INQUEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1602, 2 July 1887, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Crown Hotel, Geraldine, on Thursday last, before H. C. S. Baddeley, Esq., coroner, and a jury of six of whom Mr W. Young was chosen foreman, on the body of Henry Middleinie, a child one year and two weeks old, that had died suddenly, on Monday last. William Middlemis, father of the child, being s»orn, said it had been sick about a week or eight days with whooping cough. No doctor was attending it. It died about 5.30 p.m. on Monday. The attack had not seemed very bad, and the usual remedies had been given. The child. bad seemed a little worse on Monday, but neither be nor bis wife thought there was any cause for alarm. Witness had three other children bad with the cough, and they had received the same treatment and were now recovering. Saw the child between three and feur on the Monday, when it was in its mother’s charge. She had said nothing about its being dangerously ill. Went to look at it again at ten minutes to six as it lay in the cradle and was surprised to find it dead. Went away immediately for two women, neighbors, who both pronounced it to be dead.

Dr F'sh, sworn, said I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing in Geraldine, On Monday evening, June 27th, Mr Middlemise came to my house and told me the child was dead. I made a’ post mortem examination since. Externally the child appeared to be well nourished. On examining in internally I found partly digested food in the stomach apparently milk, The lungs were very much congested but the other organs were hea'thy, 1 have no doubt the congestion of the lungs was the cause of death. It is a very common cause in whooping cough. Monday was a very cold day and a child of that age would feel it particularly in the state of health he was in.

To the foreman: No doubt medical treatment does good io whooping cough. The complaint is a common cause of death, and if a doctor had attended it the child would have had a better chance of iifo.

To the coroner : Ido not at all think there, was any neglect in this case, seeing that the father was treating the other children successfully. The lungs had been congested for some days. If the weather had been mild 'the child might have been alive now.

A verdict of “Death from natural causes *’ was