DEATH AT THE HOSPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1920, Page 4

DEATH AT THE HOSPITAL.

PATIENT COLLAPSES BEFORE OPERATION. An inquest,into the circumstances surrounding the death pt a Maori named Kamii Kahukura, aged about 20 years, ujho died at the New Plymouth hospital oh Friday, while undergoing an opera* tion, was held by Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M. (the Coroner), yesterday morning. The evidence showed that the de« ceased attended a dentist at Opunake to have a tooth extracted, and it was found necessary to send him to the hospital, owing to the presence of an abscess. , Dra. Walker and Leathftin gate evidence to the effect that deceased was admitted to the hospital on Friday afternoon, .suffering from an abscess in the floor o'f the mouth and root of the tongue, and that an immediate opera* tion was absolutely necessary, as the swelling affected deceased's breathing. The operation was not actually performed, as deceased collapsed and expired before the anaesthetic had taken full effect. The following verdict was returned bj the Coroner: "That during the admfc* istration to him of an anaesthetic, consisting of one part of chloroform and two parts of ether, for the .purpose of performing an operation to remove an abscess in the floor of the mouth, the deceased died of asphyxia, due to re* spiratory spasms caused by the inflatorj conditions of the abscess, and to a cer> tain extent by the irritation of tht anaesthetic."