A RUDE SHOCK

Hokitika Guardian, 25 October 1933, Page 5

A RUDE SHOCK

WIDOWER VIEWS WRONG BODY. HOSPITAL ATTENDANT’S ERROR. (l J er Press Association — Copyright.) j , DUNEDIN, October 24. A remarkable mistake affecting the ! identification of a dead body occurred ! at Dunedin last Friday, when, through error on the part of au attendant at the Public Hospital, a resident whose wife had died ,in the institution had the experience of viewing the corpse of an unknown woman, which was brought to his house. He had insisted that lr's wife’s body be brought to the home before burial, and a body which was presumed to be that of his wife was taken to his residence. On the coffin being opened, it was found that the wrong body had been forwarded from the hospital. The explanation of the unfortunate occurrence is that, following on a post mortem, the attendant whose duty is I to attend to such matters inadvertent- j ]y effected a substitution of the labelled shrouds when replacing them. Had the mistake not been discovered, the bodies would have been buried in the wrong places, and under the wrong names.