DOCTORS PUZZLED

Hokitika Guardian, 26 June 1931, Page 2

DOCTORS PUZZLED

DEATH OF MARRIED WOMAN

EVIDENCE; AT INQUEST. *

CHRISTCHURCH, June 25

The reasons for the development or the conditions which caused the uC-ath of Edith Rose Rees, a. married woman, of 135 Opawa road, at the Lewisham Hospital on April 14th, puzzled the doctors who gave evidence at the inquest held yesterday. Mr H. A. A onng was the Coroner, and Mr IV. F. Tracy appeared for the husband.

Dr. J. F. Landreth said that be had seen Mrs Rees on Friday, April 10th., when she had been admitted to Lewisham Hospital. Dr. JL H. Gilmour had then informed him in the course of a telephone conversation that he hart been attending her, that for two days she bad been in a condition of alternating unconsciousness and delirium, and that on Wednesday and Thursday he bad given her a total of 45 grains of mediual. Mrs Rees had at the time been deeply unconscious, and there had been no evidence pointing to any local brain disease. Her condition had not changed until her death, and no definite indication of any .disease had been found on a further examination. There had been no external marks on the 'body, and he bad thought jt possible, in the absence of other evidence, that death might be due to a narcotic. Everything possible had been done for her at the Hospital.

RESULTS! OF POST MORTEM, Dr. A. B. Pearion, pathologist At the Public Hoapitnl, who had made a post-mortem examination, sale] that ho jiad pot found any gross pathological cnntjitionp in the body, the only change found being oedema of the brain, which would be ill keeping with the conditions described by Dr. Lunch n'th. Mrs Reus bad lmc| previous operations, but everything concerned with them had been quite healthy. Certain organs bad been sent to the Government analyst, but his report had been negative, although he had been particularly asked to look for traces of the drug. He had found general congestion of all organs, but that was nothing exceptional. Oedema was a water-logged condition of the brain, which might arise from many causes, though he did not think that excessive worry could cause it.

The Magistrate: It lias been suggested that Mrs Rees died of a broken heart. Is that recognised in your practice ? Dr. ‘ Pearson : No.,

Continuing, Dr. Pearson sajd that he was of the opinion that the administration of the drug might have brought about the oedema. Forty-five grains of medinal was not excessive for a normal patient. Mrs Rees might have peen peculiarly susceptible to it. He was surprised that the Government analyst had been, unable to find any trace of the drug, No amount of worry could have caused oedema of the brain, and domestic unhappiness could not have given rise to the unconsciousness and delirium referred to by Dr, Landreth. HUSBAND’S EVIDENCE,

ft ran Barr Roes, a clerk, 3aicJ that fib Tuesday, April 7th,, he had arrived hqnie at about 11 p,m., after going 10 the pictures with his wife and hl» sister. His wife had gone straight to bed, J-Ie had ‘been in the next room, and had later heard his wife sobbing, He had gone into the room, and had found his wife sitting up in bed, seaming to be hysterical. He had spoken to her, but she had not answered, anu lie had gone out and bodied some uuiis for her, but she would not take it, He had then gone for his neighbour, Mrs Double, who had come over. At his suggestion ,his wife had been given two tablets of medinal, and he thought that she had taken milk with tnem. She had then gone to sleep, The next morning her condition had been about the same, and he had sent for Dr. Gilmour, who had given a prescription for medinal tablets—two every four hours. The actual administering of the tablets had not been in his hands, To his mind it seemed as though tne tablets had kept iher in the eemi-de-lirious condition, PREVIOUS ATTACKS.

On the Wednesday or the Thursday the doctor had injected morphia, and on Friday 10th., on the doctor’s suggestion, Mrs Rees had been sent to the hospital. Between October and December of 1930 his wife had had a similar attack, aind Dr. Gilmour had then been called in. At that time he had prescribed medinal tablets, a tonic, and a special diet. Before going out that evening he had an argument with his wife, but they had not been unhappy in their married life. At the theatre his wife had been quite herself,

The Coroner returned a verdict that death had been caused by oedema, of the brain, and general congestion or the organs.