The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-26 00:00:00

. -
ALLEGED NEGLECT OF &ICE P-42 IEN7 S

IN ST. LUKE'S WORKHOUSE.

A very lengthened inquiry was held on Wednes-
day night by Mr. Richards, deputy-coroner, re-
specting the death in St. Luke's Workhouse of an
inmate named Frederick James Tame, aged 39
years.

Mrs. M. A. Tame, 8, Bartholomew-square,
mother of the deceased, identified the body. llis
father, long since dead, was once a lawyer's clerk,
and he had been reduced to sell earthenware about

the streets. For twenty years he had suffered
from epilepsy, which slightly affected his mind ;
and for years past he was an inmate of
St. Luke's Workhouse. He complained to
witness that he was made to carry water,
&c , to and from the sick wards. He said
that if he objected he would be obliged to leave
the house. An extra. ration of bread and cheese
was given him for the performance of that duty.
George Evans, paid orardsman, said that the de-
c...ased was one of twenty-eight imbeciles under
his care in one ward. Ten of the imbeciles were
epileptics. Ile had -two old pauper attendants
under him. Their duties lasted fi om six in the
morning till ten at night, and as they had to wash
and attend to all the i a lbeciles, get then their food,
&c., they could not be expected to stay up
at night.
No one stayed up at night to watch the patients.
On Thursday night 1,1t3t deceased went to bed as
usual at eight o'clock. At half-past one in the
morning witness, will() had been out late,
and had not yet gone to bed, found de-
ceased in a fit. :He gave him a glass of
water, and recovered him, and then went to
bed. At six in the marning the bell rang, and as
deceased did not rise, done of the attendants went
to him and found that he was dead. He had been
dead about two hours. Evidently he had been seized
with a second fit, and being still weak from the first
he died in it.

Several of the jurors said that the system was
clearly in fault. If an attendant had been watch-
ing, the deceased would not have been allowed to
die in the second fit. Tliventy-eight imbeciles cer-
tainly required night attendance.
The witness said that fie thought so himself, and
had said so, but both he atid the pauper attendants
were fully occupied during the day. They all slept
in the ward, and were awakened by the patients
when any of them had a fit..
Dr. 11. C. Harris proved that decease] died front
epilepsy. He had been placed in the imbecile ward
for his better protection, on account of his being
subject to fits.

A juror asked if the doctor did not think it dan-
gerous to employ an epileptic patient like the de-
ceased to carry things up and down stairs to and
from the sick wards.
Dr. Harris said that it might have been better if
he had not been so employed, but no accident had
happened. The work was light, and another epi-
leptic, named Bob, and two other inmates, took it
in turns with him. If he objected he would not
have been turned out of the house. He did not
object, for he did not like to lose his extra ration of
bread and cheese.
The two pauper wardsmen were examined, and
they said that the slightest noise of a fit, &c., was
sufficient to awake them at night. But it appeared
that one of them heard nothing of the two fits the
deceased had on the night of his death, and the
other was only slightly disturbed by the first fit, and
he heard nothing at all of the second.
The jury returned a verdict : " That the deceased
was found dead from epilepsy from natural causes.
and the jury are of opinion that it is improper and
dangerous not to have an attendant to sit up during
the night in the imbecile ward, where there are 28
imbeciles, ten of whom are subject to epileptic
seizures ; and they request the coroner to forward
this verdict to the proper authorities."