AN UNUSUAL CASE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3776, 29 October 1907, Page 3

AN UNUSUAL CASE.

An inquest was held at the Wellington morgue on Saturday afternoon on the body of a newly-born illegitimatet child. Detective Kemp deposed that from information received he had gone to the hotel Arcadia on Friday last. He there found the mother of the child, a servant in the hotel, imbed. She stated that the child was born through the night. She lost consciousness' while giving birth to the child, and on recovering found that it was dead. Medical evidence, given by Dr Herbert, who was called in on Friday morning to attend the young woman, and Dr Fyffe, who made the post mortem examination was that the child had just commenced to breathe, but had died before it was fully born. If the girl had had proper attention the child’s life would almost undoubtedly have been saved. Evidence was given by the girl’s sister, and by her room-mate at the hotel. Neither of them had ever guessed her condition. The young woman who slept with the girl, said that her companion had complained of being very unwell during the night. She did not know in the morning that a child had been born.

The coroner .said that the case was a very extraordinary one. There was no doubt as to the child’s death, but the jury might if it thought wise, introduce a clause in the verdict in regard to the girl’s negligence in not calling in medical attendance, when she must have known her condition. The jury returned a verdict that the child had breathed, but had died during the process of birth.