DEATH FROM NATURAL CAUSE

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1929, Page 2

DEATH FROM NATURAL CAUSE

INQUEST ON MRS. AST WOOD. An inquest into the cause of the death of Eva Ethel May Astwood, which occurred on April 30, was heard before the district coroner (Mr. R. W. Tate, S.*i.) at New Plymouth yesterday. Death was found to be due to a long standing disease of the heart. In his evidence Thomas_ Edmund Astwood said that she was 50 at the time of death. She had been suffering bad health for about six years. She had been attended by Drs. Adamson, M alkcr, Reid and the doctons at the New rljmoutli hospital. Later she consulted Mr. Salaman, an Indian herbalist, who gave her large quantities of medicine to take. In April she and her husband had come to stay with Mrs. Brown, and during this period she aid. not again consult Salaman, though he continued sending On April 26 Astwood returned to his home at Okau. This was the last time he saw his wife affve. Dr. Home, in giving evidence of the post mortem examination, said he "found death was duo to heart failure of an acute type, caused by blockage, of the circulation duo to an old standing disease of the heart. This in turn had affected the other organs. There was no trace whatever of any harmful drug which might raise suspicion. The treatment of the herbalist had made no real difference as she would have died despite anything that could be. done. Mrs. Astwood was very ill at the time when she arrived at Mrs. Brown s house, where she stayed until her death.