INQUEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1071, 15 February 1883, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest touching the death of Gertrude Colville, the child of Emma Brakewe 1, was held on Tuesday last, in the Star Hotel, b fore J. Beswick, Esq., Coroner, and »he following jury Messrs M Quinn, J Langskail, J M Twom-y, H Clinch. J Whitehead, L Grant, W Scorey, J Moor-, J Tangney, G Davey, D Henry, A W Snrridge, J Harrop, and J M Ollivier, who was chosen foreman.

Emma Brakewell : I am mother of the deceased. The deceased's name is Gertrude Colville. She was seven months o'd on the 7th of this month About half past six o'clock this morning I awoke and found her dead. She was a ive at one o’clock when I gave her the bottle. There was no other person in the led. There was milk in the bottle, and she drank some of it, The child lias been aifing from her birth, but it was on last S iturday it got worse. It was suffering from iiiarrh®'. I gave her no medicine. It took its milk all along', and that was all it bad. 1 did not th nk the child was in any danger. It was ilwaysthin and emaciated. The milk turned sour in the night sometimes. Last Siturday night the milk went sour. It could take neither the breast nor the bottle for a week. There was a sore on the body from its birth. Dr Campbell saw the chill once. I got medicine from him, and the child got a little better. 1 did not take it to the doctor again, because 1 did not think it wan so very ill.

Alice Fergiisfcon : I am the wife of James F'-rgunsim. I identify the child hen* as my sister’s. lamthesistervf Emma Brakewell. About two moaiha ago my sister came to live with me. The child was never well but at times it was worse. It suffered from diairl ca r. It used to remain ill about three days. It took its food regularly. I saw the child yesterday, hut I did not consider it ill enough to go for a doctor. The marks on it have always been on it, and nothing seemed to do it any g<«»d. We got nothing from any doctor for the sores. To the foreman : I have bad two children of my own, and am accustomed to children, J, S. Hayes : I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, I made a pos' mortem examination and found no very definite cause of disease. The body was greatly emaciated and wasted. I' did not appear to have been kept verv clean, There were marks of sores on the h ick. There was little or nothing in tho bowels. Tho sores do not seem to have been locked after carefully. The cause of doatli seems to me to have been want of proper food and proper attention. The immediite cause of death wasdirrhes i and exhaustion. A child with diarrhce* is li tide to get sores if not properly looked after.

To a juror : I do not look upon the sores as incurable.

T> a juror : The digietive organs were so impaied that food did it no good. 1 doubt very much whether a medical man. called in on the previous evening, could hate done anything.

The jury leturned a verdict of death from natural causes The coroner called in the mother of the child and gave her a severe reprimanding for her apparent negligence with regard to the proper nursing of the deceased.