SERIOUS CHARGES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1816, 31 July 1913, Page 4

SERIOUS CHARGES.

MENTAL HOSPITAL PATIENT'S DEATH. INQUIRY ORDERED. CRUELTY & NEGLECT ALLEGED. A WIFE'S STORY. Serious allegations regarding the treatment of a male patient at Sunnyside Mental Hospital were Ja'id lieforc tho House of Representatives yesterday by Mr. T. 11. Davcy, member for Christchure'h Kast. The patient in question died some hours after being removed from the Mental Hospital on Juno 23 last. Mr. Davey asked that a public inquiry should be granted into tho circumstances surrounding tho man's death, and hi 6 treatment while an inmato of the institution at Sunnyside. The Prime Minister readily promised to grant a full public inquiry. In asking for an inquiry, Mr. Davey read written statements sent to 'him by (ho wife of the deceased man (Win. Alexander Tribe) and others.

Story of the Wife. Mrs. Cecilia A. Tribe's statement reads as follows:—"1 have been asked to make a statement in regard to my late husband's incarceration at the Mental Hospital, Sunnyside. On.several occasions I found him looking most neglected, and his clothe.4 most untidy, and his coat on ono occasion filthy. His feet wore in a very bad state, his socks being ragged, and ono of his shoes had naiLi in the heel which caused a wound and was very sore. "Tho first time I saw my lato husband after he had been .there five weeks, I found him with a very bad black eye, and the following week ho had tho other side of his faco badly bruised. Several tinie3 my lato husband said, 'There 'are some brutes here,' and I said, 'You mean the patients?' He said, 'No, X mean tho attendants. They can do what they liko with you. They tiiink nothing of taking j;ou by tho scruff of the neck and knocking youi about.' I' asked him why ho did not complain to tho doctor, and he said, 'What's tho use; they take no notice of you here.' : "When I went to see him the Thursday before his death,'he could scarcely walk; he had a dreadful foot, the leg being inflamed and swollen almost to tho knee. "I saw the head attendant, and ho said ho had only heard of half au hour before. I then informed the doctor, who told me he had not heard of it, but said ho would go and seo him then. On tho following day I wired _U> the Superintendent to make inquiries, and was told that he wjis slightly improved and when I went out tho next day (Saturday) lie was lying on a hard mattress on the floor of a cell (you could call it nothing else), cold and comfortless, and on that evening when I mado inquiries the doctor again told me ho was slightly better. I was telephoned for on tho Monday morning to go out to tho Mental Hospital, and found him still in this cell, dying. Altogether I think he was dreadfully neglected. • (Signed) Cecilia A. Tribe." Another Witness. A letter addressed to John Thornton by Clias. A. Myrhe was as follows-:—'"Re ilr. W. A. Tribe and the Sunuysido Mental Hospital. You have asked mo what 1 have noticcd in reference to this patient which calls for criticism or explanation. At the time of entering tho institution Mr. Tribo seemed to be in an enfeebled condition of health and after having beon there some time rapidly deteriorated. Ho appears to have been knocked about considerably, how, or by whom, I do not know. Ho received two black eyes, tho second just as ho .was recovering from tho first. I saw him in company jyith Mrs. Tribe on Thursday, Juno 19. On this day he waa hardly ablo to stand; in fact, was only just prevented from falling. Ho seemed to havo wasted very quickly and lie drew our attention to his foot and leg which was swollen from the instep upwards very badly, and was very tender to the touch. On leaving tho corridor a warder and myself assisted Mr. Tribe to riso and helped him for some distance. I then went in company with Mrs. Tribe to the Administrative Department with the intention of pointing out Mr. Tribe's condition to the doctor. Wo met there a warder, whose name, I think, was Mr. Halloy. He pointed out that an inquest was being held at that moment but as soon as that was over ho would mention Mr. Tribe's condition to the doctor. Ho said it had only recently been reported to him, however, and he intended to report it to the doctor as soon as the latter was disengaged. I then loft and Mrs. Tribo interviewed tho doctor. Mr. Tribo died on Monday morning, Juno 23, and tho fact that his condition, which must havo been serious for some time, had not been reported apparently lon tho 19th, has caused me profound surpriso and leaves me with a suspicion that tho sick or weak in that institution are not attended to as promptly as they should be- There are other small matters in connection with the patient's personal dress and equipment which one can hardly put in a letter, but I am strongly of opinion that only tli9 very robust could survivo under the present system. Dying on His Feet. "The fact is indisputablo that Mr. Tribe was. dying on his feet when I saw him last, namely, on the afternoon of Juno 19, and must have been for somo itimo only fit for the hospital and careful nursing which he would liavo cot had he been out of the institution. Whether such niirsiug would havo postponed -or prevented his death I am not in the position to pass an opinion, but the uoint is that the Mental Hospital is, I think, lacking an efficient sick-bay, or else the administrator is callous to the sufferings of the sick patients."

Should Have Been in Hospital. G. C. Bingham, .T.P., and accountant, wrote as follows: —"Referring to caso of Win. A. Tribe, lato an inmate of the Sunuysido Mental Hospital, I beg to state that I visited him last in company with his'wife and son, on the Saturday before liis death, Juno 21. He was lying 011 a mattress 011 tho floor of a cell off tho ward; tho room was unwarmed, and very cold, and tho clothing provided, in my opinion, was insufficient under tlio circumstances. Tho patient's foot was bound up, and 110 seemed to 1)0 quite inclinable of moving himself. In my opinion lie should have been in hospital. Considering his stato to bo grave, on my return to town I communicated with other friends with a new to getting a medical opinion. Unfortunately, for somo reason, I have not been able to ascertain, the doctor's arrangements-to visit him failed. As his wifo was present 011 the Saturday afternoon, I certainly think she should have been informed of the condition of her husband. On Sunday morning tho son rang up tlio hospital, and was told that a eli»ftt improvement had taken place. The following morning (Monday) a telephone message was received that Mrs. Tribe and son were wanted urgently. Tho doctor was communicated with bv telephone, and asked if Tribe could be removed. Tho answer was that as lie might die in the ambulance the attendance of an outside doctor was- necessary. This was provided, and about four hours after the notice Tribe was at his home, but in a moribund condition, dying half an hour later. "I would point out that.this patient was rcularly visited bv a. number of friends, but little trouble was taken to notify them of tho patient's grave condition in the week prior to his death, or. to give them an opportunity of removing him towards tli" end which appears to have been hastened by the lack' of either attention or conveniences at tlio hospital lor patients. lam not aware of tho cause of death shown on the certificate which was ijiveu bv the doctor we provided at the last, moment, but the condition of Tribe's toot and leg pointed undoubtedly to blood poisoning. - If this is a correct assumption, thero should be a record in tile hospital books, and also, such an illness in one so reduced as Tribe could liavo but 0110 end. which a medical man should have been able to indicate certainly more than four hours before death."

Full Inquiry Asked For. . Mr. Davev slid thill, tho present was hardly a tinm to comment on the, lottor?. Tliev'furnished a stronß justification for

asking for a public inquiry into the affairs of the Sunnyside .Mental Hospital, and tho strongest possible justification for tho Minister to grant an inquiry. Even if the statements were all untrue, an inquiry would do good in clearing the matters, and restoring public confideuco ill tho institution. Mr. L. M. J sitt (Christchurch North) supported tho application for a public inquiry. He thought the inquiry would prove at least that the institution was overcrowded, and that it could not bo conducted satisfactorily by tho present methods. Mr. G. "Witty (liiccarton) said tho charges ought to be proved or disproved, in the interests of the public on the ono hand and in the interests of the hospital stall' on the other. Mr. It. W. Bussell (Avon) also urged that the fullest investigation should tie made into tho charges made. Not Afraid of Inquiry. The Hon. ]i. 11. Rhodes said that although the question was addressed to the Prime Minister, it concerned his Department, and he wished to say something about, it. Tho particulur easo referred to was first brought under his notice through a letter addressed to tho Prime Minister. He immediately directed tint certain inquiries should be made, and as a result lie received certain information. This information he did not consfder full enough, and ho askod for further information. This extra, information, ho had not received yet, but ho had intended that when, it camo to hand, he would deal with tho matter. Now that tho Prime Minister had been asked to grant a public inquiry, ho was not going to shirk it. and he was prepared to recommend tho l'rimo Minister to agreo with the request, and to sot up a magisterial inquiry. The Department did not ehirk investigation into matters of this sort, and lie realised that if it was possible to better tho conditions of patients in mental hospitals, this should bedon'o.

"Brutal Methods." The Hon. D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) brought i under the notice of tho Minister a caso which ho had mentioned last year of the "brutal methods" by which) a patient had been put into Sunnyside Asylum a few hours after arrival in tho tolony, and before his relatives had been advised. He asked that tho inquiry should embrace tho question as to whether it was desirable that receiving homes should be established in connection with mental hospitals, in which homes a patient could bo kept for, say, twenty-four hours, until relatives could be communicated with. Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataura) said he would like to draw tho Minister's attention to the unsatisfactory method of controlling Seacliff Mental Hospital, e9peci-. ally in regard to tho admission of patients anil visiting relatives into tho hospital. Ho thought that this might form the subject of inquiry also, and that if a magisterial inquiry was to bo set up it should embrace the general administration of mental hospitals. Mr. H. Poland (Ohinemuri) supported tho application for an inquiry. A Straight Answer. Tho Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) said tho member for Christchurch East had asked him a plain question, and lio proposed to give a straight answer. Speaking on behalf of the Government, he could say that a public inquiry would bo arranged for, and tho utmost publicity would be given to i tho proceedings. He knew perfectly well that tho honourable member, in asking the question, was not attempting to make party capital out of the matter. He hoped tho honourable member was satisfied with tho answer he had received to his question. The member for Kaiapoi had suggested that tho Government 6hould arrango for a detention house or receiving-home in connection with every mental hospital. Ho was glad to bo able to inform tho honourable gentleman that this had already been dono in Auckland, and arrangements had been , made for the establishment of a similar homo at Christchurch. Mr. T. H. Davey (Christchurch East) thanked tho Prime Minister for his answer, and at the same time assured the Government that in addressing his question to the Prims Minister ho had intended no'discourtesy to the Minister for Public Health.