H.—l

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3809. Have you many cases coming in of people brought in in a moribund condition, other than accident cases ?—A considerable number come in. 3810. Brought in apparently to die ?—Yes; they die within two or three days—generally old people. 3811. Not brought in with any hope of being cured?— That is so; they frequently have not the least hope. 3812. And from any distance?— Not a large number, but we get them occasionally. We have had three within the last three months sent in in a moribund condition from a distance. One was that of the man J——. 3813. This is a summary of the deaths in the four hospitals for last year?— Yes. 3814. It shows the causes of death?— Yes; I prepared it. 3815. It is summarised from the reports, is it not?— Yes, from the Eegistrar-General's reports. Most of the deaths come under the heading " Constitutional." 3816. Last year there were thirty-five out of the eighty-eight deaths under that heading?— Yes. 3817. And in Christchurch only fourteen out of ninety-six were brought under that head ?— Yes. 3818. What is the number of deaths in Christchurch?—Fourteen out of sixty-seven deaths. 3819. And in Wellington ? —Nine out of fifty-seven deaths, and nine out of 118 cases; and in Auckland, nineteen out of 141 cases, and nineteen out of ninety-two deaths. [Return put in : Exhibit xl.] 3820. What is this return ?—This is a list for one month of patients who have been more than two months in. 3821. Under your by-laws, patients ordinarily should not remain more than two months in the Hospital. [Handing document to witness.] This is a list for one month of patients who have been for more than two months in the Hospital ?—Yes. [Document handed in : Exhibit xli.] 3822. This is a return of amputations for 1880 and half of 1890 ?—Yes. [Document handed in : Exhibit xlii.] 3823. This is a list of operations in No. 7 ward and No. 1 ward in May, June, and July, and a description of the class of cases operated on ; also the result ?—There are two or three names in No. 7 ward who were not actually operated on in the ward, but who were taken from it to the operating-room, and then taken to another ward, and a week or so afterwards brought back to No. 7. [Document put in : Exhibit xliii.] 3824. This is a return of operations during 1888 ?—Yes ; it is an old one. 3825. Does it show all the operations?— All I could get together out of the books. There were two operations in January, 1888, which were not put down. It is copied from the reports. [Document handed in : Exhibit xliv.] 3826. This document is a list of operations for the last eighteen months by the different members of the staff?— Yes. 3827. The Chairman.'] Are they not published in the annual reports? —No. 3828. Mr. Chapman.] This is a list of gynecological cases for the first half of 1890 ?—Yes; they are Dr. Batchelor's cases, but there are other gynecological cases that are not in here. In this return the operation cases are marked red. [Document handed in : Exhibit xliv. (a).~\ 3829. This is a list of all cases of diseases peculiar to women during 1888 ?—Yes. ("Document handed in : Exhibit xlv.] 3830. This is the result of the post-mortem on and certificate in Mrs. S 's case?— Yes. [Document handed in : Exhibit xlvi.] 3831. These are copies of charts in several cases?— Yes. The first one is the copy of the chart of Kate W , from the date of admission to the 24th July; the second is Mrs. S 's chart, from date of entry to date of death—Mrs. S was the patient next to Kate W ; and the third is Mrs. T— —'s, from the date of admission for several days afterwards. [Documents handed in : Exhibit xlvii.] 3832. Now, there are ono or two matters that I want to speak to you about. Ido not want to inquire too particularly into your private affairs. It has been suggested that you were ill from living in the Hospital?—l was ill. 3833. How long ago ?-—ln February. 3834. What was the matter?—lnfluenza—the result of influenza, at any rate. 3835. Have you reason to think you have been suffering from living in the vitiated atmosphere in Dunedin Hospital ?—I suppose I have suffered to some extent from the confinement. 3836. But from any conditions of the atmosphere?—l have no reason for thinking so. 3837. We have been told that the nurses in the Dunedin Hospital are anaemic—l suppose we may say sickly—from the conditions under which they live in the Hospital ?—I do not think any of them are specially so. One or two certainly are, but they were like that when they came in. Two only might be singled out as being anaemic. 3838. Are they weafc now ? —No; I do not think so. One certainly is. She rather broke down the other day, but she is the last appointed. I think no one could say the other one was sickly. 3839. Apart from those two, are the nurses in good health ? —I think most of them are at present. One or two of them were ill some time back. 3840. Have some of them had influenza this year?— Several of them had influenza at the time it was about, but since then one or two have been ill. 3841. Nurse Caffyn was mentioned as being ill?— Yes; she was laid up. 3842. She went to Melbourne ?—Yes ; and is back on duty to-day for the first time. 3843. What caused her to go away ? —She had a sore throat—an attack of acute tonsilifcis— pneumonia, and it was also said she had meningitis,