INQUEST.

Southland Times, Issue 1826, 2 December 1873, Page 2

INQUEST.

♦ An inquest, touching the death of Samuel Waitmun, who died suddenly at the Hospital on the 26th ult., was held at the Hospital on the 28th, before the District Coroner, H. M'Culloeh, EBq. The examination of witnesses was conducted by Inspector Fox, and Mr John Hare was foreman of the jury. Edward Cossey, carpenter, residing at Greenhills, deposed — I knew ttie deceased, who was a gardener by profession. He wa« in the employ of Mr Colyer, and has bean residing on Cow Island lately. I saw the deceased about 7 o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 26th, Bitting on a rock about a quarter of a mile from the island. I went up and spoke to him. He looked very ill — he looked' like death. I asked him what waß wrong, and he said he had a Bevero pain in the bottom of lm stomach, and that he had been vomiting the previous night. He did not account for his sickness, but said he had supped on a rabbit pie, which he had made himself. He remarked that before tea he had felt as well as ever he had done in his life, but that he had taken ill directly afterwards. I then took him to my own place, intending to send him to town by the 12 o'clock train. 1 gave him an ordinary dose of castor oil — aa near as I could judge about an ounce. He drank two cups of tea while at my house. About half-past 11 o'clock I started to accompany him to the train. He did not want me to go with him. He called at my houße on Sunday evening, while returning to his own place, and lie was quite healthy-look-in then. He wa& a strictly sober man. James Roland Colyer, being sworn, Baid — I ! knew the deceased. I last saw him about 10 o'clock on Tucday morning at the island. He was then in high spirits and good health. I pirtook of the food which lie was accustomed to use. I brought him two rabbits on Monday evening, and he said he was pleased I had brought them. There waß nothing unusual about the rabbits. There were selt-sown potatoes ou the island, and I should say they were unfit for human food. Deceased had some in a box, and said he wa3 going io cook them. The usual work of the decease! was gardening. There is one large tutu tree near the place where deceased resided, but there are no berries on it to my knowledge. Jame* Colyer, hotelkeeper and sheep-farmer, residing in Invercargill, deposed — I first saw the deceased about twelve months ago, and he has been in my employment for tho last month or three weeks. He was a gardener. He came to my house on Wednesday afternoon in a cab. He was very weak, and I helped him into the house. 1 asked what was the matter with him, and he said he did not know. I then ask^d what he had btfen eating, and he Baid he had rabbit pie for Mb Buppor the previous night. He told me lie was quite well prior to having his supper. I asked him if ho felt much pain, and. he said he felt a pain at the bottom of his stomach, and complained of being short- wiuded. I then sent for Dr Grijjor, and a* he was not to be found I sent my daughter for Dr Cotterell, who came. Dr Cotteroll told me the man was very weak, and advised me to take him to the Hospital. I said I would pay anything the Hospital liked to charge, as I could not attend to the poor man myself. As a cab waß not to be had at the moment, I got a cart to- convey him to the Hospital I again sent for Dr Grigor, who came and called at my house, which he had scarcely left when Mr Sugar, one of the wurdsmen of the Hospital, came and toLl me that the man was dead. Dr Cotterell gave me a prescription to take to the Hospital along with the mau, but the dispenser euid he c >uld not make it up or administer it, as Dr Cotterell did not belong to the Hospital. James Lockett deposed as followB — I knew the deceased. Ho and I came out together in the Zealandia from London to the Bluff. I think he came from Maidenhead, in Berkshire. Ho was a single man, a gardener by trade, and about 24 years of age. He had no relations in the Colony. Charles Oetavius Woodman said — I am dispenser of medicine at the Hospital. I first saw the deceased about half-past one o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. He spoke a little. He eompla ned of a pain about the region of his stomach, and made one reirark to the tffect that very little could be done for him. He also told mo his name. That, so far as I can recollect, was all he Baid. He vomited in the ward at tiie Hospital just be r ore death. In compliance with an order from the medical offic r, I have preserved the vomit under lock and key. I have never Been anyone die of poisoning. No medical man saw him before he died. Ho died at a quarter paßt two o'clock — just about three quarters of an hour after he was admitted to tho Hospital. I expected the medical oflioer to 1 arrive immediately, but the man died shortly before his arrival ; I could not say how long. Deceased took nothing while in the Hospital except a drink of lime juice, a soothing mixture kept for the patient b. He said nothing as to his having eaten anything which disagreed with him. Mr Colyer came to the Hoßpital with the deceased. Mr Colyer ield a prescription in his hand. He told me that Dr Cotterell hud s.en the patient, and had written the prescription for the sick man. He did not ask me to make it up for him. I would not be justified in making up a prescription written by a medical man not connected with the Hospital ; and besides I every moment expected Dr Grigor, who would prescribe himself for the patient. William Cotterell deposed — I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing in Invor— curgill. I was called about one o'clock on Wednesday, 26th, by Mr Colyer, to see the deceased (whose body I have now seen). I went immediately, and found the deceased Buffering from sickness. His features were blanched, bis countenance very much shrunken, and he was almost pulseless. He was suffering ■ very much from vomiting, and I gave him a little brandy and water, but he threw a portion of it up, hi* stomach being very weak. He complained of great pain in the lower bowels. He told me he waß quite well at Bix o'clock the evening before. He also told me that he had eaten some rabbit pie, and he believed that it had disagreed with him. He likewise told me that, after partaking of the pie, he had been seized with a very short pain in his bowels, and violent vomiting j and shortly afterwards purging, which did not lust long, He said he had taken castor oil twice that night without any effect. There waß no use treating him at Mr Colyer'B, because Mr Colyer said he had no room, but be waß willing to pay any cost whatever at the Hospital, and 1 thought

it the best place for the patient to g<>. Medicine wus of no use to him at all. I told Mr Oolyer how to instruct the dispenser at the Hospital as regarded the treatment of the patient in the event of the medical officer's continued absence, aud on Mr Colyer's requesting me to put the instructions on paper, I did bo. Properly speaking the paper did not contain a prescription, but merely directions to give the patient an enemacastor oil and gruel — and to apoly fomentations of turpentine aud hot flunneh to his stomach. I thought he had an iliac affection — a twist in his bowi'lfi By the Foreman —Why did you not administer the prescription at Mr Colyer's house without tending the man to the Hospital ? Witness — Because the man would have to bo stripped and put in bed to administer tho remedy prescribed, and Mr Colyer's house afforded no convenience for that at the time. A discussion here arose between tho foreman and the witness, the former maintaining that the witness, as a medical man, had no right whatever to allow deceased to be removed from Mr Ci Iyer's house, or to refrain from udministeriug tho prescription which he had given Mr Colyer to take to tba Hospital along with the patient, and the witness arguing that medicine would have had no effect upon the patient, and that as Mr Colyer's house was full, he (the witness) had done the best that could be done under the circumstances in advia* ing the removal of the man to the Hospital. The Coroner perceiving that this discussion was likely to grow rather warm, held that the digression was altogether out of place, and askod Inspector Fox to call the next witneJs^ Edmund Williams Yorath, who deposed— l ard a duly qualified medical practitioner. I made apost mortem examination on the body of tha deceased this morning. I did not soe tils deceased before death. I fir^t of all' examined the brain, and found it very congested ; I also found that the left ventrical contained a larger quantity of fluid than the right one, also more than is usually found. I afterwards examined the heart, and found it perfectly healthy, and the lungs and liver, and they were healthy aho. I ttion examined the abdomen or bowels, and found them very much inflamed. I also ex iminel the . 6inall intestines, and found them healthy ; but on opening the abdomen first of all, thera was an escape of a large quantity of blooiy fluid. The cause of death was peritonitis or inflammation of the bowels. I Bhould harJly have thought that rabbit pie could set up such inflammatory action of the bowels in so short a time. Cross-examined — I examined the stomach and its contents, and found the stomach perfectly healthy, and have no cause to think that deceased died from the effects of poisoning. Tlie contents of the stomach and the stomaoh itself are preserved in a jar, and the jury can Bee them if they wish. Peritonitis may be caused by various things —by tails or blows for instance. I have no knowledge of the tutu plant or its fruit. You will always tind by traces on the internal coats of the Btomach when death is caused by poisoning. The contents of the stomach were perfectly liquid and resembling soup. I have, since examining the body of the deceased, seen the pie of which he had partaken, and i* was enough to provoke any amount of inflammation and irritation in the stomach. The application which Dr Cotterell ordered might have given the arm some relief. Such appl-c.itions are generally ordered by medical men in Buch cases. We (tho medical faculty) never expect instant relief to a patient j we apply our remedies, do our best, and trust to Providence for a beneficial result. In cases of poisoning, if the poison is not of a severe kind, there may be no traces lelt on the features. By a juror — Had you been called into Mr Colyer'S to Bee deceased, would you have acted like Dr Cottoroll ? Witness — [ certainly would not have sent the man to the Hospital But Dr Cotterell was doubtless place! in pecul : ar circumstances, an;] me.lical men are of tea asked to do things for which they, and they on'y, afterwards receive ail the blame. Ido not think that anything could have saved deceased at the sta^e at which he had arrived when Dr Cotterell saw him at Mr Colyer's. By a juror — Is there any truth in the theory that a pie made without a hole in the top engenders poison P Witness — I believa many a good pia is maia without a hole in its top ; but your question is altogether too deep and learned for me to answer. s. F. Fleming, sergeant of p >lioe, deposed — I visited Cow Island this morning, and found tha pie now lying on the table of this room. L found it in a oupboard in the house lately occupied by the deceased. I also found some yoang potatoes in a box outside the door, and saw a rabbit hangiug on a tree near the house. I may state that there was plenty of good wholesome fojd, such as beef and ham, in the house. Tuis concluded the examination of witnesses, ani everyone except the oo over and tlie jury lelt the room. Alter half an hour's deliberation the verdict arrived at was — " That the deceased, Samuel Wait man, died from inflammation of the bowelß, and that thor is no evidence to Baaw by what the inflammation was caused."