Deaths From Eating Mussels.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 266, 10 November 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

Deaths From Eating Mussels.

Mb C. ASPINWALL held an inquiry in the Cifcy Corouer's Court, Liverpool, recently, into the death of Robert Roberts, shipwright, aged lifty, who lodged in a house in Evei'ton-brow. Roberts and a ship carpenter named Thomas Turner had been looking for work at- the Clarence Graving Dock on the morning of Tuesday last. They did not succeed in their object, bub while at the dock they saw a fiat, to the bottom of which was adhered a quantity of fairly large mussels. Roberts and a man named Thomas Tummity, also a shipwright, ate of the mussels all morning, consuming between then three or four quarts, part of which were raw and' part boiled. Turner, who only took about half-a-dozen, was little the worse for them, but in the _ afternoon ■Roberts bej^an to complain of violent pain in his stomach, accompanied by sickness. He was convoyed to the Northern Hospital, to which Turamity, who was also somewhat afflicted, went without assistance. About midnight of the same day Roberts died in that'institution, notwithstanding all the efforts of the surgeons, but Tummity soon recovered. Tummity stated in evidence that he boiled a considerable part of the mussels he partook of, whereas Roberts ate a whole lot of them unboiled. They ate the mussels without bread. Witness (Tummity) was affected in his hands and feet and also iw his head. Dr. Permewan, house surgeon at the Northern Hospital, abated that Roberts, when admitted, was almost dead, being quite unconscious and scarcely able to breathe. Ho was suffering from .paralysis of the muscles. Attificial respiration was resorted to and was continue:! for nine hours, at first by vvitueas and the other house surgeon*, and afterwards by two police constables, whose practice, derived from their membership of the St, John Ambulance Society, enabled them to do it excellently. The cause of death was paralysis of the respiratory oinßCles,due to a poison contained in fche mussels which had boon taken by the deceased. . The doctor, in an«wer to questions from the coroner, said it was not known scientifically what part of theinuPßel was poisonous, but" it had been conclusively ascertained fehab the mussel as a whole was at times poisonous. The Coroner: la there no moder n method of farthering our knowledge of '] ie poisoning properties of the mussel '■ Dr. Permewan : There is no doubt bub with a pood deal of trouble ib could bo worked out, btffcl think the only way it could be done would be by experimenting with ib on the lower animals. I don't see why an investigation should not be made, or why a pood result should no be arrived at.

The Coroner: Should these remarks draw the attention of scientific people to tho desirability of some inquiry being made, roms good will' have been accomplished. Why should not some learned medical gentleman take up, the eubjecb ?.nd read a paper on ' The Properties of Mussels''1' lam sure ifc v/ould be very interesting and important

Dr. Permewan added, in reference to the ca°e, tbat tho symptoms of Turner and Tumniity, who were also treated at the hospital, were muoh less severe. A Juryman : I have been ' musselled ' myself, but new milk cured me.

I)r. Perrriowan, answering another question, gave it as his opinion, although lie could not give it as a positive fact, that mussels boiled would be lesu injurious than when eaten raw.

The jury found a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.