§ Mr. R. LAMBERTasked the Home Secretary whether the inquest on the death of E. W. Burns, who died in Hull Prison on or about 13th March, shows that death was in any way connected with forcible feeding; and whether an independent inquiry has been ordered?
§ Sir G. CAVEAt the inquest held in this case the jury found that death resulted from pneumonia consequent on the inhalation of some fluid food during forcible feeding, and that no blame whatever was attributable to the doctor. Although I had no reason to feel any doubt as to the finding of the jury, whose inquiry was perfectly independent, I thought it right, in view of the importance of the question of forcible feeding, that a special inquiry should be made by medical men of the highest standing, and at my request my hon. Friend the Member for the Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrew's, who was recently president of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Dr. Maurice Craig, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, who has an exceptionally wide experience of this matter undertook the 55W inquiry. I have now received their report, which entirely confirms the finding of the jury. They are satisfied that the case was one where resort to artificial feeding was necessary, and that the death of the patient was not due to any want of care or skill on the part of the medical officer.