CORONER STEAKS OUT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1352, 1 February 1912, Page 3

CORONER STEAKS OUT.

• fr DOCTORS AND PATIENT. DEATH CERTIFICATE IGNORED. ißj Tclcsraph-Press Association I Christchurch, January i) 1. Tho inquest was resumed this afternoon touching the death of Christina Caroline J'll-tob, uiiirried woman, who died on Saturday. Dr. W. U. Simpson, who hnd lii'ld a ])ost-morleiii examination, had announced at the opening day's proceedings tiint death was duo to heart failure, but that there were signs of an attempt to procure abort ion.'

Dr. .lossio C. Maddison stated that sho attended Mrs. Elstob at 8 a.m. on ■Satnirj'n.v. The patient showed symptoms of heart failure, but was conscious, and able to spoak. A miscarriage hnd recently occurred. Witness applied restoratives" but Mrs. Hlstnh died at 10.15: Witness gave a certificate to the effect that death was line to syncope. To the Coroner: Witness did not suspect liny criminal abortion, nnd, as sho knew that Mrs. Elstob hnd heart disease, she nought that any undue strain might liiivp caused tho symptom?. The Coroner: The body was in a shocking sUite. Jt is a very dangerous thin:; to give a certificate in a caso like this when you don't know the cause of the miscarriage. Witness,' continuing, said that Mrs. Elstob did not attempt to tell her anything about any interference. Tlioro was" nothing, to suggest predisposition to niiscarr.iai!P.

■ Tlib Coroner stated that there was no shadow of doubt that there was criminal abortion, but the question was when nnd l)y whom was it caused? It was a rtrange fact that though threo doctors had atI i " ,e wol ! ,nn certain information had reached him through an outsider. 1 hat information had been amply proved ».V the post-mortem examination; and, therefore, Dr. Maddison's certificate had wen ignored.

Dr. Maddison: People hold their tongues to tho doctors, but speak to other people. Dr. Jiorrie stated that he had examined Mrs. Klstob a fortnight before her death. At 2.30 a.m. on Saturday he attended her and she then stated that she had had ii miscarriage. To tho coroner: He did not havo any suspicion as to the causo of the miscarnage. Joseph Henry Elstob, husband of deceased, stated that in December his wife said that she expected another child, but expressed a determination not to have one. Witness advised her to go to Dr. liorrie, but she. mentioned Dr. C. J. Russell to whom she had gone alone on the previous day. His wife did not say that Dr. Russell "refused to do anything for her ' without witness's consent. Witness accompanied his wife to Dr. Russell's, and told him that ho (witness) would not agree to anything being dono to his wife if it were, anything serious. Dr. Rursoll then said that it was "nothing to get anxious about , ' and told witness's wife to see him again on the following evening botwoen 6 and 7 o'clock, and next evening his wife left; the house presumably to keep the appointment. Sho returned in threo-quarters of an hour and said that tho doctor had given her "some stuff to take," and told her to. get a bottle of medicine from him to prevent hor having any- more children. As far as witness knew there were no more visits. Othe-r witnesses gave evidence as to Mrs. Elstob telling them that she had been to see Dr. Russell.

Tho coroner recorded an open verdict, that death Was due to septicemia, caused by an illegal operation. ' ■ The chief detective intimated that the police would make full and searching inquiries into the whole matter.