The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-12-11 00:00:00

CHARGE AGAINST A BONE-SETTER

On Friday an inquest was commenced before Mr. Curry,
the borough coroner, touching the death of a man named
John Doran, who on the preceding Monday had been
seriously injured in the chest by falling into the hold of a
vessel called the Franconia, lying in the Waterloo Dock.
He died on Wednesday last. Soon after the accident Mr.
Kelly, surgeon, applied a plaster to deceased's chest, and
took other means to recover him, and he was taken home.
James Doran, brother of deceased, said that the latter was
severely hurt in the back, sides, and breast. The breast
bone was broken, and be was attended by Mr. Evan
Thomas, the bone-setter, who removed the plaster from
his breast, and had a dozen leeches applied instead, after
which deceased became worse and died. Mr. Richard
Hutchinson, surgeon, said he was called to deceased on
the Monday evening, and found him in a yery weak state,
with fracture of the sternum. Deceased had then a plaster
on his chest. He considered everything had been done
by the previous surgeon that was required and left. Next
morning he recommended to him a mixture of ammonia
and choleric ether, and ordered warmth to be applied to
the extremities. as he considered the case required active
stimulants. On his next visit in the afternoon, he found
the patient much worse, greatly exhausted, and in a cold
clammy sweat. On inquiry he learned that leeches
had been applied, which accounted for the prostration
that had taken place. He ordered the leeches to be dis-
continued, and stimulants, such as beef tea, &c., to be
given. He considered the bleeding decidedly improper—
nothing could have been worse. The patient declined and
died. He was of opinion that the person who ordered
bleeding shewed gross ignoranceindeed culpable rash-
ness. Mr. Evans was sent for, and the facts were stated
to him ; also that a post mortem examination would be
made, and he might send a surgeon if he thought fit to
watch the operation. The inquest was then adjourned
till the following day.

On Saturday the inquest was resumed, and such was
the interest and curiosity excited, that the court was
crowded. Amongst those present were a considerable
number of surgeons. Mr. Godfrey, solicitor, and Mr.
Trench, M.D., appeared for Mr. Thomas.
Mr. Richard Hutchinson was recalled. His evidence
was to the following effect :—lle had examined the body
in presence of Dr. Kelly, who was assisting him (witness.)
Dr. Trench and Mr. M'George were present on behalf of
Mr. Thomas. There was no appearance of injury exter-
nally. The marks of twelve leech bites were on the chest.
There were two fractures of the sternum or breast bone,
requiring a plaster ; three sets of fractures of the ribs, two
in front on each side the sternum, and the third set on
the right side, broken towards the back ; also several ribs
broken on the left side, the eighth in two places. In the
interior of the breast bone some blood was effused, which
had been increased in some degree by the leeches near
the skin, The lungs and heart had escaped primary in-
jury. The lungs were congested. In the left one there
was a pint of bloody serum, and half a pint in the cavities
of the chest. Death was (in witness's opinion) produced
by two causes—the shock to the nervous system by the
injuries, from which the patient never rallied, and the
congestion of the lungs. The latter was the result of the
fall. The post mortem examination did not shake the
witness's previous opinion. If Mr. Thomas ordered
leeches, and removed the plaster, exposing the breast to
the cold, he showed gross ignorance in the treatment of
the case. The three causes combined would accelerate
death. He thought deceased would not ultimately have
recovered from such severe injuries, but he might have
lived longer.
Cross-examined by Mr. Godfrey.—The pleura was not
injured, nor the lungs either, by the removal of the plas-
ter. If the lungs had been torn, I would have perceived
it. The lungs were more or less congested. If witness
had a case of congestion of the lungs to treat, in connec-
tion with serious injury, as in this case, and in which there
was a state of collapse, he would use stimulants, and avoid
depressing means, until reaction was established ; and his
object in this treatment would be to restore the balance
of the circulation. Such reaction from stimulants would
not be likely to produce inflammation of the sub-
stance of the lungs, in the condition in which the patient
then was. Collapse sometimes takes place immediately
after a severe injury. The amount of injury which deceased
received was quite sufficient to cause collapse immediately
after the accident. He did not think a man with such
injuries as the deceased had received could walk up a