CORONERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4807, 18 August 1876, Page 3

CORONERS.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sib, —In a letter of the 15th F.sculapius Major describes himself as a medical practitioner, and recommends that the duties of coroners should not be given to.medical men in practice. Judging by the tone of his letter only, one would- think he was not one of/ns. He thinks this important, change should be made, and that no medical men “ should be allowed to sit in public judgment over matters affecting the reputation and weal of their professional competitors ;” and cites two instances where such coroners have exhibited much-petty spite, and where I think some of the inhabitants should have reported the, facts to the Government. Allow me to inform E. Major that medical gentlemen in practice although mortal are not more liable to bear petty spite than other classes of men, and to .take, this honorable duty out of their hands; on these grounds would be an insult to the profession. E. Major has read “ Middlemarch." I have not; but if you have space I will give him a chapter put of real country medico-coroners’ life. Telegram comes. Wife: “What’s that?” Ans.: “ Inquest on the coast" Wife: Why, the river will be up.” Ans.: “Not much, there will be a moon; besides I shall have to go in that direction soon to see some patients. So pack up something to eat while ! get my instruments and drugs packed up; tellthemanto feed and saddle the horse which is kept ready in the stable, and I'm off.” Mackintosh, leggings, spurs; splash, splash, canter and trot, flounder, and pull through weary, weary ; miles, and here we are. “ Why, doctor, we did not expect you to-night. Come in, the kettle, is on the fire.” I explain that I was bound by the Coroners Act to be on the spot within twentyfour hours, or on arrival might find that a J.P. and a jury were sitting, or had actually found the verdict. Besides in coming I was hitting two birds with one stone, having patients all round the country, and., that being so much in the habit, of doing at once .what had to be done, l;cpuld not help starting. He remarks that as; the'distance was over twenty miles he,thought I .should not have come at all. ± reply that I can always pick up a few fees coming and going. At the inquest one man thinks- that death has been caused by violence from 1 certain marks on the body. - The foreman informs the coroner that all the rest of the jury think the marks are due to other causes, and requests him to give his opinion, as it would be almost impossible to get a surgeon to attend, as there are so few, and so far off. The coroner gives his opinion,' and says he will adjourn the inquest for a post-mortem, if the jury wish it.' T would ask E. Major which of the Resident Magistrates he knows who would like this kind of work, at two guineas each inquest, and whether he thinks they would not say that they could not leave their important duties, and thrust the matter on to the hands of the J.P.’s, and if these gentlemen had to travel twenty miles across the country at a moment’s notice, they would not jib at it ? I think he -would find that most of the country justices would say that the legal technicalities' of inquests were more than they would care to unravel, and decline it, saying that “if the Government or public wanted sudden deaths- to bo inquired into they should pay men to do it.”—l am, &c., Escdlapids Minor.