VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 309, 15 July 1848, Page 2

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.

The fellowing is extracted from the Colonial Times, July 2nd. The Dr. Nugent, who appears to be a pomirient person in the report, came out to Wellington as surgeon on board the New York Packet, and was transported in 184-3, for seven years, for stealing from Barrett's Hotel. - ,

Coroner's Inquest. — The inquest to which we alluded in our last, was brought to a close on Wednesday afternoon, after two" adjournments,'with the following verdict: — That it appeared to the jury that the deceased, Lawrence May, came to his death by low irritant fever, caused by fracture of the lower jaw, but how, that fracture occurred 'does not ap* pear. • ' .' i The proceedings »r« two volmninoai 4or

full insertion* but we shall endeavour to present our readers with a concise abstract thereof. Fiom the evidence adduced, it appeared that tiie deceased lodged in the house of a person named Karragan, nearly opposite the Nag's Hcid, in Melville-street, last Wednesday three weeks. He complained of toothache, and said that *' Dr." Nugent had drawn two teeth for him, and that the " doctor's" boy had drawn another, v Inch gave him much greater pain than the others. Dr. Butler came to see the deceased, and said that those who drew his teeth had fractured the jaw. Butler drew a front tooth from deceased : it was very loose, and deceased insisted upon it being removed. Butler gave deceased some sleeping medicine, and a gargle to wash his mouth ; but deceased died about nine o'clock on Saturday : before he died he could scarcely swallow anything, and took scarcely any food but a little, panada. Dr. Bright, who made a post' moi tern examination ot the deceased, whom he found perfectly insensible, with a cold clammy perspiration on his face, and his pulse small and quick ; witness examined his mouth, and found the lower jaw on the left side fractured, and that several teeth had been recently extracted ; witness immediately ordered proper stimulants and external applications, but to no avail, as he died soon alterwards. Dr. Bright now proceeded to explain in detail the appearances exhibited by the post mortem examination : the state of the whole body was healthy, but, on examining the lower jaw, witness found, a fracture on the left side, completely through the bone, and several front teeth loose ; there was also a portion of diseased (carious) bone ou the same side, in front of the chin, and apparently not of long standing. Nearly the whole of the front teeth were diseased in their sockets : two of the grinders had been recently removed, which operation had apparently caused the fracture ; a quantity of offeosive putrid matter had collected and burrowed amongst the muscles, both externally and internally ; the teeth in the upper jaw were perfectly healthy : had proper precaution been used in extracting the teeth, the caries of the borte was not sufficient to occesion fracture. Dr. Bright here produced a portiou of the lower jaw which he had removed, and which was in a state of considerable decay, being perfectly honey-combed ; witness, however, stated that decomposition had increased since death. The offensive matter, above mentioned, was no doubt originally healthy, but had become putrid from not being allowed to escape : an incision ought to have been made at an early stage of the disease for that puipose. The cause of the death of the deceased was a collection of putrid matter along the course of the lower jaw and the adjacent muscles, occasioning irritative or low nervous fever, hastened by the deceased not having taken sufficient food and nourishment; his death did not take place from natural causes ; witness was of opinion that the fracture arose from negligence, notwithstanding the disease of the bone, and that the collection of offensive matter was caused by the fracture. James Butler (the "doctor") stated that he had followed the medical profession upwards of twenty years, but was not a legally qualified practitioner. A'ter being cautioned by the coroner not to say anything to implicate himself, the "doctor" said, that, about twelve days ago, he was sent for by Mrs. Karragan to see deceased, and merely corroborated what that witness had stated rela ive to his treatment of the patient, adding, however, that he, Butler, advised him to see some regular practitioner, to which deceased objected, on the ground of expense. H.e, witness, had purchased the medicine which he administered out of his own pocket. George Nugent (the other " doctor"), the first witness examined at the first adjournment on Monday, stated that he was a passholder in the service of Mr. F. C. Atkinson, "the homeopathic doctor," in Macquariestreet; the deceased came 'to him on the sth May, accompanied by a person named Bohan : deceased complained of the tooth-ache, when witness examined his mouth, and advised him not to have his tooth drawn, as the pain arose from constitutional, and not local disease ; the deceased, however, was urgent in his request, and witness, consequently, extracted the tooth, which came out easily, having only one fang, being the first of the grinders ; the smell from it was very offensive ; witness saw the deceased four or five days afterwards in Mac-quarie-street, when he said he had been waitiug someume to see him (witness), but failing to do 60^ another gentleman, Mr. Atkinson, bad drawn another of his teeth ; deceased told witness that the operation had been performed with very little pain, and that he would call again -in a day or two and pay what he owed; 1 witness bad not seen the deceased since he last saw him in Macquarie -street, until he saw him a corpse that, morning. Witness .having, been cautioned by the coroner not to say anything that might criminate himself, said, that he gave his statement voluntarily; and then pfeted that Mt. Atkinson had tpld him (wit-

ness) that he drawn a tooth of the deceased, who seemed very much exhausted, and so weak that he (Mr. Atkinson) gave him some broth ; the deceased was to have come again (or the purpose of placing himself under Mr. Atkinson's treatment for a constitutional disease, under which he was suffering, but deceased did not do so ; there was a strong mercurial factor (slink) from the breath of the deceased, arising, as presumed, from " salivation," as it appeared to witness that he had been under the influence of a course of mercury. At th ; s point of the proceedings the enquiry was further adjourned till two o'clock in the afternoon, in order to receive the evidence of Mr. Atkinson, who had intimated by his assistant, Nugent, that he would attend the inquest, if required, with his counsel. At two o'clock, therefore, the jury again assemb.ed, when Mr. Atkinson, accompanied by his counsel, Mr. Montagu, was in attendance, but by the advice of his counsel he declined to make any statement. Dr. Bright was then recalled, and re-exa-mined by the coroner, and stated that tlie body of the deceased exhibited no trace of venereal affection, neither did witness observe any appearance of mercurial salivation ; in his opinion the looseness of the teeth was antecedent to the fracture, and arose from inflammation of the sockets ; the fracture might have been caused by a blow or fall. The evidence being concluded, the coroner carefully explained the evidence to the jury, and told them that in law, and in reference to this particular case, "there was no distinction between a licensed or an unlicensed practitioner ; for if gross negligence, ignorance, or culpable inattention had caused the death of the deceased, then the charge amounted to manslaughter, but it was for the jury to form their opinion upon the evidence which had been laid before them. The jury, after a short consultation, delivered the verdict which we have already recorded.