South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 09 February 1952
Muscular Atrophy
Caused Conisbrough Ex-Soldier’s Death
The death of John Kelly (39), miner, of 13, March Street, Conisbrough, at November 1951 was said at the inquest at Denaby on Wednesday to have been from natural causes. The inquest opened and adjourned in December by the Doncaster District Coroner (Mr. W. H. Carlile).
Kelly joined the T.A. in 1939 and was transferred to the R.A. on the outbreak of war. He fought in Egypt, Syria and Italy, and it was from Italy that he was discharged as totally unfit for further service in 1944.
He took up light work at several places after his discharge, but paralysis which started in his hand spread and he was not able to work after 1947. He was granted a 50 per cent disability pension, and was certified to be suffering from muscular atrophy. His illness became worse, and he became too bed-ridden to wash confined to bed.
Dr. H. Lederer, pathologist at Doncaster Infirmary, said at the resumed inquest that there was muscular atrophy in the arms and legs, shoulders and hands, and microscopic examination of the nervous system showed further traces. Kelly was also suffering from slight bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia. The muscular atrophy had been the cause of death.
Asked by Mr. J. H. Dunk, appearing for Mrs. Kelly, Dr. Lederer said he was unable to say whether the atrophy might have been caused by wounds in Kelly’s war service. It was a rare disease, and little was known of its causes.