The morning call., 1891-01-17
HE DID NOT WAKE.
James Cunningham Dies While
on an Operating Table.
An Inferno Administers the Chloroform While
DR.. Mclean Operates Death Said to Have
Been Caused by Heart Failure.

James Cunningham, patient at the City
and County Hospital, met his death whlle
being operated upon at that institution on
last Saturday morning. The pains wllch
were taken by the hospital officials to con-
ceal the circumstances OF the patient IN
fortunate end gave rise to number OF ugly
rumors both in and out of the hospital.
Cunningham was the victim of very
dangerous sease-inflammation of the blau-
der. After having been short while at
the hospital it was determined to perform
an operation on him. When surgery day
came around Cunningham was placed on the
operating table and all the necessary lnstru-
ments for the delicate operation were gov
ready. The patient seemed hardy ana
strong enough TO bear what was about to be
done with him. The operator was Visiting
Physician DR.. Robert Mclean. Around hlm
were the surgical internes, as well as sew
eral from other wards, who gain their prac-
Iical surgical knowledge by witnessing now
older physc ians handle the scalpel
Chloroform was administered TO the pa
tient by the chief inferno of the ward. Cum
ningham relapsed into unconsclousness.
The operation was then begun, and eXecuteu
with the deXterity and ease OF an OLD prac-
titioner. DR.. Mclean explained the case as
he went along. The operation was over. IL
was thought to have been a success. Ana 50
it was. Cunningham was dead. Every
body present was aStonished at this uneA-
pected occurrence.
THOUGHT TO BE THE END OF IT.
Cunningham's body was given to the I'M
dertaker He was buried, and that was
thought to have been the end of him by lhe
hospital practitioners. His death certihcate.
stating that he had died from heart failure;
was signed. Cunningham's heart had
failed to beat just after he received his dose
of chlorofOrm. OF course he was not gwen
too much. Equally certain Is 1t that the
operators did not know the dangerous con
dIti0n of Cunningham'S heart before Tie
anesthetic was administered.
How knowledge of the facts OF the case
leaked out the hospital officials cannot eX-
plain, for it is due to them to say that they
exercised the utmost clrcu inspection III con-
ceaiing the circumStan ceS OF Cunningham
death. The case, however, soon became
known. and the current explanation OF the
patients death was that he had been given
TOO much chloroform through the neg gence
or ineXperence OF the inferno.
VERY RETICENT.
A reporter OF The CALL visited the hos
pital yesterday with a view of discovering
the true facts of the case lie stated the
object of his visit. Resident Physician
Bradbury was seen. Strange to say he had
never heard of Cunningham's death. or OF
any man having died from the effects OF an
aneSIIeIlc WHllb on luG operating ldple'
And yet the case had been almost the sole
topic of conversation in the hospital since
its occurrence. After a little greasng of
the wheels of memory, DIR. Bradbury's rec
objection did roll back to the TACT Of a man
having died as stated. Yes, be believed
such to have been fact, but he did not
know much about the case. The death was
purely an accident. As lie understood 1t, 1t
was the fault OF none of the operators.
Such things were bound to occur in the best
OF hospitals and among the most eminent
practitioners. He was positive that Gun
nngham had died from heart failure. aud
not from too much of the anesthetlc. On
the part of DR.. Bradbury as we'll as other
interested parties seen in regard 10 the case,
there were expressed the sentiment that any
publication Of the facts of the affair would
be unwiSe, as it tended to hurt the hospital.
They could not understand that human
lite lost under unusual circumstances should
always be a subject of investigation. The
very caution and pTetensionS OF ignorance
regarding the circumstances of Cunning
hams death tended to rouse suspicion, while
a frank and public statement of the occur
renee would probably have at once and
without adverse comment settled the entire
matter.
HEART FAILURE.
DR.. Robert Mclean, who performed the
operation, was seen IN his office and asked
about the case. he talked very freely and
frankly OF the matter, saying:
Il personally attended as visiting physi-
clan the patient you speak OF. He died
during the operation. The operation was
for inflammation of the bladder. He was
given far less chloroform than is usually ad-
ministered in such cases. lie had every at
tention. He died from heart failure, and
would probably have died if no chloroform
had been Administered. He could have
died from nothing else, as the anesthetic
given him was less than the usual dose"
Was the chlorOf0rm administered under
your supervision ?" asked the reporter.
NO" was the answer; but | directed
that the dose given be small. 1t was given
by one of the internes whose name l do not
rec0llect."
WAS any post-mortem examination made
to see what had caused Cunningham's
death?"
No; it was unnecessary. The man died
from heart failure, which was very plain to
me. When a man dies from all anesthetic
it can only be proven in negative way"
FRIGHTENED TO DEATH.
DR.. Mclean then went on to explain how
die of heart failure. He related how DIR.
Toland while in the best OF health had died
after reaching the top Of his own stairs, the
eXertOn being too much for him. The
phrase frightened to death" was no mean
ingless one. An unexpected slap on the
shoulder has been known to cause death.
DIR. Mclean said that there were many
cases where patients had died under just
the same circumstances as Cunningham,
and such cases could not be foreseen or
prevented.
at is the hand of God" he concluded.
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