A CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST A DOCTOR.

Evening Star, Issue 3400, 14 January 1874, Page 3

A CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST A DOCTOR.

An inquest was held at Teviot, before Mr W. L. Simpson, coroner, on the 17th Dec., and adjourned till the 6th instant, at which date it concluded, on the body of Agnes Smith (wife of Gideon Smith), 35 years of age, who died at Coal Creek on the 15th instant,- The verdict of the jury was manslaughter against William Thomas Quelch Honeywell, surgeon. It was proved in evidence that on tho 9Lh December Mrs Smith took bad in labor, and a Mrs Strodher, being the nearest neighbor, was called in a - . 8 pm. As she had no experience in such matters, she at once suggested to Smith to call in some person who had. About 11 p.m. a Mrs Tamblyn, another neighbor, arrived, but she declined to act, advising Smith to go for a Mrs Luke, a skilled nurse. Mrs Luke, on hearing from Smith that it was a crossbirth, recommended that Dr Honeywell should be at once sent for. Accordingly the doctor was called in from Teviot, and he arrived at about 12.40 a.m., and remained and attended to the patient till 4a m. Then he left, alleging as his reason that Mrs Tamblyn bad insulted him. He was requested by Mrs Luke to remain until another doctor should arrive, but he declined doing so. Mrs Tamblyn and Mrs Luke stated that the}* knew the doctor was not acting right, and that he did not seem to know about a woman in labor. Mrs Tamblyn spoke from her experience as a mother of six children, and a similar labor herself; and Mrs Luka as a professional nurse of 26 years’ experience. About 3.30 a.m. Smith, not having much confidence in Dr Honeywell, left for the Dunstan for Dr Thompson, who arrived at 10 a.m. on the 10th, and delivered Mrs Smith of a still-born male child twenty minutes after his arrival. He (Dr Thompson) had very little hopes of the recovery of his patient, but stated that if the woman had been properly attended to, it was most likely chat the mother and child would have been alive ai d well. Mrs Smith died on the 15th December. Dr Honeywell, during the time he was in attendance, made several unsuccessful attempts, inflicting unnecessary torture without any reasonable chance of delivering the woman. On the 17th a post mortem examination was made by Dr Stirling, from the Dunstan, and he stated that on the examination he found extensive rupture of the womb, caused by undue violence, which most likely caused death. Dr Stirling’s evidence was confirmed by Dr Thompson. A large number of witnesses were examined, and tho jury returned the tollowing verdict“ That Agnes Smith, on the 15th day of December, 1873, at Coal Creek, Mount Benger, came to her death by injuries received while in child-labor, which injuries the jurors are of opinion were produced by unskilful, careless, and reckless treatment of Dr Thomas William Quelch Honeywell, who deposes he is a member of the College of Surgeons, London, and of the Apothecaries’ Company; that during the night of the 10th and the morning of the 11th December, 1873, the said Thomas William Quelch Honeywell feloniously and unlawfully did kill and slay the said Agnes Smith.” Honeywell was accordingly arrested on the coroner’s warrant, and committed for trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court, to be holden at Dunedin. Bail was applied for, and allowed in his own recognisance of L2OO, and two sureties of L2OO each.