ILLEGAL OPERATION

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11030, 19 March 1914, Page 1

ILLEGAL OPERATION

CAUSES YOUNG WOMAN'S DEATH. "NO INFORMATION." A young woman named Mary Annie Hegarty, a resident oi 'St\Albans/ died in the Alexandra Home, a private ■ hospital on the Ferry Road, last night, and an inquest to-day showed that the case was an exceptionally sad one. Tho evidence disclosed - that death, was brought about;by an< illegal operation. Before death, however,, the. 'young woman'refused' to disclose the:.name of anybody who ; had-use4,the-instrumonts, saying that ; hersclriiad-'done overything that had'been done -to her. Mr H. W. Bishop, District Coroner, conducted tho ; inquest, and Mr J. B. Cuningham 'appeared on behalf of the deceased's relatives. .

Dr P. Feriwjck, who had mad© a postmortem' examination, described wounds on the body;, and" said that, apparently, there had been > a preguancy, The cause of death ', inhis opinion, was suppurative peritonitis, following salpingitis, which had ensued on some inflammation in tho uterine cavity. ' Tho Coroner said that tho .deceased had refused to give any information as to who had performed the illegal operation, which obviously, had been performed. " Goodness knows how it was done," he said.'. "Whatever was used was dirty, but whether it was used by her or by anybody else it is impossible °Ellzabeth Hegarty stated that . she lived in St Albans, and was the mother of the deceased, who was twenty-three years of age, and single. -Deceased was employed in a drapery shop, fitness first heard of her daiighter s illness on Monday. She had no Knowledge that auybody had interfered with the deceased. She did not know of anybody with whom.the deceased had been "keeping company.": Deceased had always been a very .good girl. Emily Curtis, matron of the Alexandra Nursing: Home," stated that the deceased was brought m to the home on Monday afternoon, about 4.dU o'clock. She was very, .feverish and in pain. Dr Simpson attended, her. Dr Simpson, Dr Marks and Dr Whetter operated on her at,8.30 the same night, Sho gradually sank, and died at./.qo last night. She. made no statement whatever to tho witness. She was delirious during her illness and about an hour before she died. She was not asked in witness's presence as .to-what had happened to her. Catherine Hegarty, sister-in-law, ot the deceased, stated that deceased stopped Saturday night w|th her. She seemed all right when they retired for the night, soon after midnight. She called witness about 2 a.m., and said she had a pain in her stomach, which she described as cramp. Witness gave her a, hot drink, and retired to bed. Deceased called witness again about.3 a.m., and said that she did not feel easier. Witness gave her a hot ginger drink, and left her. About o a.m. deceased called witness again. Witness had no idea what was wrong'with deceased, but the latter said that she was unwell. At about S a.m. witness took her a cup of tea, and found that she had risen. Deceased said that she was having a miscarriage. She lay down and slept, but complained at 11 a.m. of a terrible pain on the left side. She asked witness .not to call a doctor, but to keep the matter secret. Witness applied hot packs until her husband came, and she sent him for Dr Simpson. Deceased stated she had taken nothing but pills, and quinine. At three o'clock next morning the pains came on again. D? Simpson came between 12 and 1 p.m. that day, and recommended that the deceased should'be removed to a private hospital. Deceased agreed to that, as long as the facts wero kept from her mother, and she was taken to the nursing homo. She made no admission that anything had been done to her. Witness did "not know that deceased had been going with any men. She was not at all a secretive girl. In reply to Mr Cuningham, witness f aid that on the Sunday morning she vsas alone in the house with deceased, but. sent- her hushand to help as soon as it was evident deceased was seriously ill. The coroner "It is impossible to do anything; the girl would not give any information; somebody must have interfered with her, and she wanted to conceal it."

Reginald Ward, detective, stated that nn Tuesday he saw tho deceased at the home. She said she would not toll the police anything about her condition, except that .she had been pregnant, and that what had been done since she had done herself. The case was reported-to the Superintendent of

Police, who instructed the detectives to m;iko inquiries. Tlie coroner returned n verdict that deceased died of peritontitis, following inflammation in the uterine cavity, caused by. a.n illegal operation,,,.