MISSING POISON IN A TABLET.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1920, Page 4

MISSING POISON IN A TABLET.

SEARCH OF CHEMISTS’ FACTORY

MISTAKE FATAL TO BABY

(London Paper)

A tragic story of the mistake of a manufacturing firm of chemists was told at a Carshalton (Surrey) inquest on Dec 18th, on a baby girl named Mary Slater Thorpe, of Woodford-Road, Wellington. The child was seen by Dr McDougall, who gave the mother a prescription to take to his partner’s surgery. The mother obtained a bottle of tablets. She gave one to the child with a drink of water and a little chocolate. The child began to scream, tremble all over, became black in the face and died. Dr McDougall proved that the tablets were stamped “Chloride of Mercury.” Later when he heard of the child’s death, he tested the tablets and found they had a “distinct taste of stychnine.” The bottle bore the correct label. A second child was also given a tablet and suffered from violent sickness.

Richard Guyer, superintendent manager of the laboratory of the manufacturing firm, the name of which was not mentioned, said their works were in Edinburgh. It was reported to him on December 4th that a packet of strychnine was missing. He tested all the* tablets made since December Ist, but could find no trace of it. He was prepared to say that the whole of the missing strychnine was in two bottles of tablets supplied to Dr McDougall. OVERLOOKED. Adams Eagle, foreman of the tabletmaking department, said it was his duty to re-weigh and check the ingredients before the tablets were manufactured. On this occasion he did not know the tablets had been manufactured, as the ingredients had not been brought to him for checking. The Coroner: You knew these tablets were going out to the consumer without being checked and I want an explanation

Mr Guver said the foreman was busy in another department and overlooked the fact that these tablets were actually being made. The Coroner: That is what I thought. Mr Guyer: The machinery for testing and checking them is as perfect as can be, but uphappily the human element entered into this case with ver> sad results.

The jury returned a verdict of Death from misadventure ,and exonerated Dr McDougall (from all blame, but added that Eagle was deserving of censure. Mr Guyer said that arrangements had been made for a qualified chemist to act in his place.