INQUEST.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 889, 1 May 1877, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday, at the Sunnyside Asylum, before G-. W. Hall, Esq., coroner,'on the body of Eobcrt Pulteney Gilchrist, who had died in the institution on Friday last. Mr Hall acted as coroner owing to the coroner of the district, J. W.S. Coward, Esq., being the surgeon of the institution. Mr Bryon was chosen foreman of the jury. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : Edward William Seager deposed—l am keeper of the Sunnyside Asylum. The deceased was admitted on Friday, 20th April instant, at 10.30 a.m., under the fifth schedule, section 15, of the Lunatics Act, 1858. The order for admission and statement was made out by Lewellyn Powell, M.D., acting house surgeon, Christchurch Hospital. The other certificate was signed by C. Nedwill, M.D. When admitted he was in a very weak state, and was confined in a strait waistcoat. He was reported to be very violent by the porter of the Hospital who had him in charge, and was placed in D ward. Shortly afterwards he was found to be so weak as to be unable to stand. He was placed on the bed and covered over. A special room was prepared for him —padded —and he -was immediately visited by the surgeon of the Asylum. The surgeon prescribed for him after seeing him. Next day the surgeon ordered his removal to the infirmary of D ward, and he %vas located there, all unnecessary furniture having been removed by the surgeon's orders. A special nurse accustomed to fever cases was engaged to attend upon him night and day. All the instructions given by the surgeon were implicitly carried out as regarded the administration of medicines, nourishment, and general treatment. He died on Friday night last. His death was reported to the Coroner the following morning, and to Mr G-. King, who was the only visitor to the deceased. He was in the employ of Messrs G-. King and Co. By the Jury —The deceased was brought in a cab. The D ward was such that had I known the state of the man I should not have placed him there. It was made as comfortable as the circumstances would permit. The D ward was a place for refractory patients. The day the deceased was brought there was a keen biting wind. We have never had but one case of fever from the Hospital before. The deceased was brought in a strait waistcoat. There is not a strait waistcoat in the Asylum, and it was removed as soon as he was admitted to the Asylum. The other case of fever was that of a female, and she recovered and was discharged. A Juryman—l was in the Hospital on Thursday and saw the deceased in the fever ward amongst the fever patients at the Hospital. I don't see why he should have been brought here amongst the inmates to spread fever.

John Wm. Smith Coward —I am surgeon to the Sunnysido Asylum. The deceased was admitted on the 20th inst. The certificates of Dr. Powell stated that he was suffering from acute mania, raving violence, and suicidal tendency. The deceased was very feeble, and so deaf that he could hardly hear questions addressed to hhn. He did not exhibit any violence here, but I could not make him understand any questions. I prescribed for him, and directed what I thought proper for his case. I saw him again the morning after his admission, when I ascertained from further examination that lie was suffering from typhoid fever. I at once directed his removal to the infirmary, that an attendant should be engaged to wait upon him solely, and I saw him twice a day from then until his death. For the first two or tliree days he was conscious when roused, and expressed himself as free from pain, and comfortable, but spoke of great weakness. He fluctuated from day to day, and died on Friday night. I made a post mortem examination of the body on Saturday. There were no marks of violence externally upon the body. On opening the head I found the membranes of the brain much congested, but the brain itself exhibited no marks of disease. On opening the chest I found the organs fairly healthy. The lower bowel I found extensively studded with ulcerated patches, the result of typhoid fever, from which the deceased died. The deceased understood signs before he died.

By the Jury—l cannot say ■whether the authorities of the Hospital could not say what the deceased had the matter with him. Probably the case was not long enough in the Hospital for them to get an idea of the case. I do not think the character of the day he was brought here would hurt him. The next morning after he was admitted here I discovered by the thermometer that the man was suffering from fever, and the symptoms marked it as typhoid. I cannot say at all whether the removal of the deceased had anything to do with the acceleration of the man's death. Every precaution was taken to prevent contagion in any way from the fever. Typhoid fever is contagious mainly through night soil, and every precaution was used by chloride of lime, &c., to prevent it spreading to the inmates. I saw the deceased twice a day from the date of his admission. He received as much attention here as he would have had at the Hospital, and all was done for him that could be. Richard G-reenwood deposed—l was employed as attendant upon the deceased at the Asylum. I commenced duty on Sunday, 22nd hist. [The witness then detailed the treatment by the surgeon vhich he carried out up to the time of the death of deceased.] Bv the Jui 1 ) —Just before his death the deceased made an effort to speak, but I could not hear what he said. |

W. C. Faulkner deposed to having known the deceased for some time. The deceased lodged with him, and was taken ill at his lodgings, where he was attended by a medical man. Ultimately he became so weak that at his own request he was removed to the Hospital. Witness took deceased to the Hospital on the Thursday, April 19th. Witness saw Dr. Powell, and represented the case tj him, and deceased was admitted to the Hospital. At this time he was perfectly sane, and no one was more surprised than witness was when he heard that the deceased had been taken to the Asylum.

The Coroner said there was nothing peculiar about this case. All they had to enquire was, whether the death occurred from natural causes after every care had been bestowed upon him. There seemed to have been everything done for him in the Asylum, and the only conclusion they could arrive at was that his deatli occurred from natural causes. All they had to decide was the cause of death, and upon this the medical evidence was clear.

The jury returned the following verdict: — " We find that the deceased died from natural causes, but that considerable blame in our opinion attached to the Hospital authorities for not having discovered the case to be one of typhoid fever, and for having sent a man thus suffering from fever to an Asylum."