Stating that he would probably have to give a written judgment at the hearing for an application for a decree nisi in the case of R.M.R.S.
Graciev. J.K. Graciein HM Supreme Court last" Wednesday morning, Judge P. Grant Jones. subsequently. granted a decree nisi. When the case! opened Judge Grant Jones held that the petitioner should have asked in her pleadings for judicial discretion for delay and for desertion in addition to adultery. These points, however. were cleared in evidence. Mr. K. E-Newman appeared for the petitioner. The case wee undefended, though }Paul Premet, counsel for the respondent, was present in court, Ingyest on Mr. N. Widler the close of the inquest on Mr. Ned (Nsoum) Widler in HM. Police Court, on Monday, Oct. 7, the Coroner, Mr, C, H. Haines, said he now had full detail of the symptoms from which Mr. Widler was suffering and he would give his finding on Friday.
"This is an extraordinarily com: plicated case," the Coroner said, "and want to make some further inquiries before 1 make my decision. The suggestion of Dr. Rosenzweig, who treated Mr. Widler, is that he was suffering from poison fumes, but, owing to the fact that the body was Embalmed before the post-mortem examination was made, no trace of poison can be found."
"At a previous hearing, Dr. S. Squires, "who conducted the post-mortem examination on the bod; Slated that there was enough dence to account for death from natural causes, but he could not be sure thet no poison was present, as might have been destroyed by the embalming fluid.
'Mr. Elly Widler, a brother of the! deceased, sald:—"About 7.30 pin. on Saturday night, September 21, I received a telephone call from the lan' Tord of the house where my brother was staying. I got into my car and went there and I found my brother was lying down on his bed. He was yelling. You could hear it three fights of steps down, He said to me:—'My legs and arms are harden ing up, 1 think I am dying: call a doctor.' I telephoned the General [Hospital for an ambulance. They told me they did not have one, They Zave me a telephone number and T the Fire Brigade. 1 told the Fire Brigade where to come and they took my brother to. hospital."
Mr. Widler said that his brother told him he had inhaled poison-gas twice.
"The Coroner—Did he say what kind of fumes he had inhaled?—No, Continuing, Mr. Widler said id not go down to the hospital. I was trying to get a doctor in the meantime. I went to the hospital at about 9 pin. I saw my brother Tooking very white and in a dying T asked Dr, Chambers attend to him. He told me he was only' there to give first he had done. He could not do any more.
"The nurses took up some time arranging the question of payment, Te seemed to me that the payment was primary and the man's life was 2 secondary consideration at the hospital."
Mr. Widler said he then telephoned Dr. Rosenzweig, and told his brother to tell Dr. Rosenzweig exactly what "The Coroner—What did he say? Did you hear?—I heard him tell the doctor that he had inhaled certain poison-gases. He mentioned chemicals. I did hear "cyanide" and I did hear "permanganate".
Dr. Rosenzweig, Mr. Widler said gave his brother an injection which caused him to scratch himself wildly. Hig brother was constantly asking for rauk, which was given to him. Later, the doctor gave him a second inject" tion and he became quieter and his colour came back:
The Corcner—Did your brother say how he inhaled these fumes?—He aid Have you reason to believe he would do it deliberately?—I do not think so.
Det.-Serg. S. D. F, Watson said that on the afternoon of September 28 he went to the Polyfoto Studio, where the deceased worked, and found sixteen bottles of chemicals. He was unable to learn whether the deceased had gone to the studio that morning, but he had reason to believe Mr. Widler had been experimenting with photography. The room Mr. Widler worked in was a bathroom, and when the door was closed there was no free ventilation. No chemicals were found in the house where the decoated lived.
Dr. I. Rosenzweig, a medical practitioner, who attended the late Mr. Ned (Naoum) Widler, at the General Hospital, a few hours Latter expired on September 22. was: severely reprimanded by the Coroner, Mr. C. H. Haines, in HM. Police Court, on Friday afternoon, when the Inquest was closed.
The finding of the Coroner was that Mz. Widler died at the General Hospital on September 22 of some acute Bitection, the cause of which st was Impossible to determine, as all traces cof possible poison were destroyed by the: process of embalming.
"The Coroner said that Dr. Rosen zweig had no right either to sign the bars, death certificate, allowed the body to be removed from the hospital and to be embalmed by the undertakers, or to issue the certificate the terms he did.
Ata previous hearing Dr. Rosen-
He ad. mitted that he added the words "due to unknown poisoning" when the death certificate was returned to him Tora more definite statement, The Coroner also reprimanded Dr. Rosenzwelg for not informing the police of the death of the deceased. Dr. Rosenzweig's own explanation, that it wag the duty of the hospital thorities to inform the police, the Coroner said, "merely a child act on the part of Dr. Rosenzwelg to lace the responsibility on to same+ ne else's shoulders."
"AL the time the body was removed from the hospital," the Coroner, continued, "the only' person who new that death was suspicious was Dr. Rosenzweig himself, I am satisfied, from the evidence of Dr. Chambers this afternoon, that it is the responsibility of the doctor attending. the patient to notify the police, and Dr. Rosenzweig Is entirely wrong in star. ing that it was not his duty."
In conclusion, the Coroner said that, although he did not think any blame was attached to the undertakers, he could not stress too strong ly. the dangers of embalming a body where there was the slightest cusplfon as to the cause of death.
Before the Coroner gave his find ing, Dr. G. Chambers, of the Shanghai [General Hospital, who attender the deceased before Dr. Rosenzweig ar-fived was recalled to ive further evidence.
The Coroner first briefly ran through the evidence given by Mr. Elly Widler, a brother of the deceased, at a previous hearing. feoncluded by saying:—"There is istinet suggestion that the deceased was not properly attended to, Now, what exactly did happen?
Dr. 'Chambers said' the deceased was brought into the General Hospital in a dying condition, "Tw called." he said, "and went to the accident room at once and remained with Mr. Widler for about 1% hours and ordered what, treatment considered necessary."
The Cofoner—Did you know any> thing about the deceased having jed_polsonous fumes?—He told me he had been experimenting with photographic chemicals and had inhaled some of the fumes.
Did you think there was anything in thai?—At the time, T only. consldered this incidental, as he did not show any known symptoms of po: sonous gases, in my opinion.
'Then. what is the practice of the hospital? Is it that patients are not received unless they can pay fues?—The instruction 1s that, in caves of emergency, they should' be admitted, but a guarantee shall be obtained from the nearest relatives after a mission, Dr. Chambers added that, when the took a turn for the worse, the sister who was in attendance telephoned to. Dr. Rosenzweig, and asked if he had any further instructions. Mr. E, Widler was also informed of his brother's condition, to ive him the opportunity to go to the hospital it he wished.
"The Coroner drew the attention of Dr. Chambers to Dr, Rosenzweig's re. mark that It was ihe duty of the hospital "authorities to inform the [police of the suspicious circumstance Resident Medical OMicer, havi rendered rst ald, his responsibility ceased when he had informed a private doctor concerning the patient's condition, and given particulars of services Tendeted As to informing the police, Dr. Chambers said that, if a doctor told him the death of a patient was [through poisoning, he would advise him that the matter ought to be reported to the police and, if the doctor Felused to do so, he would do it him-
Finally, the Coroner asked Dr. Chambers if, in his opinion as a medical man, the wording some in-oxidation" on the death certifeate was cause for suspicion to be aroused concerning tha person's death.
Dr. Chambers replied that he did [not consider it suspicious.
"Turning to Mr. Widler, brother of the deceased, the Coroner asked whether he-had anything more to say, or wished any further questions to be put.
Mr, Widler said he had not.
Commenting on Dr. Chambers' conduct, the Coroner said:—"T must say that Dr. Chambers did everything Fensunably possible for your brother Until the arrival of your own doctor.
The Coroner, after giving his verdict, said he was satisfied that there was no suspicion of, foul play for that death was due to poison selt-administered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.