INQUESTS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXI, Issue 4056, 2 June 1879, Page 2

INQUESTS.

An inquest was held at Littlewood's Ship Hotel, on Saturday afternoon, before C. H. Borlase, Esq., Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr J . Crouch waß foreman, on the body of Peter McComish, found iv the river on the morning of the same day. The following evidence was taken : Peter Bell deposed :— I have seen the body lying here. I identify it as the body of Peter McOomish. He has lived about Wanganui for the last twenty years as a schoolmaster. I last saw him about a week ago on Taupo Quay. He appeared to be sober them, aid seemed to be dressed as he is now. He used to be in temper tae at times. Dr .Earle deposed :— I have made a superficial examination of the body of the deceased. I did not notioe any marks of violence. It presented the ordinary appearance of a body subjected to the influence of water for a week or ten days. I see no reason for supposing that death was caused in any other way then t liat of drowniag. David Stitt deposed : — This morning about half-past eight I was on Duncan and York's Wharf. I saw the body of ( deceased lying there jammed between one ! of the piles and a stringer of the wharf. ! The body was in the water, but the head and part of the shoulders were above the water. It was low water at this time. I have no doubt that the next tide would have washed the body away from the wharf again. Ido not think that the body cquld have been there long. Directly I saw the body I went and reported- to the police. Ido not think the deceased could have fallen from the wharf to the plaok where I first saw the body. '"* i The following verdict was returned :— The jury finds that the body of the deceased, Peter McOomish, was found drowned in the Wanganui River on the 31st day of May, 1879, but that there is no evidence to show how ho became drowned. An inquest was held at the Coach and Horses Hotel on the body of Francis C. McCulloch, aged one month, before Dr J. D. Tripe, J.P., coroner, when the following jury were sworn :— Joseph William Eobinson (chairmau), Joseph Richard Oakley, James Ains worth, Chas William Turner, Thos Holt, John William Armstrong, John McDonald, Joseph Ledlam, Jas McDonald, Silas Wall, Nicholas Henry, William Henry. Mary Mahony deposed that the deceased was her grand-child. It was a month old. They had noticed coughing last , Monday. On Wednesday the moth6t' of the child went to Mr Williamson, chemist, and told him how the child was, and brought a bottle of medicine back with her, which he had prescribed (bottle produced). Gave the child hilf the contents on Thursday night. She herself went to Williamson's, and told him that the child was no better. He gave me a mixture culled Irish Moss in a bottle. He told me to give the child five drops in little over half a teaspoonful of water. Grave the child the drops on Thursday night. On Tuesday morning I repeated the dose. I called again on Mr Williamson the same morning, and he told me to put three teaspoonfuls of Irish Moss mixture into the other bottle containing the cough mixture, and fill it up with water, and to give it one teaspoonful every hour. I gave the first dose about ten o'clock on Friday morning, and the second about 12 o'clock. The child slept as usual after the first dose ; it also slept again after the second dose. At about half-past 1 o'clock the mother took it up to give it a drink, and on her drawing my attention to the appearance of the child I noticed that it Bppeared inwardly convulsed ; the hands were clenched ; it was blue round the mouth. I went over for Dr Cole. He came and attended to the child, and remained until dusk. Dr Cole sent for DrSorley. Cole told me that the child was under the influence of Borne narcotic; . The child died at half-past 5 o'clock on Saturday morning. I did not measure the three teaspoons, but guessed the amount. By the jury— -Dr Cole shook up the child, and poured water over it, and gave it some emetics. He appeared endeavouring to keep it awake. Dr Sorley was present with the child while Dr Cole was away. * ' \, , Dr. George William Cole deposed— l am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing in Wanganui. t attended the deceased. I was called in at 2 o'clock on Friday. Mrs Mahoney, the last witness, came for me, saying she thought the child was dying. I went, snd found the child lying in a state of insensiblity, its hands were rigid, and clasped tightly; its lips were blue; the eyelids closed with difficulty. The face was pale, ami pulse weak. Upon raising tbe eyelids the pupils were found highly contracted, and immovable. The clothes round the neck were rather tight, ao I undressed it, and threw cold water over its head and face.

' hit roused it, and it opened its eyes. It rcry soon relapsed again. I saw then that It waa suffering from narcotic poisoning, tasked what had been given to the child. Mrs Mahony replied only some cough mixture, and -some Irian Moss mixture. I asked to see the bottles. She showed me two, one labelled Irish Moss, and the other an ounce asd c. half phinl, with label on it with directions, " one teaspoonfal every four hours." i a>a not positive about the direction, as I "nly glanced at the label. Mra Mahony said she had mixed some of the original cough mixture with the Irish Mos3. She first said in equal parts ; but afterwards she said that she had added some water. She showed me by the bottle the proportion of mizture and of Irish Moss. I sent to the chemist, from whom she obtained the mixture and the Irish Moss, and asked him to send me the formula of the cough mixture, which did not contain any narcotic. The Moss, he said, contained a smali proportion of paregoric. I gave it emetics. The child did not vomit. I then resorted to the usual means for rousing the patient. I applied galvanism. I was working away for hours, and then sent foa Dr Sorley. By the Coroner— The skin was pale | and cold. Doctor Sorley examined the patient, and seems to agree with me thai the child was suffering from narcotic poisoning. Jointly we ordered tartar emetic while waiting ; Dr Sorley promised to attend,to3the]child;whilo I was for an'hour away with another patient ; when I returned Dr Sorley told me that the emetic had taken effect, and the child had vomited ; while 1 was there the child vomited J'aeveralJltimes'; it was in a bad Btate, faint and exhausted, atill insensible. Dr Sorley then left, and I remained until 9 o'clock or later; when the child seemed better and I left, telling Mrs Mahony to keep it warm, poultice the cheß^and back, and give it an injection. Dr Henry Sorley"[examined— l am a duly qualified'inedical practitioner, residing in Wanganui. I [was called in on Friday afternoon, to see the'deceased by Dr Cole, he mentioned to me that he thought the child had^taken an overdose of some narcotic. I examined jthe child ;it was very faint, it appeared to be in a syncope more than anything else ; this was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon ; the pulse was weak, and quick, the perpils of the eyes were very much contracted,; skin cold but not {unusually moist. I could not form any distinct opinion at the time, but as it had^takenjeome medicine,^we wished it to be removed from the stomach ; the eraeticjwas changed and a prescription was sent to the "chemist for a solution of tarter emetic, and another; bottle of spirits of ammonia. It waswith the greatest difficulty that tho baby could swallow anything, but it took as much as produced the effect of vomiting ; this took place shortly before^ Dr v Cole's return ; as 1 was not required auy,longor I left. I saw a paper which purported to be a formula of the composition of the Irish Moss. I am not in, 'a position without performing a post mortem'; examination to give any opinion of the cause of death. By the Coroner— l accepted Dr Cole's statement,?that the child' wasj suffering from an overdose of some narcotic. I was not early enough present to form an opinion. Medicines had been given before I arrived, ao that I .'could not say what effect they might have had. 1 noticed that the child could be roused, but upon the means being withdrawn, it relapsed into insensibility. Hugh Belcher Williamson deposed— l am a chemist and druggist, residing in Wanganui. I recollect Mrs Mahony coming to my shop for medicine for a child. I prescribed a mixture— it did not contain any narcotic. The next day Mrs Mahony called, and said the mixture was not doing auy good. I advised her to try the Irish Moss. She took a bottle (produced, and identified). I told her to give five drops, and marked it on the bottle. She came again, and I said if she took a little out of the Irish Moss bottle, I believe I said a teaspoonful, and put it in the cough mixture bottle, and filled up with water, it would be easier to give it to the child. I cannot say how much I told her to give the child. I think a teaspoonful — one minim of the tincture of opium is contained in eighty minims of the compound Irish Moss. There are also three miniums of paregoric in each eighty minims. By the jury— A teaspoonful of the mixed cough mixture and Irish Moss would be about the same as five drops of the original Irish Moss composed. *Mrs Mahony told me when she first came that the child was suffering from a cold. There is not any Irish Moss in the compound called Irish Moss that I supply. lam not aware that an 'infant four weeks old died from the symptoms of poisoning by opium in severe throes, after a dose of paregoric elexir, equivalent to one«nineteenth of a gTain of opium, had been administered to it. The Irish Moss is not a patent medicine. I make it myself from a formula in my possession. I have sold it at the rate of a gallon per month, and have never heard any complaint. It does not contain so much opium as many of the patent soothing syrups sold generally. I always take the precaution to write the number of drops on the label when it is to be given to infants. Henry Sorley recalled— l heard Mr Williamson's evidence, and I also heard the Coroner read an extract from Dr Taylor's book, in which is a case reported by Dr Edwards, of Liverpool, stating that an infant, four weeks old, had died from the effects of one-nine-teenth of a grain of opium. Ido not believe the statement made by Dr Edwards, as I am acquainted wilh the authority. I did not see the child in Buch a state as could lead me to Btate positively that the child died from narcotic poisoning. So many emetics had been administered that the effects may have been modified. I did not see any marked characteristic of opium poisoning. The child had contracted pupils, and it was in a state of insensibility. Under the circumstances I cannot give any decided opinion. Dr Cole and myself quite agreed as to the treatment as regards emetics. I *as|desirous that the child should be kept awake. I thought the child was suffering from an overdose of some narcotic. . I have frequently seen children suffering from similar symtoms as the deceased and yet recover. ■ The verdict of the jury was, 'That they were of opinion that the child, Francis Catherine McCullocb, died from patuf al causes.'