THE DEATH OF A CHILD FROM WINE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 728, 31 March 1876, Page 3

THE DEATH OF A CHILD FROM WINE.

Dr Done writes ns follows to the M. A. Mail (Victoria) representing the death of a hoy named A he. son of the Dev. Mr A Vie, at one time curate of didst Church, Castlemaine, and of Borneo, from drinking Colonial wine. Dr Bone says “ On the morning of Tuesday last the Rev. MiFrank called nnon me at 8 a.m., and stated that. »n the previous f | av onp 0 f Mr A he’s children, ag-d five ' ears, had not into the wine mom and helped himself to the wine from a cask, and became i -noxicated That, when brought to the house he had cenf -ssed to taking two cnpfulls. but that he had prohablv taken much more, A ‘-■off--e emetic (?) had l>een given and the child put to bed, hnt he had gradually become worse and insensible That Mr and Mrs Frank left him at midnight, insensible and convulsed, and went to tied, and .did not see him until 7 o’eh ck in the morning; t.h it, his little brother, who had l een put to sleep with him, had stated that he was groaning and convulsed all -dirlit but. be d-d not Hk« to r -use Mi and Drs Frank. When Mr and Mrs Frank found h : m stall insen able, Mr Frank came to ask mv ad vie-, a-d having r ceired such advice and melici e with an i-junction to return within an horn* unless conscientiousness hj id been restored, Mr Frink re turned home. 't eleven o’clock, net having received ant message, and fed inguneasv about, the child. I drove nip and found that Mrs Frank was out, at the otli-i* farm, tint she came in im-m-'diatelv ; and Mr Frank was also out, on the other farm, and did nocome in fun quarter of I v>ni .; the chi d was lying noon h’sb“fl, and onlv watched by his brother, who had been directed to keep a wet, cloth on his head. The unfortunate child presented a'l the up earunce of a drunken person, and was in frightful epileptic convulsions. in which e mditiou his bro'her iiiform-d me he had been all night The child was lying amongst filthy blankets, and was in a most, dirty conditio'i, vermin being plainly visible in their pereerin it ions ab mr his hodv. I advise 1 Mr Frank, when he subsequently came in, that th - child was in a moribund condition I trial to abstract Wo id from the arm, but the child was too far gone. When T returned with Archdeacon Crawford he w,< ju’-'t, dead < bt til • following day, befo'-e the h-que t. T found that not. the slightest care hj id been taken to project, the corpse, which was in a most horrible state from ‘flyblows.’ The post nior em examination showed the cause of d afli to have been alcoholic poisoning, and also something else—namelv. tint in t e whole of the child’s alimentary canal there was not one particle of so'id food, nothing but half-digested milk and farinaceous

food. I lie brothers afterwards informed mo that they ‘ very seldom had meat.* One brother stated ‘ not for three weeks.' Mr Frank admitted this at the inquest. The only water available for drinking purposes at the house was that obtained from a stagnant hole in the creek, to which pigs and cattle had free access, and which my groom and some of the jurymen found to bo quite undrinkable. Is there then much wonder that the poor little pseudo-orphan should avail himself of the wine to which ho had acce-sl The boy’s room, bedding, floor, clothing, etc., were all found in the most filthy condition, but when I adduced all these facts to the coroner as important, bearing on the neglect shown to the child and his brothers—and also that if the child had been seen immediately after his debauch and his stomach pumped he would have been saved—the coroner coolly, classical!v (««o more), and imprudently asked, ‘ Cui bnno¥ This is not the first time that the coroner hj is repressed facts offered by me at inquests, and I re spectfully submit that the attention of the Crown law officers should be at once directed to this matter Having ascertained that Mr Frank received remuneration for these four children at the rate of one hundred and eighty (L 180) pound?, etc , etc., pet annum •or maintenance and clothing, and also ihit Mr Frank has recently been availing himself of the State schools for education, and of cast-off clothing for i heir habilamcnts, and regarding caref 11 v the administration of a confessedly scanty dietetic regimen, 1 think rhe coroner was bound to receive all evidence bea’ing on suffii matters; and the justice of the case demanded the very closest scrutiny into all the circumstances attendant upon such baby firming.