[Letters concerning the cases of Christina Cameron and David Hutcheon being considered by the House Committee of the Royal Infirmary.].

Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Letters concerning the cases of Christina Cameron and David Hutcheon being considered by the House Committee of the Royal Infirmary.]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ,, . , . •„ oases, denied, and persisted in her denial, until within a few hours of her delivery Of course although she, as s usual ™’ the carefully formed opinion that she was suffering under dropsy from disease of the rvei^comhinetTwdth pregnancy. Appended to this statement you will find the prescriptions, copied from the Infirmary hook, employed by me. seized ^ the paing. 0.f labour. I gave directions to the nurse to get a midwife ti> On the morning ofthe14tn s shou]d o^,, M 6 o’clock in the morning, after a speedy and safe delivery, she attend her, and to let me know nay ’ sitc(l b in the forenoon, the mother and child appeared to be progressing gave birth to a seven) mourns umu. j favourably. , „ , , tlie i5tli, the child died; the mother, however, continued apparently to improve till Sunday On the afteinoon of baft d though not removed, being better; the dropsy, ascitic and anasaecous, still remaining), afternoon, the 16 ( P‘ . , their appearance. She died on Monday the 17th, at half-past six m the evening, when symptoms of Peritonitis made then appuuaiu j (Signed) T. C. Morison. CORRESPONDENCE, Mr. Morison to Mr. Smith. Montrose, May 20, 1852. r,rvp Sir—Having tost heard that you have been making remarks about a patient of mine in the Royal Infirmary,, named Cameron, who lias dierl in childbed, to'the effect that I liad completely mistaken the nature of the case, and that, not beta-aware of her pregnancy, was erroneously treating her for dropsy, I now beg to ask you if tins be the case-,f so, your own°sense of justice will „o doubt point out the necessity of at once naming your authority for such statements. 1 J I am, dear Sir, yours truly, T. C. Morison. J. Smith, Esq., R.N. Mr. Smith to Mr. Morison. Montrose, 20th May, 1852. Dear Sir—In reply to yours just received, I beg to acquaint you that I was informed by Dr. Johnston that a patient i in the Infirmary, entered in the books as a case of dropsy, had been delivered of a child. I am, yours truly, of yours T. C. Morison, Esq. James Smith. Mr. Morison to Mr. Smith. Montrose, May 20, 1852. Dear SirI am favoured witli your note of this date. In the letter I sent you this morning, I stated that I had been o-iyen to understand that you accused me of mistaking the nature of the case, not being aware of the fact of pregnancy, and erro¬ neously treating it as one of dropsy. You have avoided referring to’ these points. I must therefore again trouble you to say whether Dr. Johnston’s information extended that length. Yours truly, T. C. Morison. J. Smith, Esq., R,N, Mr. Smith to Mr. Morison, Montrose, 21st May, 1852. Sir,—The words underlined in your last are not mine, and I have already given my authority for what I did say. 1 am, your obed. servant, James Smith. T. C. Morison, Esq. Mr, Morison to Mr. Smith, Montrose, May 21st, 1852. Sir,—I have shown both your letters to my authority for the offensive expressions used by you in reference to Cameron’s ease, and lie most distinctly asserts that such as I alleged, or other words of a precisely similar nature, were those used by you on the occasion referred to. Under these circumstances, therefore, I assume the matter, as told to me, to he substantially correct, and that the particulars, as stated by yourself during the conversation, were reported by Dr. Johnston. Upon these premises I shall act, unless I hear from you to the contrary. Yours obediently, T. C. Mortson0 J. Smith, Esq., R.N.