CHILD'S DEATH

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 29, 26 September 1931, Page 3

CHILD'S DEATH

CORONER'S REMARKS NATIVE FOSTER PARENTS DISREGARD MEDICAL ADVICE EVIDENCE AT INQUEST NAPIER, Friday. An inquest into the death of Koukou Tutu, the nine-months'-old adopted child of Simon and Mary Tutu, of Tongoio, revealed that the foster parents had failed to follow the advice of two doctors who strongly urged the child's removal to hospital. The evidence showed that Mary Tutu took the child to Dr. Wakeworth who told her to have it taken to hospital. She said that she would take it home again and nurse it herself. In response to the doctor, who again asked her to take the child to the hospital she requested him to prescribe medicine, which he did not do. She then returned home with the child and asked Dr. Edgar for some medicine which she received the same morning. She treated the baby with the medicine, bnt after a slight im-

provement, it died. Simon Tutu admitted that Dr. Edgar strongly advised that the child should be sent to hospital, but said that he thought the child should not be shifted. It was further shown that Dr. Edgar said that if the child was not brought in to the hospital, he would not assume responsibility. Returning a verdict that the child died as a result of pneumonia, the Coroner, Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M., said that he desired to impress upon the native mind that if the parents did not do what the doctor told them, they were answerable.