CARPENTER’S DEATH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16330, 20 January 1921, Page 8

CARPENTER’S DEATH.

INJURY AND DISEASE. Tho inquest on William Downing, which has been adjourned several times, was resumed this afternoon. Downing jeeeived a blow on the head at the Addington Workshops, was treated at the Christchurch Hospital, discharged, and subsequently admitted to the Hospital where he died on January 9. Mr E. W. White appeared for deceased’s widow. Sergeant Stewart conducted the inquest tor the police. Mr S. E. McCarthy was t>he Coroner. Dr L. A. Benuefct said that deceased was admitted to the Christchurch Hospital on tho morning of January 9. His condition was then very serious. About | three weeks before admission be had I received a blow on the head from a ! sledge hammer, and had been treated : at the outpatients’ department for some days and then discharged. While on holiday the man hpd : a seizure of some ! sort. He returned home and became worse. Another seizure followed. His condition on admission was that of a xv,an dying from chronic kidney disease. An examination showed signs of an old bruise on the scaip. There was no fracture of the skull, and no sign of any hemorrhage of the brain. His kidneys appeared to be chronically inflamed- Dr Pearson discovered changes in the kidneys caused by chronic Bright’s disease. The cause of death was coma following on Bright’s disease. It was quite possible- that deceased would have continued in apparent good health for some years but for the blow, which quite possibly caused a lowering of the man’s general health, and caused tho disease to become worse.

Dr C. J Campbell said that when lie examined deceased on December 10, ho found a horizontal gash about on inch in length on his head. Ho treated him. and then sent him away, lellfng him* to report next morning. The verdict was that Downing died of coma in the course of Bright’s disease, and that death was accelerated by an accidental blow on the head with a sledge hammer received whilst deceased was working as a carpenter in tho empjov of the New Zealand Government, at. tho Addington Workshops, on December 10 last.