INQUESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 9 April 1926, Page 7

INQUESTS.

HEART FAILURE. Yesterday afternoon the District Coroner (Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M.), hold an inquiry into the death of Olive Agnes Cleland, aged 45, who died suddenly at her home on Wednesday afternoon.

Sergeant Peterson conducted the inquest for the police. Robert G. Cleland, fanner, residing between Sutherlands and Cave, stated that on Wednesday afternoon liis wife hurried to him to give him a message in connection with the illness of a child of one of his employees. He was then some distance away, working at the bottom of' a. rather steep hill. After delivering the message, Ins wife returned to the house. When speaking to her at the foot of the hill, his wife was quite calm, but he could not sa.v whether she hurried up the hill or not. That was the last be saw of her alive. Deceased had not complained of any illness during the past. few years; in fact she had been very well. Beatrice'Baker,' an employee of Mr C.'eland’s, stated that on Wednesday | afternoon deceased received a tele- | phono message regarding an employee’s child, and left the house to take the I message to Mr Cleland. Deceased roI tin ned later and helped to get the emI ployee, whoso child was ill, away to ITimaru. She was only occupied for a. ] minute or two, and then went into the washhouse to wash some clothes. She • finished this work, and had commenced ' to wring them, when she called out to I witness. Witness at first answered the cal! only,.but then went into the washhouse where deceased had collapsed over the tub. Witness bathed dc--1 coiised’s head, but she did not speak. On Tuesday deceased complained of a I pain in her head, but that wns the first 1 time she had ever made any complaint, i Philip Blaxland Bonham, medical 1 practitioner. residing at Pleasant Point, stated that he was called to the : residence of Mr Cleland on Wednesday I afternoon, and found Mrs Cleland [dead. Pie performed a post-mortem, cxi animation, but this disclosed little. ! The arteries were in fair order, excepting the coronary arteries which were slightly thickened as a result of exertion. The. heart was normal without fatty degeneration of the muscles, and ! the brain was quite normal, there be- ] ing no evidence of haemorrhage. The Coroner returned a verdict that ! death was due to heart failure after ex--1 ecssive exertion, which was hastened bv disease of the coronary arteries.

CHILD’S SUDDEN DEATH. An inquest concerning the death of Adie McKay, aged 12 months, who ■ died suddenly at her parents’ residence, 36 Alaltby Avenue, on Monday last, was heard before the District I Coroner, Air E. D. Aloslcy, S.AI., on j Wednesday. Evidence of identification was given I by Andrew McKay, father of deceased, j He stated that deceased was 12 months I old on the day of her death. In the ' morning the child was playing around | the house apparently in her usual I health, and in the afternoon went to ! the Bay , with her mother. She returnled -'at about a quarter to five, and they ! noticed that the child was not well. Alr.s AlcKav was preparing the child ! for bed when the little girl collapsed, j Medical aid was immediately obtained, | hut on arrival tlie doctor could only I pronounce life to be extinct. Dr: Usshcr stated that at 5 p.m. on I the sth insr,., he was called to the rcsij deuce of Air McKay, where ho found the child apparently lifeless. An examination revealed that life was extinct and afterwards on the instruction of the" Coroner,' lie performed a post mortem examination. He considered that death was caused by syncope, due to lowered vitality on top of a diseased heart. : • . A verdict in , accordance, with the medical evidence was returned.