GAS GANGRENE SETS IN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 175, 11 August 1937, Page 7

GAS GANGRENE SETS IN

Death Under Unusual Circumsiances INQUEST IN HASTINGS ■ V The iuquest into the death of William Sydney- "Valentine Micholls, who died at the Napier Jlospital on July 29, was resumeu at the Hastings (Jourtliouse this morning before txxe eorotxer, Mr J. Miller, S—U-. Senior-Sergeant Gs Sivyer Cohducte^ proceedings on behalf of the police. Mr H. dfe Denne was present to wateli proceedings on behalf of the widow,and Mr E. L. Gonixixin reprfesented .1 brOther, Mr Henxy Flicholls. Dr. Koland Gut.hmoxe said that he was call'ed to see the deceased on July 2Z, and Nieholle told him that he had failen frOm a bOx the pfeVioas day.. His complaint was of an intefnal injury to the lower portion of the body-. There were no signs of incernal injury. On Jxily 29 witnesa called on him agaui and found that gas gangrexie had set in and immediately o'rdered his rexnoval to hospital. His condition theU was very serious. Had there not been this partieular germ, the tfeutment prescribed wouid have been efiicacious for the internal complaint. To the coronet', witness Said when he first saw Nieholla. there was no abrasion and that the intervention of gasgangrene suggested an irrxtation, ixifeetious scratch or abfasion coxiling later. It was possible that thex'o was a very sliglxt abrasion which witness dxd not notice on his first examination. Witness particularly asked Nicholls if he had knocked the part of the body^ affected^ and Nicholls replied that he had not, bixt that he had failen from a box, landing on his feet. To Mr Commin, witness said Nicholls was living in a caravan and under rather unsanitary conditions. These would help the spread of an infection. There was no sign of an pld wound when witness first examined him. Fell Astride a Stool. Arthur Frederick Gallien said he called upon Nicholls on July 27 and the latter told him he had been standing on a box on a stool to reach something on a gable. He said the box had slipped oif and that he had fallion astride the stool. Witness examined him but saw no external wounds on the body, theugh there was a swelling. Constable H. Hemmingson said that on July 27 he also called on Nicholls, who said that he had slipped off a bg.x on to a trestlo at Mr Fletcher 's place. Mrs Mary E. Fletcher, residing in Gordon road, said that Nicholls had been working on a shed on Monday, July 26. He was lining the shed, but after luncheon ho put up some shelves in tlie kitehen and oue in the bath* room. He then left to go to the shed, and later she saw Nicholls riding away on hiH cycle. She received .a message from hira to the effect that he would not be there for afternoon-tea. Nicholls did; not make any complamt to witness about having injured hiinself at his work, Replying to Mr dc Denno, witness said tliat Nicholls liad been woi'king for witness or her husband on several oecasions before, but had worked in his own time. Mrs Emma Pearl Martin, sister of Ihe deceased, said she saw him on the 'Thursday and examined him, but that there was no sign of an external wound. Her brother tvas vomiting blood and suffering pain. He was using a hot-water bottle to reduce tho swelli-ng, and this was catising considei'ablo irritation. Witness added that she gave instructions for the doetor to be called but

complained that he was late in arriY.ing. Coroner's Cominefit \ The coroner said that it was an unfortunate case. It was very rare fdr gas-gangrene to be found in such eumstances; it usually follftwed a. street accident of came from the soil. Under the present cireumstances it was very rare ; he mentioned this because the sister dppeared rather pefturbed tho doetor had not arrived earlicr. Tt should "be remembered, however, tiat tbe doetor was tfeating the •man for t partieular matter that in itself was ndt .serious. The doetor did not linow thdt gas-gangrene had made it's appeafafic6; otherwise, no doulxt, ho would have rushed to the case. "All that I can. find," said Mr Miller. "is that death vfas due to acute toxaemia caused by the spread of gasgangrene." He said that all that he 'could add was pcrhaps a rider to the eft'ect that the 'deceased had n,n accident, having failen fx'om a box, but that there whs no evieiice to show hoW the infection entoi'ed the bodv. GasgangrOlie could only enter the body svhoi'c tlicx4c was an abrasion or a cut, and there was no evidfenee to Show when thci-6 had bccn an abhsion.