ASYLUM INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 8

ASYLUM INQUIRY.

MORE SHOCKING CHARGES. DETAILS OF TRIBE CASE. THE STORY OF HIS WIFE. EVIDENCE IN REBUTTAL. (By Telegraph.—Prc«s Association.) Christchurch, September 28. The Sumiyside Mental Hospital inquiry was continued to-day before the Commissioner, Mr. V. G. Day. Mr. T. \V. Stringer, K.C., appeared for tlio Department, and *Urj S. G. Raymond, K.C., for the medical officers and 111-spcctor-Geiieral. Dr. Hay was also present. The case taken was that of the late Alexander Tribe, Mr. Dougall appearing for the widow. Mrs. C. C. Tribe, widow of the Into Alexander Tribe, gave evidence. She' stated that her husband was committed to the Sunnysido .Mental Hospital 011 January 30. She went to see him about March 1, and went again frequently alter,vards. From the first she found him in an untidy state. On her second visit she found him suffering from a black eye, and, again, 011 a later visit, she spoko to one of tlio attendants, and was then told that 0110 of 1110 patients had done it. SIIO also spoko to Dr. Gow, who, however, seemed very callous on the matter. SIIO further offered to take her husband's clothes homo to wash, but the doctor told her that it did not matter. The clothes that her husband was wearing were illfitting, dirty, - and ragged. Dr. Gow had told her that those were the regulation clotlics. • A Second Black Eye. She went 011 to say that her husband complained of the way in which ho was knocked about. He stated that ho could not sleep for the noise. She again saw r the doctor after her husband had received a second black eye. Physically her husband was very well when ho went into the hospital.. Afterwards lii-j feet got very bad, and, 011 one occasion, he was wearing a shoe in which a nail projected into the heel, drawing blood. She asked him why he did not speak to the doctor, but he said that it was 110 good. "Saw Her Husband In a Dreadful State." She saw her husband a week before ho died, and ho was then very thin. She saw him again a few days afterwards, and he was then in a dreadful state. One of bis legs was badly swollen —so much so that the stocking would hardly come off'. She spoko to the attendant about the state of her husband, and also saw Dr. Ramsbottom, who said that he had heard nothing previously about it. One Saturday she went to see her husband, and found liini in his cell cold aiid miserable. Ho was in a dreadful state, and could hardly speak. He wai very weak. There was nothing in the room,-and it was cold and comfortless. It was dreadful (continued Mrs. Tribe) for one used to refinement to bo shut up iii such a place. Ho could not move, and had to bo propped up. to take some tea which she had brought. Ho said that he could not drink the tea supplied Jior eat tlio bread. With such treatment as her husband received no 0110 could possibly get better. 011 a Friday morning, shortly before his death, she telegraphed to the dootor asking as to the stato of her husband, and was told that he was slightly improved. When she saw him next day,, however, he was much worse, and 110 died 011 Monday morning, having first been taken homo. Rough and Filthy .Clothes. Charles August Myhrc was the next witness. He said that he went up to see deceased at the hospital very frequently. After a period (during which he was not allowed to see tlio patient) witness noticed that he had two black eyes. 0110 came after the other. Deceased's physical condition got worso very iapidly towards tbo end. On June 12, particularly, ho was very bad indeed—much worse than lie had been in May. On that date (June 12) 110 complained of his foot hurting him, and his footgear was taken off. Under the big toe of tlio foot appeared to bo a big cut. Harris, tlio head attendant, was informed of this,, but what was dono witness did not know. Mr. Tribe was very weak on that day, and his clothes were filthy—particularly the coat. His clothes, all along, were not suitable. On tlio day in question lie was wearing an old coat tcry nntcli too large for liim, an odd vest, a ragged shirt, and old moleskins much too largo for him. The clothes would not suit tlio meanest artisan in New Zealand. More About the' Clothes. John Thornton' was then called. He stated 110 had known Mr. Tribe for many years. Ho saw him 011 two occasions at the hospital—at the latter end of May and in Juno. Witness thought that ho looked ill, and lie was very un'cared for. The coat which lie had on was not only very old and worn out, but was filthy. His shirt was all in rags, and ho was very unkempt. Witness had been surprised that he had not had moro decent clothing. Mentally lie was far better than witness expected. He said that he could not eat tho food, but whether this was because he did not have his teeth, or whether tho food did not agree with him, witness did not know. Mrs. Tripo took off bis boot —a boot that, was too small for him. He had a light cut under tlio toe. Witness never saw such a sock as 110 had on —a great bag of a sock without any toe; To put it on it had to be wrapped over the foot, which was very uncomfortable. Physically, 110 had very much wasted. Witness thought that lie should have required a special diet and soft food. Hri was never a robust man, and _ witness thought that, when the authorities saw him wasting, they should have given him proper food. Whether they did so or not he did not know. . An Occurrence After Death. The authorities put deceased in tho ambulance well wrapped up, and witness helped to carry him into his house, and laid him 011 the bed. Ho died in about half an hour. Dr. Orchard saw him at the house. The body was dreadfully wasted, and witness was very much shocked over' his leg. At the doctor's request, witness leTt a bandage on deceased's leg alone. This bandage was green to the knee, and swollen. It was all Hie more remarkable because the rest of the body was so wasted. Witness thought that it was the same hurt that' had caused the wound on the too, hut he would not swear to this. It appeared to witness that when deceased was' up at the asylum he was more lit for an infirmary. ANOTHER CASE. WERE OLD MEN" STRUCK? On resuming in the afternoon the eases of Lewis Allan Uourlay and Daniel Herliby were taken. Mr. Davev, iM.I'., conducted the cases. Allan Gourlay, one of the patients in question, stated that he was ail artist, and had been at. Sunnysido for some moiiths. He had forwarded several letters concerning the condition of affairs at Sunnvside to Mr. T. 11. Davev. On several occasions ho had seen .111 old man named Ilcrlihy hit over the head with keys fo> attendants.

In some cases this was done purely as amusement. Some of the attendants treated tho patients well, hut others very badly. Many times, when an old man was sitting before the lire quite harmless 1 and quiet, some of the attendants would come and irritate him until he became a nuisance, and'then they would ill-treat him. Oil one occasion an attendant (Jack) came up and said: ."It's miserablo coming to this ward, because you can't do anything up here." He understood the attendant to mean that he could not ill-treat the patients. In most cases the hitting of patients over the head with keys was done purely for amusement. The old man whom lie particularly referred to had been in the institution for twenty years, and his ears were just a shapeless mass of flesh, that being due, to a largo extent, to ill-treatment. Tho man's head also was injured. "No man can speak about these cases without emotion,'' added witness. An Allegation—Old Men Felled & Kicked Continuing, witness said that ho had seen many other patients ill-treated besides this old man. 0110 old man was frequently neglected in tile matter of his clothes, and he had seen him with 'his clothes only half 011. Witness quoted the case of a pationt who had been forced' in a certain way to go out to work. His arms had been twisted round and his head forced back to make him go. Wlien lis got out he refused to work, and 0110 attendant then felled him, and then kicked him about. When lie got up thoy said, "Will you go to work?" The old man replied that 110 would not, and they then repeated the operation. Wheu lie got up thoy asked him again if ho would work, and lie said: Ivo!" The attendants treated him again in the same nfanner, and, at length, tho man went to work. Ho was then partly stunned, and did not know what 110 was doing. Afterwards this pationt became very ill. State of the Bedding. Concerning his own case, witness said that Dr. Sandstein had told him chat he should not have been sent to tho mental hospital. lie was not bad enough for that, but there was nowhere else for him to go. When ho arrived thero hoj was forced to witness sights which ho objected to, and received no treatment at all, but got well in spite of the lack of attention. He had found it a hard matter to talk to Dr. Gow, but 110 managed to get to liiin at length, and asked when 110 woulu bo allowed out. Dr. Gow was very short with him, and told him that he was out of his mind. 0110 patient, who was not very bad, was put among some of the worst patients, as a punishment, for three weeks. He (witness) had to eat his meals close to tho hospital sanitary conveniences, but the bedding supplied to him 011 his first night was so filthy that he could not sleep in it. Ho remonstrated, and was given some new bedding, but tho soiled blankets were left, and he had to use them for over four months, being told that new blankets were given out only once every six months. Tiio sheets were changed once a. week, and the room was kept tolerably clean. 011 one occasion ho was locked in a closet by an attendant named Groslii, because he was late for a ineak 'J here wero six towels for about sixty patients, and these naturally got into a dreadful condition. "You're Making Me Mad!" When' he had been there a month his friends thought • that ho was well enough to get out. He was worrying over tho matter, because, so far as ho could see, there were patients thero who •should bo out. He thought that ho might bo there for years, and this was the causo of 0110 occasion 011 which ho lost control of himself. Ho said: "I'm not mad, but you're making 1110 mad!" It might be said that 110 once struck a, visitor, but ho did it unintentionally when tfaving his arm. On one occasion an attendant—he believed it was Finlayson—struck a patient. Tho patient quietly remonstrated against this, and so did witness, and ho believed this went against linn, as bad reports were mado concerning him. The mind of any man of common humanity would never be at rest at the sights that 110 witnessed. This closed the evidence in support of tho chargcs. DEFENCE OPENED. THE EVIDENCE-OF DR. ORCHARD. Evidence in rebuttal was then given. Dr. Orchard, referring to Howie's case, and a statement made by the witness Donaldson, said that he had not advised that Howie should not be sent to a mental hospital. Ho had examined Howie with Dr. Duncan. Howie was what might bo termed a very old man for his years, and was suffering from senile insanity, and so broken down that he did not seem to have long to live. On that account witness had suggested to the relatives that they should retain him, and had in fact induced tho relatives to take the old man homo again. A month after 110 was again summoned to examine tho old man, and was told that he was becoming dangerous, and troublesome. Acting with Dr. Fenwick lie gave an order for re-admis-sion to the institution. He had 110 reason to. believe that the old mail would not be properly taken care of at the hospital. , The Caso of Mr. Tribe. Regarding tho Tribe case Dr. Orchard said that, 011 June ,23, 110 received a message that Mr. Tribe was dying, and that his wife wanted him to die under his own roof. He could not. however, bo removed from the hospital without the assistance of an outside medical mail. Ho saw Dr. Gow, and arranged to have the patient removed. Mr. Tribe was then unconscious and in an emaciated condition, and lie died shortly after arriving at his home. When ho saw the patient 011 the bed ho was weil covered with an abundance ef blankets, and lie had a hot water bottle. He also examined the body after death, and found it clean, with 110 bruises. There was a bandago round one of tho legs. Acute mania, lasting any time, wouid produce emaciation. The foot itseif was completely bandaged, but tho leg was all right with the exception of a soft swelling in one place. There was 110 discolouration, although 0110 would expect some to occur as tho result of post-mortem changes. The swelling was just a rising of tho skin about an inch above the bandage, and it seemed as if the skin had been nressed up. It was quite colourless. Tho disappearance of former tissues would naturally leave the. skin in a very slack stale, and thus would accentuate the appearance of swelling. After allowing for tho covering 011 the foot there was very little swelling. Witness Sharply Questioned. Witness went oil to say that he gave the certificate of death', and he was satisfied that the cause of death was acute n'.aria. Tn reply to the commissioner, witness said that lie was quite sure that the immediate cause of death was not sometiling concealed under the bandage 011 the foot. lie bad 110 reason to disbelieve what ho was told as to the causo of death, although from looking at the body iie could not say what Mr. Tribe had died of. The witness was sharply cross-exam-ined by the commissioner at his action in giving a certificate without knowing first what the cause of death was. Dr. Orchard explained that he had 110 reason to doubt the accuracy of the inTorI matioii given him, hut he misht have been ton kind-hearted in the matter. At this stage the inquiry was adjourned until 1f).30 a.m. 011 Monday.