An eye specialist’s consulting room
Alice Harris was in good spirits, and quite sure she wanted to proceed with eye surgery. She had travelled from Kihikihi in September 1894 to stay with her sister-in-law Ellen Lampra at Wakefield Street, Auckland.
Alice was 52, the wife of Johnson Harris, Kihikihi bootmaker. She had a painful right eye and had been unwell for many months. The day after arriving in Auckland she went to see Dr Wilkins at his surgery in Shortland Street.
He told Alice that nothing would ease the severe pain but removal of the eye. Unfortunately, she had left it too long before consulting a physician, otherwise the operation could have been performed and the eye saved. He told her to go and talk with her friends before making a final decision.
She returned the next day with Ellen and a friend, Mrs Loggie. She had told Ellen and Mrs Loggie that she had made up her mind to have the operation. Dr Wilkins administered about two drachms of chloroform which worked quickly and then removed the eye, the procedure taking eight minutes. After the surgery Ellen went into the operating room as Alice regained consciousness. She soon sat up and began talking cheerfully. Dr Wilkins was not busy that afternoon and let her remain in the surgery until about 3.30pm. Alice then put on her clothes and gloves, walked to a cab, and was driven to Ellen’s.
Once home Ellen and Mrs Loggie undressed her and put her into bed. About an hour afterwards Alice appeared to faint. Dr Wilkins was sent for at seven and he arrived at eight. He at once gave Alice hot water and whisky and ordered a hot brick to be placed at her feet. He instructed that mustard poultices be applied over her heart, and hot flannels placed on her stomach and legs. She was in a very low condition, however, and died about nine o’clock.
At the inquest Dr Wilkins said he thought death was due to asthenia – an abnormal physical weakness – and that in no way was it caused by the chloroform. It was likely that the fatal result was partly attributable to nervous shock. An inquest jury, after a few minutes’ deliberation, found that Alice died from nervous exhaustion.
“Caused by what?” asked the coroner.
“As I am not a doctor I cannot say,” replied the foreman. “It is our opinion that there was no necessity to hold an inquest at all. We do not consider that any blame attaches to anyone for the death of the woman.”
The sad and unexpected news of Alice’s demise astonished many Kihikihi residents. Although she had been far from well for a while, her family was quite anticipating her return from Auckland in an improved condition.
Alice and Johnston were the parents of several adult children but tragically, four months previously their eldest daughter Elizabeth, 28, had died suddenly at Raglan.
“It would seem as though some people have far more than a fair share of trouble and bereavement,” observed the Waikato Times.
Alice was buried at Symonds Street cemetery, Auckland.
An eye specialist’s consulting room
