A WOMAN'S DEATH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1453, 30 May 1912, Page 6

A WOMAN'S DEATH.

■ * . MENTAL WARD AT HOSPITALS. (By Telegraph-Press Association.) Auckland, May 20. An inquest was held at the Auckland Mental Hospital this morning on the body of a female patient, who died under somewhat unusual 'circumstances on Monday night, only three hours after her admission. The evidence showed that deceased was a married woman, 3!) years of age, and wifo of a farmer at Matangi. near Hamilton, and had been committed to the institution by Mr. F. O. 11. Loughnan. of Hamilton. ])r. Heal tie, medical 'superintendent of the asylum, who had made a post-mortem examination, gave Clio causo of death as anaemia, with general exhaustion, and consequent cardiac (heart) failure. He found evidences of a recent miscarriage, to which he traced deceased's mental condition.

Tho coroner read an extract from the certificate of Dr. Going, one of tho doctors who had pronounced on Die deceased's mental condition. It ran: "In my opinion she is in a quite unfit state to be moved to the Mental Hospital at Avondale. It is too far."

In reference to ihis, the witness said that in tho faco of the certificate he personally would not have advised the patient's removal unless local circumstances of which he knew compelled him to do so. By this he meant that there might have been less risk in taking the patient a long disianco than in keeping her iu a place where skilled attention, accommodation, and nursing might not be available. After the writing of Die certificate, tho doctors might luivo found it necessary to send 'the patient to the Mental Hospital. Sho was maniacal, and could not have been accommodated at Hamilton Hospital without danger to other patients. In his opinion, sitid Dr. Beattie, all central hospitals, such as Waihi Hospital, should have a ward where incipient, mental cases could be treated for a limited period. The present patient -belonged to a class which should not be branded as insane. Tho jury brought in a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, adding, by direction of the coroner, a clause slating that llio evidence available was not sufficient to enable them In determine whether anyone- was to blame in connection with death, or not. They also added a rider calling the attention of tbo Minister in charge of hospitals to Dr. Bcattio's suggestion regarding mental wards at hospitals.