SUDDEN DEATH.—CORONER'S INQUEST.

Kumara Times, Issue 2990, 3 June 1886, Page 2

SUDDEN DEATH.—CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Hospital ■it thtee o’clock yesterday afternoon, by Or. Giles, District, Coroner, and a jury of six. touching the death of a miner named Peter Smith, a Dane, aged 63, who had been taken il! whilst working in a claim at Larrikins on Monday ,ast, and who died in the Hospital early on Tuesday morning. The' following six jurymen were sworn ia ; Lawrence J. Spyer (foreman), William Killeen, Thomas Oliver, Thomas Green, William Thompson, and Caesar Mitchell! After having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken Alexander Ross, sworn, said ; I am Wardsman to the Kumara Hospital. The deceased Peter Smith was brought into the Hospital on Monday last, the dlst May, about one o’clock iu the alter non n. fie was brought in an '■xpicss, and was put to bed on his arrival. He complained of a pain in the chest, and I put a mustard pouitice on, by which ho felt relieved. " He was not seen by the doctor. Dr. Davv came to the Hospital shortly after liTs 'admission, but he did not go in to the ward to see the patient." He asked me what was the matter with the man, and I said he had a pain in the chest. I told him his temperature was normal. He said he thought he had belter send for Mr Evison, as he was not going to see him himself. He gave no reason for not seeing hi m . j was told before that he did not intend to see him. He only came to the Hospital for syringe he had left. I told him that I thought there was no need tor him to send for Mr Evison, because the Committee bad told me that if I required assistance, I could send for Mr Evison at any time if I thought it necessary. I did not think it necess-ii’v in this sas?. Dr. Davy then went away. T got these instructions from Mr Burger (who was a member of the House Committee appointed by the Trustees) jit the time'Smith -was admitted. I did not consider it an urgent case at the time. The patten*' seemed much relieved after awhile, but tcwo-A night he was uneasy, and his breat-biny hecaoi° difficult. I then th.ought he had inflammation of the lungs,'and T applied j icket pouiiicos ; Mint as at one o’clock in the morning. I did not for Dr. D-svy mmD. Dr. Daw had said lie was not going to see him, rhich I regarded as final. I was

called to deceased about 3 a.m., and found him dying; he died a minute or two after my arrival. To Mr Burger: I said Dr, Davy had resigned, by which I understood Dr. Davy would not come to see the patient. Examination continued ; The reason given by Mr Barger for authorising me to send for Mr Evison was that Dr. Davy had resigned, or that he was not going to see the patient; I forget the exact words used. If it was a case of pneumonia, which I thought it was, I considered I was just as able to deal with it as Mr Evison. Still the symptoms pointed that way, except the temperature, which was normal. Robert Ireland, sworn, said : I am a miner, residing at Larrikins. I knew the deceased Peter Smith, I have known him for eight years. I am not a mate of his. He was working with one of my mates at eight o’clock on Monday morning. I saw him then. He and Mr John White came to my hut. White had engaged him to work for him in the claim that day, as he (White) had a bad hand. Deceased and I worked together till 11 o’clock, when we went to dinner. He came back to work after dinner; that would be about five minutes before 12. I went and put the water on, and when I came back, looking down the tail-race, I saw Smith lying on the ground alongside the bye-wash, kicking and smuggling, and apparently in great pain, 1 rushed up to him and asked if a stone had hit him; he replied that nothing had hit him, but that he had a pain in his chest. I then signalled to one of my mates, Fergus Barrowman, and we got Smith up to his own hut. Smith said “I am very glad you came down ; the pain is terrific in my chest.” In getting him up to the surface, we had to stop several times; he was in great pain. He wanted to keep to his hut, but we brought him down to the Hospital; I came down with him. I went to Ziegler’s to find Mr Ziegler but found he was away. I then went to Mr Burger’s, and he also was oufi I also went to Gilbert Stewart’s, where I saw Dr. Davy in a-front room reading a paper. I told the doctor that Smith had been suffering much pain, and seemed very bad, I said, What’s to be done, doctor? the man is in great pain. He said “ Take him to the Hospital.” He told me this twice, but did not go with me. I told him the express was at Ziegler’s corner, and asked him what was to be done. The only answer be gave me was “Take him to the Hospital.” I then came down to the Hospital with deceased. Mr Burger and the Wardsman put him to bed. I stopped half-an-hhur. Before I left, the Wardsman injected some morphia into the arm of deceased, I went on my way home, and I saw the doctor coming down to the Hospital. Dr. Davy said he had nothing to do with the Hospital. Mr Ross recalled ; It is correct that I injected morphia into the arm of deceased, It was an omission on my part not to say so, when giving my evidence. Fergus Barrowman, sworn, said ; I am a miner, residing at Larrikins. I knew the deceased Peter Smith. I saw him last on Monday, 31st May; he was working for one of my mates on ( that day in our claim. He worked in the usual way til! 11 a.m. without com- j plaining. He had worked for us be- I fore. At 12 o’clock, when the water I was to be turned on, he went clown i the tail-race, with a drag. He seemed | excited. I went down after him, as I i thought he had fallen in the race. He was lying and struggling in a branch of the race, I asked him if a stone had hit him. He said, No; he did not know what was the matter with him, but something inwardly was the matter, Ireland and I assisted him along, stopping several times, I though t when we got him to the top that be was dying. He wanted to lie down, and seemed very bad. We took him to the Hospital, as there happened to be one of Rugg’s traps up at the time, and we did not know what was the matter with him. I had no intetview with the doctor about deceased. Thomas George Davy, sworn, said ; I am a registered medical practitioner. . residing in Knmara. I have rids rh-’’ made, or partially made, a nod; r-jO;T,c--examination of the hod/ c: ~1.. Smith, deceased. I comrm nrM W Dr. Collins completed v-. :;v sence. On opening the clrnsr 1 the pericardium ciTui’-oH and fully seven ounces ;T olcoMu hi'.-'/ ; was a considerabH cmuco :r. : : :■ i. ■. ventricle of the fir-art. r.-ka v-gp-.v.* edges. The cr.rduv.i tiv-uo i.i t, neighbourhood of die ooenif" %•/:■.-, softened and degenerated, fin oormiju the heart, there v/an a/? atWom . i liicer on the right posterior nienok: valve. The aortic valves were incompetent ; the left coronary artery was

plugged by an embolus near its origin. This would cause the degenerated state of the ' heart well; the heart was dilated and fatty. The cause of dgath was rupture of the heart, due to embolism of the left coronary artery. I did not see the deceased professionally before his death. I had given notice to the Committee of my wish to terminate abruptly my connection with the Hospital, or as soon as possible at the end of the month’s notice which I had given. 1 was under the impression that the month had duly expired at the time the man came in to where I was sitting. I was under the imprrsaion my time, had expired on the previous day. It was at about one o’clock on Monday when a man came to me at Stewart’s Hotel. He told me he had a man outside who had a pain in his chest, or in his belly, I think he said ; and asked me what he should do. I told him that I considered my official responsibility with the Hospital to be at an end, and I was unable to advise him. He wont away then. Afterwards, being anxious to know lest the patient might be seriously ill, I came down to the Hospital ostensibly for a syringe, but really to know if he was very bad. I asked Ross if be was very bad. He sajd, No. Then I said sarcastically, “ You can send for Evison, you know,” or something to that effect. Ross said he bad authority from Mr Burger to do so. I thought this would be a marked manner of terminating my connection with the Committee. I had no intention of deserting the patient. I was very much shocked when I heard of deceased’s death. At the same time I may state that nothing whatever could have been done for him ; ho was entirely beyond all human aid. I heard also since that deceaseed dropped down suddenly in his claim, which was not told me before, Floyd Collins, sworn, said : I am a registered medical practitioner, residing in Hokitika. Under instructions 1 have this day made a post mortem examination of the body of the deceased Peter Smith. I found the chest already opened by Dr. Davy, and on the mortuary table were six or seven ounces of clotted blood, which Dr. Davy informed me he had removed from the pericardium, or heaitbag. The heart itself was considerably enlarged by dilatation and also very markedly affected by fatty degeneration throughout. There was also an abnormal deposit of vat on the exterior organ. There was stenosis, that is, fibroid deposit on the valves of the aorta. One of the hardened valves was the seat of a deep nicer almost opposite the origin of the coronary artery, which was plugged by a clot about an inch from i;s origin ; this clot was formed hofoie death. On the anterior surface of the left rcnticle there was a rupture, the immediate cause of which had obviously been gangrene, produced by the constmetiou of the artery. The liver, kidneys and spleen were also extensively affected by fatty degeneration. The cause of death was: rupture of the heart, caused by the plugging of the coronary ertery. I have no doubt that the case was an entirely hopeless one. The wall of the heart had broken through progressively, and no medical" skill would have availed to save the deceased. [Messrs Burger, Y 7. Morris, and M. Maloney were pre-ent to watch the proceedings on behalf the Hosuita: Trustees, but such questions as were risked of witnesses ware, for the tnost part held by the. Coroner to bs only ns concerning the relations between the Hospital Committee and the doctor, and therefore not aumissr.ble as evidence on the inquest,] The jury were left to consider their decision, and in about fifteen minutes retimed a voulict in accordance with die medical evidence, viz., “That Peter Bmith died from rupture of the heart, from gangrene caused by embolic obstruction of the coronary artery. They also added the following rider : “ That Dr. Davy having felt uneasy in his mind, and wishing to satisfy himself about the true stale of health : 5 deceased on visiting the Hospital, committed a grave error of judgment in not | ner.-:nmtl;y i:itern<-*wiii'/ the p-Meut i tviiiTr tiier.'. ' I, r,,, -c Crmum- ex-v-sje-d ! d 1 : L ],- : .... . ' ! ? V ’ ' ■ p , j sTT. b;/. 1 ’ .

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