtain easy j access to see their friends. A FRANK REPLY. The Hon. W . F. Massey (Prime Minis- ! tor) said the member for Christchurch East had asked him a plain question, and , he proposed to give a straight answer, j Speaking on behalf of the Government, j he could say that a public inquiry would i be arranged for, and the. utmost publicity I would be given to the proceedings. He j knew perfectly well that the hon. member ; in asking the question was not attempting to make party capital out of the matterlie hoped the hon. member was satisfied with the answer he had received to his question. The member for Kaiapoi had suggested that the Government would

arrange for a •detention house or receiving home in connection with everv mental hospital. He was glad to be able to inform the lion, gentleman that this had already been (lone in Auckland, and arrangements had been made for the establishment of a- similar home at Christchurch. Mr Davey thanked the Prime Minister for his answer, and at the same time, assured the Government that in addressing his question to the Prime Minister he had intended no discourtesy to the Minister of Public Health.