AN EXPANATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 187, 18 October 1879, Page 2

AN EXPANATION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TEMUKA LEADER./ Sir— Allow me to make a few remark on the inquest held yesterday on the body iii James Guy, who died suddenly last Sunday, at Temuka. A casual reader of the report in your issue might imagine that the opinion of the majority of the jury that I was to blame for not attending immediately whe n sent for, , had some foundation in common sense. A few additional facts will no doubt remove such impression. What took place in connection with the case, as far as lam concerned is as follows : —On Sunday last, a few minutes before 1 p.m., Richard Guy came to my house and asked me to go and see his brother, who was ill- I asked what was the matter with him, and he replied that jhe had been out rifle shooting the day before, and did not feel well. I made a remark to th e effect that the day before had been very ho t, implying that he might have caught coldfrom checked perspiration after violent exercise. He seemed to agree with me, and said he was breathing hard, hut I heard nothing about the “ rattle ” in the throat, or “lying with his mouth open;’* as appears in the evidence of Richard Guy, though I _ don’t deny that this may have been said without my hearing it. Nothing in Richard Guy’s manner led me to believe there was anything urgent about the case ; in fact, in a conversation *T have since had with him he says at the time he came for me lie had no idea his brother was so ill, and that he had seen him apparently worse at different times before, X was then under the impression that the deceased was suffering from a cold contracted the previous day. The reason I did not go at once, however, was because I had an appointment with two patients- from the Waitohi Plat,who weret to meet me immediately after church, and as the peop,e were at the time coming out of church I thought I would keep my appointment, and go to see the deceased afterwards. After a few minutes had elapsed, the patients m question drove up. At this juncture Richard Guy' came hack, and asked me to hnrry; I said “ Wait a minute or two, till I see these people into the house.” I went in, and very shortly afterwards my partner (Dr Cumming> went by with Mr Edwards, step-father to deceased. Having seen that Dr Gumming was in attendance, I returned to the patients in my own house, I saw there was then no necessity for me to go. After my patients had gone, I went on the road and awaited Dr Cumming’s return, and was greatly surprired and shocked when he told me that James Guy was dead before he arrived. This, I think, fully explains the paragraph in answer to a juror—“ Dr Hayes did not come to see my brother at all.” I assisted Dr Gumming to make the Post mortem examination, and, from what I saw, I believe that even had I seen the deceased the moment I was sent for, I should have been unable to certify as to the cause of death, as at that time he must have been either dead or moribund. I must, therefore, differ with Mr Edwards in nis expressed opinion that the presence of a medical man at the time would have prevented an ir.quast. My explanation has been rather longer than I intended, but I hope,Sir, you will publish it in The cause of justice, and a medical man has sometimes a hard card to play, few, if any, of my patients will accuse me’of tardiness in attending them night or day. I am, &c., John 3, Haves. Temuka, 15th Oct., 1879. “ P.S. —I may add that I intended to hare , been present at the inquest, but at the time | it was held I was absent on professional busi- | ness at Orari, so I had no opportunity to f speak for myself. I [We are glad that Dr Hayes has made the I explanation he has done. It is generally believed that medical gentlemen are bound to j go when called for, although that is not the j case. Evidently, Dr Haves misjudged the | urgency of the case, or he would not have j have delavc 1 attending to it at once. —I T.L.] ‘ - |