ST. HELEN'S HOME INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1656, 24 January 1913, Page 6

ST. HELEN'S HOME INQUIRY.

ABOUT RECORDS.

AND MEDICAL ETIQUETTE,

.QUESTIONS,'AND. ANSWERS.

(By Tolcgraph-J'TOss • Aeio'olatlonJ

•■■•■.•■'{' ' Auckland? January 23. Tho..inquiry;.ihtd;the administration of St. Helen's as \tho result, of charges formulated .by Mrs.' Emily Nicol and the iucltland' Timber' Workers' Union,; was continued' to-day, before the Commissioner;(Mr.;p; C. Kettle," S.M.). V Dr.. l'rncy Jnglis. *as further examined regarding record books kept in.the home." 'lo the .'Commissioner;-1 oannot. pro'duco any correspondence, relating' to my • ap-. pointment.- :>'•>- ;■■:■:■":•'■'.; .•;■■-..' ...:; A, The Commissioner: i What,'has becoine' of it?,: .■.-..■■ '~■.;;-.;;■:..'; ■'■ -.....-• '~,...

Witness:/ 1: do ..not : know! ■". :;'. The C«mmissioner: What was Jllie. actual date'of .your appointment? ■ ■■' Witness:' h do not know. 'It was in June, 190G.\ : .V'.V. >-i •- ;\ ■■"'; ■': \ -\- ■'-:•.

The'-'- Commissioner; . Your day-book shows; every .attendance at the 'home? ' Witness: ' Yes.. ..:■ ','

'■■' The Commissioner i When : you•'. went ■to the hbspitul.i did'you enter a record of what .you Bdw.? .'■-'■'■ '.•'-.. .V .. Witness: Sptrio<years there'was a diary. kept;/::.;.;' :: - , ,>':-;;-''■:' ■:.':':';';■-■■_: The Commissioner: When /was. a : diary Inst kept? :'■:)■<■//■'.■ ■<':■■■: ■;/■'.;.!'• ..• .■:'■'' i Witness: The/year^beforo'last. ••': The-Commissioner:- Will, the, diaries cover, any/of-these/cases? '■•'■[ . y/ /. ■ Witness'i/ .Tliey;. /.might 'coTer ' Mrs./ Marsh's'case./; •'-:■■;...-■■■; .. ~'■:■'.. ; The Commissioner,: I would -like' thesediaries: .produced; ;,Was',a,prescriptionbook .kept ?!,>;., :i.rv/ ■■■/■■■" :.l ' ;/.^ ; . : : .Witness:, No.:. The .prescriptions .were, written.'on: --pieces;.of paper.' These'.were kept by..the■• chemijjt.-,-• a','-;};. .;'•.'. : '■ :The-'Commissioner: How .did /vou/ find out-what yoji had'/previously prescribed for: 'a -'patient?'/;.. '■'';ij. •/. - ./■..'.' ,'"-;- ■'■_.'.■''■'■.'■. .'/v. . : Witness: I.rahg up if I wanted to know. ,'■■' The Commissioner:; Why wasri't.'a'diary: ih: tko! honie/kept'up? , ■'>/"■/ ■'■ .:Witriess:';X,do not'know.v -X.'-. • . ■ -'- The Commissioner:, Why you. see that it/was 'kept 'up,?/. ■■■ '! -* ! '- : '-"''' ; ' ■'- . Witness: I-,had no instructions. Icon-, .side'red that/,everH)iing/iras covered , by ,my own private;diary. ;.■ -/■.: .■ .if" .;.::.;,... :record-bobks.'i!:;lt;is .important that/1/ ■should.'/ 7' ':' ',Giving; evidence -in the caso of• Mrs. Chamberlain;; Dr. : ' .Inglis ';"said,• if. he. Nad thought! septic. gefnis>wcre.present |n the ■Home'. lie : would; hbt': have .performed 'the : opteatitin. /Witness! saw. ..Mrs. Chamberlain evcrv day from the' 216t till the 28th, when hiS "himself was laid up., Ho thought it ; Vwas ". on 'August" .'24 'ho.'- order-, ed Her removal to;the • isolation, .'ward. .It was.her. high:';temperature that, caused him' .to decide/to Usblate;, I 'her, 'arid, not because -he' thought/that, she was : septic. On : ' several' occasions. '' she, asked witness whether. she .might' get •'up; as. she. was feeling well. :H?ivhißn 'temperature,however, would not'allbw of' this, on August 27. / From/the ;f apt''that -.when:a patient, after cohnnenieht,'. has'a. high teniperatUro for/some ; .dayJß .there, d'angei' ', of their ':being -■ septic./ .'.'.Witness thought- it wise, to. notify' the:-Health' 1 Department.' ■:• 'The/.ConimisridrierjXexamiriing.the hpti-. ficntion form)':. There 'has-been something' cut Off: this ;forrii.,. What/'.was, on. it ?■: '••. './..Witness,:''!-'don't know./: Probably-just, the envelope .'flap.-/' ' V .''*'?• ,',.;'-. ; The Commissioner: l Xes , .;But/what doea "note 2"/meah?/'-/./'/ .;'■•■ /.. -i-.;/..'•'. ■' ■.y~\

AYitness: I think thatiis Borne-instruc-tion regarding to whom the form is to be" sent.,. . ■,:■■::--^/~':;- : : 7;.y"■-V < \'' : ':•■''■ .'i-.'s ' :,;■: The Commissioner: I;donot suggest there' is anything.wrong:about thernat\K c B n A 6 's##'M« b &^ing: ; a : blank form, and'.comparing tlio/tjvo...'- _• V '--.: '■■■. Mr. ■.'. Mays: ■'■■■ l'.N.will c,,' produce another form; ~,jj;/' ':■■''■'■'■' ;'-,-:'.'.■'■,': .'..■'-■../;"". . The Commissioner.: ;iirs. : Chamberlain's case was reported according to the form'on A'ugust"2B.;- , 'rh6 postmark; is cut offf but the Department's' stamp of' receipt' is/September,:!)..:. -: : ./,; : '.'.--.■-■;.": .•.■/;; .'Witness:. ]>-cannot:esplain.' that; ■.•'' '':. : -Mr. ' Skelton: Mrs. Chamberlain 'died: about midnight on: September g, *■;■-.;■', ■'. ■. The Commissioner.::,,Yes:.l And ":■ if.■the. Health Department received'; the' notification on-August 29 and did not: do anything' .till. September -9,' .I*,will. want, to' know, something, more about" it.- '■'''-.: '\ :'': '■.. ■ ' • ■■■ Dr.- Inglis said that when hY-'saw^Mr.: 1 Chamberlain; ; 'witness,.,said that 1 ho '.would'.| bo. glad. to. ; havb ; :an..opportunity,.',of: discussing -his'..wife's, ease. .'toldMr." -he: thought' -his .wife ... jsa's, euffering -.from' an' early.*■ tern: of ; consumption.Vir.Witness • said •'that : ; it was 'difficult to r .say iwliai the"result of' his .wife's illness^.would- be.-,' On leaving jMr..Ch'amberlaitt';said'in",answer, to the doctor', that ; ,. ; :b.e:;'was■■■';perfectly- '•>■ satisfied withthe v treatraent;liis wife had ■ been- receiving.: f l : :iCtXi^'j"-K : /.v\'..'-/> ,',..'-" '-' ■■ The;: Commissioner:. Supposing ' a ■■pa'-'. tient or, patient's-relative asked; you to.allow ariothOr. medical. man to :see :l>.er - in-ithp home.j.would: .'', •■; • Witness: .Np ) :',npt-t6:his'seeing .her, : but I "would to 'his: treating •her.. -■ ,\ f'■ ''■'. \'■'% The- Cbmmis'sioherV"-Would' you have', consulted':with.:■Dr.;;BTOckway,,':on:;,, the case?. •:': '.'; -.:'?■> !•'■■.' [■<■■•:■ *;'.''?•'''•.'■■'■:' . -,' Witness:; .No.': ,'A''-."fc: ■.-■.' v'",'' - ; 'v: : Y . The , Commissioner:;- Why.' not ?„.••'";.' i'.-.'.':.'-.-, .-' Witness: .'First: 'ho ,is ; .a .junior '•''pracr, titionor, to,; .myself.^"Secorid^'-'ho/does ; uot' .moke a specialty/of. this work,, and froin: these I oonsidereditha); his'opinion would; not'help. me. at- 'all.'": 1 ',- U''.': ; ; : : .:■:•:■:;: ,< ; o' •' The Commissioner: ■ Did you think Mrs/ Chamberlain's'- condition ; ' was '■:- serious then?':',::::' V .■■;;;•. n ;&;;-:\>. r 'i:.. .:': : ..^'v\: ■ -.Witness: Noj''.l.:thpught;.6ho: would : recover Sufficiently : tp g«t 'oi)t : o£. tho"hpm«.i' ■ :Witncss said, -. that \.in,: ireply' ■: to-- Mr.'-, ChamberlaiHiV-who .suggested:Dr.v;Brockway's ,name ,'as,consultant, he saidythat if he consulted anybody,' he would prefer to,'seo-a .specialist': or a '.senior:, member, of - the' profession; •'- -.-..-' ■ • .v.; '■'- v -y".: .'-:'•' •The Mt.. Chamberlain, swears, that-you. said:.that:'y.ou,would'-.not-consult with Dr. ißrockway ■becaus» '{lie: latter did riot .'belong;to the British; Mod- 1 c'al'Association.. -":. ' : ' : - r : '.'•,-'-,■:>;• ■.": : .Witness':.l':deny;»yin£that:-absolutely.: -The Commissioner: -Was the--British Medical Association'mentioned?' '■'.;. ::.:•;:„': : " -'' •' : Tho '.Commissioner youdeny: Mr.- Chamberlain's evidence?■■ ■-'■ -~ .-■■■' ' Witness:-.I:-ao.'.: There 1 are .material points in'it 'that:l •absolutely,-.dispulo.-. • 'To the Commissioner ::In,tho .certificate pf death for .which~Mr; Chamberlain had- . called at: his surgery, .witness stated. that the. cAus'e of'death:■.was:,puerperal--: septicaemia, and heart failure.v'.ii;- ; y' ; "< ; . yWhen asked ;hoW.-Mrs. Chamberlain became septic, witness.went on. say ; that, first of all'Mis.-Chamberlain, was run down. Sho was'' suffering''from bronchial, pneumonia, and .this': : trouble,: extending over a fortnight;-had reduced her general condition. * ithen,in,; a' favourable: con'ditioii for'infection eithw from germs very-.Often-' normally ...found.-...in- certain porte-of the 'body'-or from, germs' causins, the chest-trouble, vlfvinfee.tioh. had'taken plaoe'at.'an, earlior,, the. would havo.show'n agnsofrit.--.Taking.the case right through;.-. ;w!tne»s' cohsidered that' the 'general infection •which: 16d to her:death'nr'st:«li6\«!d definitely about.the !*.>-■' ■■■'■ ■.;.:■■■■■::■ '■' In'answcr toMr. Mays,, Dr. Inghs said that' from June, 100G, till.lNovombor, ;1312, there had been '-'Uo7'".confinement:leases treated in the':hom'o,\ aiid 955 outdoor' patients. Of■ these, thero had been only 9; maternal deaths and;l7, infantile.-.He,knew of no; hospital in:the; world wnero the results were' moro: favourable. Ho detailed tho ■ causea of, deith;;in ; .'e.acli. ot tlie first niiip cases.:' : ■■ ■::;,■-'■:;■:{:■ ■ ';•:";■,'■:• ' •.■ l ':;\ : V';