The trial of the Guy's Hospital nurse has resulted in
the jury's returning a verdict of manslaughter against the prisoner, Pleas- ance Louisa Ingle, the nurse whose negligence during the admin- istration of the bath was regarded as causing or accelerating the patient's death. Sir William Gull gave evidence thatin his opinion the death of Mrs. Morgan was not due to the bath at all, but to tubercular disease of the brain, of which many symptoms previ- ous to the act of negligence complained of had borne traces; and in this view Mr. Justice Hawkins seemed to concur. The evi- dence as to the rough treatment of the patient was very con- flicting, but there was no doubt as to her neglect of the weak and suffering creature when left in the bath, when quite unable, apparently, to regulate her own movements. The jury stated that, in their opinion, there was great negligence in the nursing of the institution, and that more careful supervision should be enforced in its general management. That the conflict of authori- ties must produce, and has produced, bad results, there is no doubt ; but that the nursing is, on the whole, much better than it was, and especially better than it was in the wards where the new system has been most effectually applied, we have no doubt at all. In this ward the responsible sister,—who, by her own evidence, does not appear to have interfered in the least to warn the nurse of the care needed with her poor patient,—was one of the old staff, in whom the medical men express the most confidence.
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