THE POISONING FATALITY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4475, 20 July 1893, Page 2

THE POISONING FATALITY.

The Inquest

An inquest touching the death of Elizabeth Sunnex was beld yesterday before Mr T. Hutonison,Coroner, and the following jury:—MessrsG. A, Fairbrother (Foreman), J, Armstrong, J. A. Diidson, A. Armstrong, Geo,. (Joker and Thos. Proctor.

Tbe following evidence was given: —Richard Robinson, brother to tbe deceaspd, deposed: I have seen the body lying at Mr Sunnex's, and ldenfied it as my eister. I was preseut at her death, which took place on Monday night about 10 o'clock. There were several persons present at the time. She had been ailing about nine months, and has been attended by Dr. Dickson, 1 gave her Borne medicine, which had been procured from Dr, Diokson, The bottle produced is the one from which the medicine was taken, The medicine, which she hud previously, was in a similar bottle to the one produced. Mj sister asked me to give her her medicine. I poured out a teaspoonfol nod handed it to her. She did not immediately drink it. She said it was nasty, and asked to have some water mixed with it, which was done, and then she drank it. I then left her with Mrs Sunnex, junr, I had not been away many minutes when I heard a strange noise. I then looked into her room again. She just opened her eyes and looked at me and immediately closed them again, and f could seo there was a change, I told Mrs Sunnex, junr., to look to her mother while 1 went for the doctor. I could see her tonguo was swollen, as her mouth was partly open. I went on foot to the doctor's place, which was more than a mile distant, On my way to the doctor's, I passed my sister's place and told her that her sister was worse. I saw the doctor's lad and told him to toll the doctor to hasten to Mrs Sunnex's. I met my wife on tbe road and sheared me which medicine I had given, I told her the black stuff and she suggested getting an emetic I went to Mr Lindop'a to get one, but he would not give it to mo and told me to uso mußtard and water or salt and water, The doctor overtook us, and my wife asked him what colour the medicine was and he said no particular colour, When my wife told him that he must have labelled tho bottles wrong, he replied " Oh I dear," and hurried on towards the residence of the deceased. When we got there the doctor was coming away again, and the daughter of the deceased was giving her mother some mustard and water. The doctor soon returned and injected some stuff into the armofthedeceased, The time would be about a quartor to four p, m. The doctor sent his trap away and soon returned with a stomach pump and used it several times. I sent for the husband of tbe deceased, and as soon as ho arrived I asked him whether he would send for Dr Bey, and Dr Diokson acquiesing in the suggestion, Dr Bey was at once sent for. Dr Dickson told me that he had labelled the bottles wrongly and the stuff whiGb she had takeu.was poison. I told him that I gave her a teaspoonful and he said that it was sufficient to poison throe people, It would be about 9 o'clock when Dr Bey arrived, I remained in the room tvith deceased, who was then gasping for breath. When Dr Bey arrived Dr Dickson told him that it was a oase of slow poisoning. I asked Dr Bey if there was any hope. He said" No," Bhe was ton far gone. Dr Dickson remained with her until within a few minutes of her death.

Mr Middleton watched the case on behalf of Dr Dickson, and put some questions to the witness, eliciting that Ur Dickson had been very attentive to the deceased during her illness, and i he deceased was very much attached to him. The Doctor was treating one of the deceased's sons for a bad toe, and the liniment which was given to the deceased by mistake was for the son's toe,

Annio Sunnex, daughter-in-law of the deceased, stated that she was present at the death of her mother-in-law, and her evidence corroborated that of the previous witness. Emma Sunnex, daughter of the decseaed, stated that she fetched the two bottles from the Doctor's, and saw him mix the stuff and label the bottles.

Dr Bey deposed that be had made a post mortem examination on tho decoased that morning, and on opening the chest he found it full of fluid, tho lungs also being affected. The heart and liver wore also very muoh enlarged. The deceased, could not have lived very much longer owing to the ailment which she had been subjected to for a long time. He did not consider that the stuff taken, if she had been in a healthy state, with the Bame means applied, would have caused death. The mixture was belladonna and glycerine, To the jury: A medical man is not compelled to label a bottle -' Poison," which contains belladonna, The remedies used to counteract the poison were the usual remedies.

Dr Dickson deposed : I knew the deceased and had been attending her for over two months for a diseaso of the heart. I saw her on Monday morning professionally. She was in a critical condition at the time with bronchial affection. I was attending her son also at the time for a bad toe, I was asked to repeat tho cough mixture., which I promised to do, and I promised to have the mixture ready by half past one. I had recommended the son previously to poultice his toe and on this occasion I promised to send him some stuff to paint on his toe, I got back to my Burgery shout two o'clock. I took the small bottle produced and put the drams of belladonna into it. 1 then took another bottle and mixed the medicine for Mrs Sunnex, 1 took up the bottle to affix the label when 1 noticed another label sticking to tho bottle. I put the bottle out of my hand while removing the old label, which was affixed and then took the bottle again to affix the label, as I thought on tho right bottle. Between three and four o'clock p.m, I was sent for in haste and was informed on my way to the residence of the deceased that the wrong medicine had been given to her. As soon as I saw her I was awaro what was the matter, and I at onco administered mustard and water, which did not produce a satisfactory effect, I then poured out half tho contents of the other bottle, which contained thieo-quartersof a grain of morphia, and told Miss Sunnex to give it to her mother if she vomited in five minutes, lat once rode back to my surgery for other drugs and returned with them and nsed them without result. I then nsed the stomach pump and oontinued washing the stomaoh out until what returned from the stomach was perfectly clean. I was asked iff wished Dr Bey sent for. lat once assented. I continued at the same time using the usual remedies, Dr Bey arrived i about seven o'clock p,m,, and we oon'

eluded that it was a hopeless case. Dr Bey had no doubt but that death' was accelerated by belladonna poison- /"V ing. Presumably deoeased might have lived till the spring, providing she had no exertion or exoiteroent, which I . was certain would be fatal, This is the first time I have handed out poisonous drugs without poison labels being affixed,

The evidence was then reviewed by the Coroner, and very strongly oommeuted upon. He stated that it was a gross carelessness on the part of any medical man to dispense a poisonous drug without affixing a poison lai^lA;th\botthi ( ..v''' '• and that he had no doubtuuW&t—-w death resulted from belladonna poisoning.

The jury after consideration returned tbe following verdict:- " The deceased died from heart disease accelerated by belladonna poison," A rider was also added that all poisonous drugs should be labelled ' poison.'