ALLEGED CARELESSNESS OF A MEDICAL MAN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1169, 25 July 1884, Page 4

ALLEGED CARELESSNESS OF A MEDICAL MAN.

An inquest was held at Melbourne on the 4th iost. by Dr Youl, the city coroner, on the body of Helen Tombs, a young woman employed as barmaid at the Waterloo Hotel, Little Collins street, who died very suddenly early on the morning of the 2nd i at. Deceased had been previously employed in Christchurch and Dunedin. Prom the evidence taken, it was made clearly apparent that death was caused by an overdose of morphia, portion of a prescription given by I ir Gunst, jun., to cure sleeplessness. The prescription was intended to be a homoeopathic oe; but through a small sign being omitted the result was that ten grains of morphia were used in the preparation when only half a grain was intended. The evi deuce show, d that the dir ctions given by the doctor were that the powder was to be taken by the patient before she retired for the night. She did as instructed, and only lived an hour afterwards. The evidence of Mr Hooper, the chemist, who prepared the prescription, and his assistant, was to the effect that they considered the prescription a very unusual and dangerous one, but they were satisfied tha tit was intended for external application. Hence they did not refer it back to the prescribing doctor, as is usually done with doubtful preset iptions. They, however, warned the messenger who called for the medicine as to its danger, but Mrs Morgan, landlady of the hotel, and Miss Hess a barmaid, both stated that they received no caution. Mr 0 Pleasance, hommopathic chemist, who was called -asserted most emphatically that he woulo not make up such a prescription as the one produced. The jury ■returned a verdict of manslaughter against Dr Gunst, jun., and also censured the chemist for not having made further inquiries about so peculiar a prescription. Drs Gunst, sen. and jun , though they were the witnesses most likely to throw light on the affair, were not called. The lastmentioned gentleman, however, volunteered his evidence, which made the ■case perfectly clear against himself.