A good deal of attention has been drawn of late to the abuse of a safe guard which has been going on in various parts of the colony. We refer to the holding of unnecessary inquests by which the colonyis puttoexpense, and residents of the locality to inconveience for no earthly reason, “ Orowner’s quest ” as we understand it, was instituted as a safeguard against foul play and as a means of detecting and exposing popular habits, or mistakes in treatment, and whenever the faintest shadow of suspicion attaches to any death or arises in anybody’s mind an inquest should be held. Equally.it should he held if it is understood that death resulted from some injurious practice which people ignorantly pursue, for a public enquiry may check, if not altogether stop the practice. But when it is plain that death resulted from natural causes, when for example a child dies from, whooping cough or an old person from senile decay, when the circumstances awaken no suspicion in the minds of the medical man or of the authorities it seems riduculous that fees to coroners and medicos should two or three have to be paid by the countty and half-a-dozen or a dozen citizeus taken from their business to assist in the solemn farce. We can conceive nothing more ridiculous and at the sam ? time revolting than the dissection of a child, post mortem, when it is known it died of one of childhood’s diseases. The doctor stands up and certifies to the state of the various organs and gives a long rigmarole of medical jargon and winds up by saying “death resulted from croup,” or “ death was caused by whooping cough ” or wnat not. We always counsel moderation and we would respectfully, but earnestly counsel coroners and docters to use moderation in the use of the inquest, which is a fine institution but apt to be abused.
