INQUEST NEAR AKAROA.
An inquest was held at Mr T. S. Baker's house, at French Farm, before Justin Aylmer, Esq., Coroner, and fourteen jurymen, of whom Mr A. I. McGregor was chosen foreman, on the body of Harriet Hunt.
Stephen Hunt, sworn, deposed: I am a farmer, residing at French Farm, and am husband of the deceased. Deceased was thirty-three years of age. She was the mother of twelve children. She was confined last Thursday week. Mrs George Giddens attended her during her confinement. Deceased seemed to be recovering up to the 20th. I sent to the Head of the Bay for a medical man. He came on Tuesday afternoon, and prescribed for her. He attended her every day until her death, on Saturday morning, Sept. 25. On Saturday morning early he told me it was a serious case, and I had better send for Dr Jennings. He said he could not give a certificate of death, as he had no diploma with him. I think there is one bottle of medicine administered by him in the house. I sent for Dr Jennings on Saturday morning. He arrived about ten o'clock. He saw deceased, and gave her a draught. She died immediately after. I sent for the doctor at the Head of the Bay because I thought he was a competent person. He has attended my son, prescribed for him, and took a fee. Deceased had previously to this been a healthy woman.
By a Juror: The doctor from the Head of the Bay said he had his diploma in Melbourne. He thoroughly led me to believe that he was a medical man.
Maria Giddens, sworn: I am the wife of George Giddens, residing at French Farm. I attended the deceased, Harriet Hunt, during her confinement, which took place on Sept. 16. There was no medical man present. I have attended her on two previous occasions. I noticed a change on Monday, Sept, 20. She appeared on that day light-headed. She had been out of bed on Sunday for a few minutes, but not out of the room. The windows were not open. She was sitting up in bed on the next day after her confinement reading a book. She was suckling her child. On Sept. 21, a medical man came from the Head of the Bay. I was there when he arrived. He asked her how she felt. She said she was a little light-headed. He sent her some medicine to make her sleep. He attended her every day. He said she had evidently caught cold. He was sober. No other medical man was called in until Saturday morning. I was there when Dr Jennings arrived. Mrs Hunt was then alive.
By a Juror: Previous to Dr Jennings' arrival, I thought deceased was dying.
By the Foreman: The medical man from the Head of the Bay treated her himself, and left me directions about the medicine. She was conscious until the day of her death.
Edwin Edson Gruber, duly sworn: I am a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, and have been practicing as a chemist. I was called upon to attend the deceased. I found the deceased suffering from fever, low, and light-headed. I gave her a fever mixture. I was sent for again on Friday, Sept. 24, at 11.30 p.m. I found she was suffering from congestion of the lungs. I put on a mustard plaster on her chest, and an oatmeal one on her back. I administered aromatic spirits of ammonia, and some weak brandy and water. I prescribed, and put on a fly blister on her back and ordered a bran poultice to be put on her chest. I ordered Dr Jennings to be sent for. I have prescribed for Mr Hunt's son, but not professionally, I did not ask deceased or anyone else to engage me for the confinement. Nothing was said about the confinement. The boy is not under my care now. What I gave him at first, I considered sufficient. I have been acting as a chemist for about four or five weeks, at the Head of the Bay.
By a Juror: I did not think it necessary to tell anyone that I was a qualified practitioner. I have only charged for medicine.
By a Juror: I first saw deceased on Tuesday afternoon. I think I missed a day, and did not see her on Wednesday. I prescribed a draught on Thursday.
By the Coroner: I have sent a prescription to Mr Chadwick, chemist, Akaroa, but did not charge.
William Oscar Jennings: I am a legally qualified practitioner, residing in Akaroa. I was called to see deceased on Saturday morning, Sept. 25. I found her breathing with great difficulty, unconscious, almost pulseless, and every sign of approaching death. As I had formed some idea of the nature of the case, I brought the necessary medicine with me. I examined her chest, and found her breathing with only the right lung. I gave her some spirits of ammonia and brandy and water, but she did not swallow it. She almost immediately died. I made a post mortem examination of her body on Sept. 26. I found the left lung collapsed, the right lung in a natural condition, a large clot of recent formation filled the right side of the heart, and on the left side of the heart is a clot which has existed for some time. As these were sufficient causes of death, I did not think it necessary to make any further examination.
By a Juror: I think that what she was suffering from would have proved fatal, even if I had attended her from the first. The clots are the occasional result of moving about too soon after confinement.
Cross-examined by Sergeant Ramsay: I do not think that the treatment of the man from the Head of the Bay accelerated her death.
The Jury found the following verdict: "That Harriet Hunt came by her death at French Farm, on Sept. 25, from natural causes."
The Jury attached the following rider, viz: "That they wish to draw the attention of the proper authorities to the custom of persons practicing as medical men, without having complied with the requirements of the "New Zealand Medical Practitioners Register Act."
Source: Lyttelton Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 4565, 30 September 1875.
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1841 - 1875 (34 years)
Has no ancestors and no descendants in this family tree.
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