18/11/2025
The sad end of Dr Hanratty
Doctors held a position of respect in our early communities. But like everyone they are human.
Michael Hanratty’s credentials appeared to have come from Ireland and was a specialist in midwifery.
He seems to have come to New Zealand in about 1880 and began work in the Wairarapa communities. He advertised his practice widely.
But even then the seeds of his downfall were there. He often said he could be consulted at hotels rather than in medical offices.
In 1881, the first problem emerged - he was picked up by police in Wellington and ordered to be examined over his mental health.
He received a short prison sentence where the opinion was he had been drinking a bit too freely.
Hanratty went back to Featherston and resumed his practice. And for a couple of months all was well.
Then in August he was called to the bedside of a woman giving birth. The tiny baby, a boy, was born without signs of life.
Hanratty immediately asked for hot water - he covered the infant with a towel and poured the hot water over the baby which immediately began to cry. Despite being asked if the baby would have blisters he said no and the child was wrapped up and handed over to his parents.
But hours later the blisters emerged and five days later some of the flesh on the child’s legs was turning black and the child died.
Sometimes after burial the story came to the attention of the police who ordered the body exhumed.
At inquest the jury decided the scalding water had caused the death and Hanratty was arrested on a charge of manslaughter.
It was an unpopular decision - many thought Hanratty had done his best and should not have been charged.
In the end he was acquitted and again returned to practise, with the fall out being many newspaper articles railing against what was called an unfair prosecution.
But less than a year later Hanratty is back in the papers for drunkenness. And that was to continue for several years with charges like drunk in charge of a horse, drunk and abusive language until in 1891 a prohibition order was made against him which would make it an offence for him to buy alcohol.
He received a variety of short prison sentences, some for vagrancy, but all came back to drinking.
By 1894 he was thrown out of a hotel for demanding a drink, literally thrown out, so that he broke a leg and ended up confined in a hospital.
He continued to practise sometimes but finally and sadly in 1906 he was found wandering the streets of Wellington on August 21 looking for somewhere to stay. He was put in a home but would wander away and ended up in prison for vagrancy.
Hanratty died on September 8 having been taken from the prison to hospital, his years of drinking having caught up with him. He was believed to be about 70 years old.
He is buried in Karori cemetery.
Picture by Felipe Ponce.
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