§ 28. Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the sudden death of a constable of the A Division, Metropolitan Police, on Monday last; whether this constable was on duty at the War Office on Saturday, attended a divisional surgeon at 9 a.m. on the Sunday, was refused examination and treatment, and was ordered to return to the surgeon at 10 a.m. the same day; whether the constable was found dead in bed at 4 a.m. on Monday; whether he is aware of dissatisfaction having existed for some time among the police attached to Cannon Row police station as to the manner in which sick police are treated; who is the surgeon in this particular case; and whether a special inquiry will be made into this matter with a view to avoiding a repetition of this state of affairs?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe Commissioner of Police informs mc that the constable died suddenly last Monday. He was not on duty at the War Office or elsewhere on Saturday, being on leave on that day. On Sunday morning he was suffering from diarrhœa and attended at the divisional surgeon's at 9 o'clock, but as he was not in urgent distress he agreed to come back at the usual hour, 10 o'clock. The doctor prescribed for him, and he spent the day indoors. He was found dead in bed at 4.45 on Monday morning, and a post-mortem showed the presence of heart disease as well as inflammation of the stomach due to diarrhœa, for which he 393 was treated. The divisional surgeon referred to is a most capable medical man, appointed to this office in 1901, and I have no knowledge of any dissatisfaction. I may add that the constable received close and kindly attention from his comrades throughout Sunday, though no one realised that he was seriously ill. In the circumstances. I see no ground for any special inquiry.