The is the story of a Blantyre man wrongly diagnosed with tragic consequences.
At a meeting of Blantyre Parochial Board in early January 1893, some discussion took place regarding the death of a man named Andrew Hamill, residing at Baird’s Rows, Stonefield.
It was stated that Hamill took ill early in November 1892, and Dr M’Pherson, Bothwell, declared the man to be suffering from enteric fever. (Typhoid). However, the man was not removed to the hospital.
After a good deal of dispute between the Local Authority and the Blantyre Parochial Inspector as to who was liable, Dr J. C. Wilson, Blantyre, and Dr M’Pherson, Bothwell, eventually instead, certified the man insane, and he was duly removed by the parochial authorities to Greenock Asylum.
On arrival there the governor expressed some doubt as to the case being one for madness and to end up in an asylum, but admitted the patient anyway on the advice of the doctors. It appeared at the time of admission, he was ill, delirious, rather than insane. Sadly, after a period of four weeks the man died in Greenock, and in communicating with the Parochial Board the governor commented severely on the course followed, as from first to finish, it is stated, the case was one of enteric fever, and should have been sent to the hospital.
The certificate of death shows enteric fever, and some investigations were later made as to whether the case was duly notified to the Local Authority; and, if so, why the patient had not been removed to the hospital earlier.
AI imagines the scene.
