Ethel Mary Duffett

Ethel Mary Duffett

Ethel Mary was born in 1875 in Salisbury, the daughter of Francis and Harriett Godwin. She married my great great grandfather James George Duffett, as his second wife, on 12th December 1914 and went to live with him in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. They lived both in Ryde and then Ashey but by 1932 they had moved back to Ryde.

Ethel died in December 1932 aged just 58, she had been ill for several months and suffered from diabetes, so went into a nursing home to have an operation on her chest. During the operation hot water bottles were placed at her feet, her husband went to see her after the operation had taken place and heard about some strange burns on her feet, which he understood were caused by the hot water bottles. Ethel did not mention to her husband that she had been burned, but she did tell her friends. Her skin was very tender and she had informed the nursing home of that.

A post mortem revealed that Ethel had died from gangrene due to injuries to the foot. The right foot showed extreme gangrene and she had an appearance of advanced gangrene. Apparently a very minor injury might cause gangrene in a person with diabetes, but gangrene is unlikely to occur from a superficial burn on a healthy person.

Ethel’s doctor who had attended her for several months had examined the foot after it was burned and found blisters on each toe. He thought the injuries superficial and unlikely to have serious results. She left the nursing home with a simple dressing over her foot, the burn having healed, the diabetes was checked and under control. Gangrene was diagnosed three days later.

There was an inquest into her death:

    The Coroner:  Do you still trace the origin of the gangrene to the burn? –No, I cannot definitely.  There are points that are suggestive and points which are against. 

       The Coroner:  I see in the medical certificate you gave you don’t  refer to the injury to the foot all. Don’t you think that was an error on your part, and that it was due to the medical profession and the necessity of exactitude in regard to the circumstances of death that you should have disclosed it or alternatively have rung up the Coroner and informed him? - I apologise. I might have rung you up.

    The Coroner: The position might have been a serious one. I might  have had to get an exhumation order and have the body exhumed. It was your duty either to disclose it on the certificate or alternatively to have rung up the Coroner: - I agree, but I considered the burn such a trivial matter.

    The Coroner: You recognise that now ? - Yes I agree.

    The Coroner; The medical certificates are something on which the public rely, and if they do not get accurate information on them it shakes the faith of the public in the medical profession. But for the intervention of the Registrar, who happened to hear of it.  I might have had to get an exhumation order and then I am afraid you would be morally responsible for it. 

    Dr. DOCKRAY was asked by Mr. FARDELL from what other cause he suggested gangrene arose, and he replied  that he had no other alternative. One factor suggesting it was that the burns were on the foot affected, and one factor against it was that it was not usual to get a latent period as 14 days between the healing of the burn and the beginning of gangrene.

    Asked by the Coroner if he could agree with the opinion of his medical colleague at that point, Dr. EDWARDS said he could.

    In reply to the foreman, Dr. DOCKRAY said when gangrene was discovered the question of an operation was discussed, but it was considered that the patient was not equal to it.

Mrs. Nellie POWELL, Matron of the Nursing Home, Ryde, said that after the operation her bed was warmed by three rubber hot water bottles, these were removed and she was covered  by two warm blankets. The rubber water bottle with a covering was placed to the left of her foot outside the two blankets and three other blankets were placed on top of the bottle. She was wearing thick operation stockings. She was put to bed at about one o’clock. Nurse PEARSON, Nurse KURETON and Nurse CASEY relieved one another during the lunch period.  At about six o’clock on Sunday evening Sister THOMAS reported burns on the patient’s toes. Witness examined the toes and found the blisters, but the patient told her not to worry about that as they were bruised before she entered the home.  The three hot water bottles were removed from the bed and witness applied one. Nurse PEARSON and Nurse  KURETON looked after her and both told the witness that they did not touch the bottles. The bottle was renewed at about six o’clock in the evening. She could not account for the burning because they took a more than ordinary precautions owing to the patient remarking that she was susceptible to burns. Deceased did not move easily and was rather a helpless patient.  She did not complain about the foot.

    Nurse Margaret CASEY gave evidence that she took the stockings off the patient on November 5th and she was positive that there was no burn. She filled the bottle with water that was not boiling but hot enough for the purpose. The patient had two blankets between herself and the bottle.

    Nurse Daisy Mirian PURCHASE , the night nurse, said she went on duty at nine o’clock and was in charge of the patient practically the whole of the night. During that period there was no renewal of hot water bottles.

    The Coroner said that the matter was too much in doubt to give a decided verdict. He supposed that the deceased died from diabetic gangrene which was probably due to burning.

    The jury returned a verdict that death resulted from diabetic gangrene, but that there was insufficient evidence to show that gangrene had been caused by burning or otherwise.”

Taken from Isle of Wight Times, December 29th 1932 front page.

Ethel’s funeral took place at the Parish Church and she was buried in Ryde Cemetery.

Journal Article: 

ethel-mary-duffett-death-71.pdf