Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-03
DUE To OHlOROFORM
DEATH OF MRS. KATE 8. KILPAT-
RICK IN A HOSPITAL.
Relatives Of Deceased Not Satisfied
With Investigation Made-What
Coroner hewitt Says.

The funeral of Mrs. Kate Fitzpatrick, who
died at the Casualty Hospital last Wednes-
day while under the influence of an anes-
thetic, occurred from her late home. 1883
E street northeast, yesterday afternoon.
The interment was in Glenwood cemetery.
Mrs. Fitzpatrick was taken to the hospital
to be treated for a fracture of her wrist
She received the injury by falling upon
a slippery pavement while on her way to
the home Of her daughter, Mrs. Eula Saw
yer, IO5 7th street northeast. Mrs. Kill
patrick reached the house of her daughter
shortly after she met with the accident.
1t was about II o'clock in the morning
when the accident occurred, the injured
woman being taken to the hospital in the
hospital ambulance about noon. A few
minutes after reaching the hospital she was
dead.
Coroner hewitt viewed the body at the
hospital. and had Deputy Coroner Glaze
brook perform an autopsy. The autopsy,
the coroner says. showed that the woman
had heart trouble, but it was not such as
could have been determined by casual
examination, the valve not having been
affected. The death Of Mrs. Fitzpatrick. he
stated, was due to the ch}oroform that was
administered at the hospital, the certln-
cate given by the coroner stating that
death was accidental. Coroner hewitt says
that he made an investigation o fthe wom-
ans death, and was assured by the res
ident physician at the hospital that the
physician who administered the chloroform
was perfectly competent to do the work.
Il Not Licensed Here.
The physician, he stated, assured him
that the one who administered the chloro-
form had acted in a similar capacity in
at least 125 cases. He said that the physi-
clan who was there to perform the opera
and the question of the right of such ply
sician to perform operations in a hospital,
DR.. hewitt said, is to be referred to Health
officer Woodward. 1t is the intention OF
the coroner to send communication to
the health officer explaining the circum-
stances connected with the case and ask
ing him regarding the right of a physician
to perform operations at a hospital when
he does not hold a license to practice medi-
cine here.
Mrs. Sawyer blames the hospital authori-
ties for her mothers death, saying the lat
ter was opposed to taking the chloroform
and that she only took 1t after she was
assured that there was no danger. She
says that her mother was near 18th and F
streets northeast when she slipped and fell
Her wrist panied her so much that she
stopped at the drug store of Harry T.
Smith, corner of Sth and streets, and re-
ceived temporary treatment. Later, Mrs.
Sawyer says, she accompanied her mother
to the hospital and was there when the
latter died. She says that her mother OBJ
jected to taking the anesthetic and that
she screamed several times while it was
being administered. Mrs. Sawyer says she
asked the physician to stop giving her
mother the chloroform when she feared she
could not stand 1t, but she says, the reply
was, I'm doing this"
Relatives Not Satisfied.
When her mother died, Mrs. Sawyer says,
one of the physicians turned to her and
told her that her mothers heart could not
stand the chloroform. Her mother, she
stated, told the physicians that nine
year-old member of the family had suffered
a similar injury last November and that
she did not take chloroform when the frac-
ture was set. She said that her mother
told the surgeons she was as well able to
stand the pain, as was the child.
Mr.. David Fitzpatrick, husband Of the de-
ceased, and other members Of the family
are not satisfied with the investigation that
has been made. Should they desire that an
inquest be held it will be necessary to dis
inter the body and summon a jury.
Physicians at the hospital told Coroner
hewitt that the course pursued in the case
of Mrs. Fitzpatrick was similar to that in
other cases of the kind. They deny that
Mrs. Fitzpatrick objected to taking the
chloroform. Coroner hewitt says that such
deaths have occurred in most of the hos
pitfalls in the city. He also stated that
relatives of Mrs. Fitzpatrick have not re-
uuested him to hold an inquest.