FATALITY AT THE HOSPITAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3353, 19 June 1918, Page 44

FATALITY AT THE HOSPITAL.

A PATIENT'S FATAL LEAP. A distressing but apparently unavoidable fatality occurred at the Dunedin Hospital shortly after 7 o'clock on Saturday evening. A patient named John Reid, who was* undergoing treatment for pneumonia in the Dominion -Ward, suddenly and without warning jumped up on his bed, pulled down the upper part of the window, and leaped to the ground below, a distance of some 50ft. He received shock and internal injuries, from which he died just before 9 o'clock. The patient had been slightly delirious during the day, but had given no sign of any mental trouble. The deceased was 42 years of age, and resided at 8 Elm row with his wife and three children, the eldest of whom is nine years of ago. He was a butcher by occupation, and had been in the same employment for over 20 years. An inquest will be held at the Hospital this afternoon. DEATH OF MR JOHN REID. The Coroner (Mr Bartholomew) held an inquest at the Hospital on Monday afternoon into the circumstances surrounding the death of John Reid, who was undergoing treatment for pneumonia at the institution, and who leaped from a window on Saturday night, falling a distance of some 40ft. Senior Sergeant Murray appealed for the police, and Mr C. J. Payne for the widow of the deceased.

Duncan Ferguson Wark, a brother-in-law of the deceased, said he saw deceased in the Hospital on Friday. The deceased appeared bright and quite rational. Deceased was a quiet-living man and was very fond of his home. Deceased had never shown any signs of mental weakness. Dr Bowie (assistant medical superintendent at the Hospital) said deceased was admitted on June 13. On Saturday morning deceased appeared perfectly rational, and had improved since the previous day. Witness saw him next being carried into the Hospi tal after having jumped through the window. Deceased was then unconscious. He never regained consciousness. Shock and internal injury were the causes of death, predisposed to by the previous illness. To Mr Payne: He never saw deceased delirious. Deceased's temperature was 104 when he came in, so he might have been delirious. There was no fixed metal 'screen on the window. The screen was put there when a patient suffering from a serious illness, such as pneumonia, wa3 placed in the bed. Witness and the nurse and the man in charge of the case judged- if it were sufficiently serious to put up the metal screen. One reason why the screen was there was to enable the lower part of the window to be opened for fresh air; the other reason was to prevent a patient from getting out. This would be the more necessary seeing that a patient was up, say, 50ft from the ground: From what witness knew now he would not say that he would put a screen over the top for another delirious patient —it depended on the condition of the patient. If a patient showed signs of being mentally affected ho would be transferred to the bottom floor. They • would probably give some additional instructions so as to protect a patient showing a temperature of 104, and showing signs of delirium, seeing what had hap pencd in this case. As soon as a patient showed! any mental condition the fact was reported by the nurse, and he was put down stairs at once, and an attendant put over him. The nurse did not report any statement said to havo been made to her by Mrs Reid. If Mrs Reid made a statement to the nurse that deceased said he was being poisoned and wanted to go home, the fact should have been reported to the house surgeon. The nurse would also probably see the patient and see what was in it. Witness saw nothing in the patient's condition to cause any alarm. To Dr Falconer: The only actual precaution would be to send a patient downstairs. To be of any avail it would practically be necessary to bar every window in the place. Sister Timlin said she was in charge of the Dominion Ward, in which deceased was a patient. All the timo the patient was under witness's charge he was perfectly rational. She saw him at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, and when she came back about 3.20 it was reported that the deceased was delirious and had tried to get out of bed. He was supposed to have seen his wife passing the window. It was also reported that he had refused to take his medicine. From that hour ho was watched. A few minutes after 7 o'clock deceased asked witness for something as rationally as anyone could. She gave instructions for the deceased to get what he wanted, and went into the sun ward. She hoard someone call out, and on .running back she saw the window down and the bed empty. To Mr Payne: Three was the greatest number of nurses in the ward at any one time. At 7.10 p.m. there was really only one nurse in the ward. There were 37 patients in the ward. No special instructions were given to witness regarding the patient, but she knew that he was suffering from pneumonia. The screen was already on tho window when the patient first came in. Witness did not report what deceased was supposed to have said to his wife, because she understood that it had previously been reported by Nurse Muller to the house snrgeon. If Nurse Muller had not reported it, it would have been her duty to do so. Nurse Muller said she went on duty at 3 o'clock on Saturday . Sho reported to Sister Timlin that deceased was rather inclined to get out of bed. Deceased's wife then came up,' and the patient became quieter. The patient was not really delirious—just restless. Mrs Reid did not say that her husband had stated they were trying to poison him. Mr Payne: Mrs Reid will state that her husband thought he was being poisoned, and that he wanted to go home. ' Witness continued that Mrs -Reid might have made some statement like that._ Witness was trying to quieten Mrs Reid and tell her it was all right. When she had got the patient back to bed she thought he was a bit queer. Dr Murray (house surgeon) said he saw the patient "at 2.3 fr p.m. on Saturday. It had been reported to him by Nurse M'Leod that the patient was rather queer and would not take his medicine. Witness found him sitting on the end of his bed, and persuaded him to get back. Witness saw him on Saturday" morning, when ho was Oolite rational. Witness had never seen the patient delirious, arid he had never been reported as such. If he had been, witness would have taken precautions and put him in a safe place. To Mr Payne: Tho nurse never reported

to iiini any statement uy ivirs neid as regards the state 01 the patient's mind. vVnen witness saw tho patient on the end ot the bed the patient tried to pusn hnri off, and said he would not take that (moaning the medicine). the patient also said tner.j was duty work going on down there (meaning the street), lie was a little delirious then. Witness did not think it necessary to report tne matter to IJr Bowie.

Hunter Bowie (a patient in the Dominion Ward) said deceased occupied a bed on the opposite s.de of tile ward irom him. Witness spoke to deceased at the dinner hour on- Saturday, when he appeared quite rational. A lew minutes after 7 o'clock ho saw deceased standing up on his bed pulling the bottom sash down. Witness did not take any notice, but thought it might be too cold for him. Witness looked round again and the deceased was pulling down' the top sash. He then jumped, Janding with his feet on top of the two sashes. Witness jumped out of bed to go across, but deceased went over.

Mr Payne said he had no witness to call, lie would just like to point out that Mrs Rcid had a difficulty in getting into the hospital on Saturday afternoon. She had at first been refused; but on going away her husband had called to her from tho window, and she had then returned and had been admitted. Dr Falconer detailed the circumstances under which visitors were admitted to tho hospital. Bulletins were issued showing tho condition of patients, and these were posted at the door of the hospital. The Coroner remarked that they must have rules and regulations.

The Coroner said this was a particularly sad case, inasmuch as the patient had met his death while undergoing hospital treatment. So far as the course of treatment and provisions made for the patient were concerned the hospital authorities had followed the usual practice in dealing with such cases. Neither the house surgeon nor the acting medical superintendent had any reason to believe that the patient was in a condition of delirium requiring special precautions for his safety. It was obvious that in all cases, before giving special treatment, there must be something in the patient's condition to call for that special treatment. In the evidence of the case it appeared that the house surgeon and the assistant medical superintendent had no reason to fear that any such condition had arisen. Unfortunately the man must have been seized with a siidden condition of delirium, which had accounted for him acting in this way. The verdict would be that death was caused by shook and injuries received through jumping from a window in the hospital whilo in a state of delirium.