TRIAL OF A HOSPITAL NURSE FOR MANSLAUGHTER.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2351, 29 September 1880, Page 2

TRIAL OF A HOSPITAL NURSE FOR MANSLAUGHTER.

Pleasant Louisa Ingles, a nurse at Guy’s Hospital, surrendered on August 5 to take her trial at the Central Criminal Court for the manslaughter of one of the patients of that hospital. Charles Morgan, engineer’s laborer, of Chvrlotto street, Kent road, said—The deceased, Louisa Morgan was his wife. She was twenty-seven and had been married seven years. Bp to three months before her death she had enjoyed good health. About six weeks before her death she became an inpatient at Cu3 -, s Hospital. He went on July I (Sunday) at two o’clock and stayed till four o’clock. The deceased was then getting on nicety. Ho saw her next on July 7. Site then complained of the nurse, and he went and saw Dr Pav\ - . Dr Frederick William Pavv, M.D., F.E.C.S., and one of the physicians of C ty’s Hospital, with which lie bad been connected fo. thiriy-thrcc years, said— Deceased was admitted on June 9, and witness saw she was suffering from consumption, affecting the upper part of the left lung, and there were various erratic pains, which, in the absence of any tangible - cause, ho put down to her being hysterical, that opinion being supported by her previous character, which was to the effect that she had been married at sixteen ; she had one child a 3 - car after, no famity since. Witness examined her, and put her name and disease on a printed form—“ No, 2, Louisa Morgan, aged twenty-six; phthisis left side.” He went round the wards three times a week, and saw the patient from time to time. On Juty 5 witness went round the ward about three o’clock, and was struck b3 r her altered appearance, and asked what had occurred to produce that alteration. Prisoner was present, and deceased made a statement that prisoner must have hoard, as she was standing at the foot of the bed. Patient was feeble and crying, and made the statement in a disconnected manner. Witness sat on the bed to her better. She spoke in a tone suflieienlly loud that those standing round the bed could bear. She said “I was taken to the bathroom this morning and placed in a bath with cold water to begin with, and was keptin the bath for an hour and a half.” She then went on to say “ I could not help it ; it was a mistake that anyone was liable to make sometimes.” She said she was in the bath some lime before warm water was turned on. Prisoner said nothing then. Deceased was then half crying, and said she had not been able to get, warm since. She seemed cold and shivering at the time. Deceased was in the state which is produced by a bath so administered. On that da\ - the witness saw deceased again. He examined her both*, and found bruise marks on the left arm, also more slightly on the rigid, an extensive bruise on the left left leg, and the skin there was abraded—just the sort of bruises to expect fro in the arms beinglaid lightly hold of. She was distressed, but (here were no inflammatory symptoms then. On the Blh of Juty she

was in quite a different state, having R flushed face, hot skin, frequent pulse, and looked about in a somewhat vacant manner, giving the impression that tubercular inflarnation of the hrain was setting in. There might be man}’- causes for that mental shock - . Hough treatment and exposure to cold wotdd be calculated to act as a sufficiently exciting cause. Witness saw deceased every day alter that, except one or two Sundays, up to the time of her death on July 21 or 22, a fortnight after he had first detected th* tubercular disease, which ran its natural course. He had the nurse removed immediately from the ward. Cross-examined by Sir John Holkcr — The bruises had noliiing to do with her death. It is well known that there had been a good deal of unpleasantness at Guy’s about the introduction of a new system of nursing. The difference existed between the governors and the medical staff. The jury, after an absence of fifty minutes, returned into Court with a verdict of “Guilty,” accompanied by the following rider : —“ We think there has been shown negligence on the part of the nurses, anil there should be a better supervision by the medical officers of the hospital.” Mr Justice Hawkins, addressing the prisoner, said he was sorry to see the difference of feeling that existed among the authorities of the hospital, who ought to have no other desire but to co-operate cordially in relieving the misery of the poorer classes entrusted to their charge, but he should not allow this in any way to influence the sentence ho was about to pronounce. There could be no doubt that by her misconduct she had accelerated the death ol; the deceased, at all events for a short period, lie did not believe that she wtis aware of the actual condition of the deceased ; but si ill she must have known that she was treating her most improperly, and there ‘was no doubt that she had accelerated her death. Ho considered it would have been much better if the medical authofities had told her what disease the deceased was suffering from, and then she would probably have known that her conduct was most improper. Under all these circumstances, the sentence he should pronounce was that she be imprisoned for three months with hard labor ; and he said he hoped that the sentence would be a sufficient warning to other, persons in her position not to bo guilty of a similar offence.