Weird Informant

Post by **Pandabean** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:10 pm

Just purchased a death certificate for Jessie Paterson, Ms Jones 21st may 1945 and the informant is:

"Registered on the information of R ? McKechnie, Procurator Fiscal."

There is no RCE related to the record and her husband is still alive. The cause of death was Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Sudden Heart Failure. Natural Causes. It was registered on the 30th of May.

Has anyone come across this before?

Post by **AndrewP** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:03 pm

Hi Andy,

I see the death entry below Jessie's was also registered on the information of R D C McKechnie, Procurator Fiscal. Also natural causes, similar cause. Unfortunately I can shed no light on why the PF was the informant. At a best guess something to do with them both being sudden deaths.

All the best,

AndrewP

Falkyrn · Post by **Falkyrn** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:19 pm

Where a person dies on their own or in a public place and with no previous medical history (or they just hadn't seen the doctor for some considerable time) The doctor attending to pronounce life extinct would generally not issue a death certificate and the matter would be treated as a sudden death which would be the subject of a preliminary enquiry by the local police acting as agents for the Procurator Fiscal.

On some occasion the police would call out another doctor (the police casualty surgeon) who would carry out an examination of the deceased. A written report would be provided by the Casualty Surgeon to the police which would form part of the report to the PF.

Sometimes the Casualty Surgeon could issue a death certificate which would shorten the whole procedure but if not the PF could request (ie order) a post mortem be carried out and depending upon the results of this decide upon further action.
If the cause of death is not suspicious and NO relatives had been traced the PF would confirm and register the death as the informant.

This happens far more frequently than many would suspect (even today)

Post by **joette** » Tue May 01, 2007 12:27 pm

Thanks for that info I had no idea it was such a common procedure.
When my Dad died very suddenly he had just been "signed off" as fit to return to work by our GP who was treating him for a stomach ulcer.
I will carry for ever the memory of him being carried lifeless downstairs slung over the shoulder of the ambulanceman.They with the Police,my Mother&Uncle accompanied him to the local Police Surgeon who was my Granny's family doctor & had been his childhood GP.He had a massive coronary & with a history of childhood rheumatic fever, he was incapacitated for over a year it was an obvious diagnosis to make.No PM required.
It is such a traumatic time that having a PM etc just adds to the anquish& plus you don't usually get a chance to touch or hold your loved one & say good-bye alone.I will never forget the damaged face off my wee Granny as we identified her body for the Coroner.My last good-bye was through the TV screen at the mortuary.