WHEN POISONING IS SUSPECTED.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4429, 19 June 1922, Page 3

WHEN POISONING IS SUSPECTED.

(By a Physician, in the Daily Mail.) Recent criminal law cases serve to remind us that it is often no easy matter to diagnose poisoning. Tn acute cases, either of suicidal or accidental nature, the problem is a comparatively easy one. A suicide does not, as a rule ; , destroy the evidence .of his act, and a person who has taken something from a wrong bottle by mistake immediately informs someone of the fact. Poison taken unsuspectingly with food is more difficult to detect, but we are often helped to tjie right diagnosis by the fact tha.t a number of persons are suddenly seized with illness presenting similar symptoms and at about the same time. Homicidal poisoning, in which an endeavour is made to simulate natural disease and no suspicion of foul play exists in the mind of the medical man, may be extremely difficult >-0 detect. The symptoms produced by many poisons may be identical, and confounded, with those of diseases. To mention only one group, the irritant poisons, of which arsenic is a typical example. The symptoms often closely resemble those caused by gastrointestinal catarrh, gastric ulcer, or colic. Equally, mistakes may also be made in the opppsite direction, sudden illness being diagnosed as poisoning, and the errors which actually occur show that this difficulty is a real one. When the family doctor suspects that poison is being surreptitiously administered to his patient his position is one of great difficulty, and this is particularly the case when the evir dence he has is not sufficient to enable him to take a. bold and open course. •On the one hand, unless he. acts promptly and efficiently, his patient life is in danger; on the other, not only js it a very serious matter .o suggest poisoning—even in .general terms —but also he may find himseh the defendant in an aption for libel and slander. . ■ . But there are certain steps of ■ a non-committal nature which the medical man may take before resorting to more serious measures. He may attempt to frighten the poisoner from making any further criminal attempts by showing,tjiat lie is not satisfied with his diagnosis and asking for a second opinion. It is well for the general practitioner to remember thp.t the calling in of a consultant does, not relieve him of, or even halve ,hils responsibility, as in the eyes of the law all medical men are equal, and each is as much responsible as if he had acted alone. It is often a good plan for the doctor to indicate that he suspects poisoning and cause the cooking vessels to be examined and the wall-paper to be analysed. He should, if possible, send his patient away to a nursing home, or, failing this, obtain the services of two trustworthy nurses who will pre-, pare and watch the patient’s food. Laslly, he will have to consider whether he should inform the patient’s relatives or friends, and in appropriate cases it may be wisest to toll the suspected person, or even the patient himself. As a last resort it may be necessary to inform the police of his suspicions, but this is a serious step for him to take in the absence of positive proof.