DEATH OF AN INFANT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 14

DEATH OF AN INFANT.

k WOMAN ACQUITTED ON CHARGE , OE NE&LECT.. i WELLINGTON, August 25. . A woman named Mary Ann Calligham, who is a registered midwife and who for something over two years has kept in j excellent order a sort of maternity home ( at Lower Hutt, was charged at the Supreme Court before Mr Justice Chap- f man to-day with having through her neglect occasioned the death of a child named Harold Leetham, who was about five months old. : The circumstances of the case were somewhat unusual. The child was th« offspring of an unmarried woman who was confined in the accused's' place of residence, and who left her child there. The confinement was attended by Dr U. . M. Hector. It appeared that the child was something of a weakling. There were indications of curvature of the spine, but this was described ac a case in which the malformation was comparatively slight. The Crown contended that the nurse did not do her duty iD respect of the infant, that it was not cared for ■ as it should have been, that its death was caused through neglect and malnutri- '. tion, and, inferentiafly, that its life j might have been saved if the aid of a J ' medical man had been summoned. The child after its death weighed only about 51b, -whereas ii it were- an infant in uornial health- it should have scaled' at least , 151b, but its weight at birth was not * * taken, although the doctor said that it j was a very small child. Xh* Hector was . called in after the death of the infant, t and he then found it " nothing but skin and bones," and he was convinced that . want of nutrition was the cause of death. The case for the accused was simply a ' denial that she had neglected the child j and assertions that on the contrary, know- j ing that it was a weakling, she had taken , special and particular care of it. The ' infant had been given cows' milk, and as other babies in accused's care were attacked simultaneously with diarrhea, ' she became convinced that the milk food was the cause of the trouble with her in- ; fant charges, and then she substituted " humanised milk " and numerous other foods approved by medical men as suit- , able for young children. Under this changed diet the child seemed to improve in general health, and although the ac- j cused at one time had been on the point of calling in a doctor the improvement was so marked that she deemed it un- ) necessary. But in quite a short time a change took place, and the baby died. | The prosecution did not suggest that the , accused could have any sordid interest j in the death of the child, because she was not paid a lump sum when she took i it in charge, and, as a matter of fact, > she was still looking to its mother for i the money owing for nursing and atten- ' tion, as well ac for the maintenance of i the infant while it lived. Evidence was given to the effect that the accused had always been kind and attentive to the patients of whom she was > given the case. The jsry deliberated for an hour, and then returned with a unanimous verdict of " Not guilty." Mr A. L. Herdman ap- j peared for Mrs Calligham. j "LINSEED COMPOUND" for Coughs « and Colds. Loosens phlegm, allays irrita- < tion. <