POISONING CASE

Hokitika Guardian, 1 March 1933, Page 6

POISONING CASE

POISONING CHARGE HEARING

FURTHER .MEDICAL EVIDENCE

(Per Press Association —- Copyright.)

ii AUCKLAND, February ZS

‘rift the hearing of the poisoning chaVges, Dr J. A. Stall worthy, resident 'surgeon at. Auckland Hospital, <r«.i-cj-ibed the condition of the -build during the tim.g ft yrss in hospital. On the afternoon of April 16 lie examined the child in' detail and found it to all intents and purposes a perfectly normal child. :Sh e was cheerful, and a-s far as he could remember, made no complaints. As he left The bed, Nurse Kerr arrived in the ward, aitjd went t<> the child. Ho had no doubt about • Fiat. That evening he was summoned and found the child again in a. coma, but not a-s deeply as- *she was on admission. He could not irou.se her to speak to him. He r condition was such as might have b-een caused by veronal. Witness said pyelitis was determined as t-he, complaint. Dr L. Ludbrooj c e, specialist in child, rens’ diseases, isaid that when h P .first saw the child ft was deeply unconscious. From laboratory and other tents they., found, the -clWd was from the bacillus rcoli and pveljtis, but pyelitis did not account for everything in hoc condition. The coina, Li particuljn?,. was not compatible with pyelitis. The usual symptom of an overdose of veronal was coma. For several' weeks <she was under bis care and made steady improvement. Tun renal condition took about n. week to clear up, and then she was perfectly ■well. :,She wc>s discharged after three weeks or a month.

j Paul- James Thompson, chemist, at Devonport, -said he remembered when ; Mri? -Day was. in Nurse Kerr's home and he! supplied medicine on prescription for Mr n Day. One of thepe prescriptions was for veronal, ordered ■ by D r Eade. and it was very itxe-fy fhpr / ' were “repeat’’ orders. The original order was tor seven grains of veroirl. Re had not given this information in the lower court proceedings, but he had looked up his records when he heard of the exiliumaticm of Mi’s Day's body. He had then informed the - police. : ’ \

(for .accused) :■ When withij”. a month .of'ihlrs.'Day's(:death, you told the had been 'getting fairly he^yy' ddsFs‘-of veronal, did- they ask you .to make a written statement ?—No. M’ A--Mr Singer. : 1 Nut,: even when Airis might -account 'veronal, found wllien Mrs Ddy’s body was examined? — No- , . ;.T - they-foil you to inform the def-enoe of this?—No. fMr -Singeri: did; they tril -you,?:—They told Line not fo tell any Unauthorised person of -this entry. .To-; ;\lr-^”Meredith'; T '(fof''the'' Crdwh) : . This' on August 18, f<fi‘ tv o povdns each. One of; these .wa:v{’to be taken at night. As ifar as nty('records show, all 1 supplied- to Mrs Day were tho ee two powders. T made no record of an order from g, - medical compound for M>m-K'eiw. %:

The .jca«© willi be resumed to.mOrrow

NQfTURTHER EVIDENCE TO-DAY isi- !| Auckland, March 1.

-No -furtheu; i evidenc e was heard this •morning in the- trial of Nurse Kerr on the charge of poisoning. 'When the court a'ctsumed the chief counsel for th e defence secured an adjournment to enable him to -secure, and study, certain. hospital records. He- said that..knowledge, of these records was necessary to him to enable cross-examination of the medical witnesses.