NARCOTIC POISONING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4786, 30 July 1894, Page 3

NARCOTIC POISONING.

(By Telegraph—Press Association);

AbX'K i.axd, Saturday. An inquest was held to-day on the body of Eric McCullougli, son of Wm. McCullougli, manager of the Bank of New South Wales, who died somewhat suddenly last night. Tho body was taken to James Beard, hydropathic practitioner, who diagnosed the case and prescribed, for worms, an injection of a decoction of tobacco mixture—loss tobacco to 2j pints of water- and a certain dietary regimen. The first injection was given by the parents with an enema five days ago. A second was given last night, and after vomiting and purging, the boy died in a short time. William McGullouch deposed that tho hoy had suffered from worms while in Queensland and was not in robust health, He had not received personal benefit from Heard's treatment, and took the lad to him because of his reputation. He did not know the dangerous properties of tobacco in usin„' it in.tho way of injection, Drs, Lindsay and Gordon, who made the post morion examination, deposed that there was no organic disease, all the organs were healthy, and there was no trace of worms, They condemned Beard's treatment, and never heard, in modem prnctico, of tobacco being used in such a way. For such purposes a drachm would have been equally fatal, Beard stated in evidence he had dictated n diagnosis, iinvhiuli was a prescription, to his female assistant, Could not remember whether ho dictated an ounce or a drachm, or say whether his assistant wrote down by mistako an ounce for a drachm, He had a drachm in his mind. A verdict was returned that deceased came by his death through, an.injection of tobacco used with water, otherwise narcotic poisoning,