MISS SALMOND’S DEATH.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18659, 30 August 1930, Page 8

MISS SALMOND’S DEATH.

Cut off iu the prime of a life so full of promise, the sudden passing of Miss Salmond, lady principal of Craighead Diocesan School, lias shocked the whole community. The severance of the ties that bind a distinguished head of a leading educational institution to the cultural activities of an enlightened community, iq invariably deeply

regretted, although the close of such association may merely mean promotion to a higher sphere of usefulness, but the death of a highly-esteemed educationist in such tragic circumstances cuts deeply into the hearts of the wide circle of interests, with which deceased was associated. The death of Miss Salmond removes from the community activities of Timaru an enlightening influence, and although deceased’s association with Craighead did .not extend across a long span of years, still her cultural attainments, lofty idealism and inspiring leadership, have left an indelible mark on the School. Death has removed a beloved and highly qualified educationist, but the deep impression the late Miss Salmond made on the life of individual members of the School, will endure for many years. And if the tragic manner of her passing has shocked the whole community, the circumstances surrounding Miss Salmond’s death will cause no little uneasiness in the minds of all sections of the community. It is only too obvious that death was due to a tragic mistake. The late Miss Salmond desired to undergo an operation which is so simple in itself, and so free from any danger, that such treatment is faced by children without very much inconvenience, and certainly without grave risk from the nature of the surgical attention required. But a tragic mistake has cost the community in general and Craighead School in particular, a life so full of promise. Doubtless the medical men who were in attendance will view the verdict of the coroner with feelings of relief, while the unhappy nurse will carry the burden of the tragic mistake throughout her life. But what of the public? The evidence showed that the nurse “failed to realise that tlie doctor wanted a certain anaesthetic,” and the coroner found that death was due to alkaloidal poisoning caused by cocaine which was used by mistake instead of neo-caine, injected round the tonsils prior to the operation, adding a rider “that no biame was attachable to the operating surgeons.” Moreover, the coroner seems to have been satisfied that adequate precautions were taken after the patient had survived the first shock of the injection of the poison, although it is plaiu that death occurred some hours later in the absence of medical attention. It will not be surprising if a deep feeling of uneasiness is felt by the general public that if a theatrenurse “fails to realise” what the operating surgeons require, the risk is present of death by poisoning administered in error on the part of the nurse, who may have had little training in dispensing. The verdict of the coroner means that the full responsibility for such tragic mistakes rests on assisting nurses. It would appear to the layman, however, that if the law insists on the presence of an assisting medical man, it should be the duty of the qualified anaesthetist to take the utmost precaution to protect the life of the patient. A shocking death in such tragic circumstances strikes deeply into the confidence of the people, and while there exists a natural desire to avoid public discussion, the circumstances surrounding the death which have robbed . a leading educational institution of its highly revered principal and has rendered a community poorer for the premature closing of a useful life, calls for the most searching inquiry in the interests of the general weal.