DEATH OF A CHILD.

Bruce Herald, Volume LV, Issue 63, 18 August 1919, Page 4

DEATH OF A CHILD.

A sad accident occurred at Balclutlia on Tuesday, Stanley Norman- Guest, aged one year 10 months, second youngest son of Mr and Mrs Jas. G'liost, meeting his death through swallowing a square of toy poison, it appears that the child was observed by the- mother and -maid to have swallowed some paint. An emetic was promptly administered with the desired effect. Later on in the day he appeared' quite well, but after being put to bed at night became restless, and about ' 1.30 on Wednesday morning lie collapsed and died.

' THE INQUEST. ' 'Mrs -.Guest, mother of the deceased, gave'eyidence that on Tuesday morning she found deceased with paint signs round his mouth, and she came to the conclusion that he had taken sonic of the paint. The girl at once got salt and water, and while witness was getting oil the girl administered the salt and water. Witness gave him the oil also. He vomited straight away, and purple paint coloured substance came up. He appeared tired after vomiting, which he did twice. Otherwise he was all right, and sat up at the dinner-table. They"gave hinunilk for tea. It was near l"o'clock when -the child took the paint. He slept in the afternoon as usual. When he got up he still appeared pale through .being sick. He had something to eat about 7.'60, after Avhieh she sat at the tire with him on her knee. He asked several times for a drink, and she gave hiiu milk. •She put him to bed at S o'clock, and he appeared all right. She saw him in bed about 10 o'clock. About 1 o'clock the girl 'brought him in and said, "I do not like the look of baby." The girl occupied the same room as the child, who slept i:i a cot. The girl had been his nurse since, his birth. Witness put him in a hot bath, while the maid went for the doctor. When Mrs Smith came in she said it was too late. The child had always enjoyed good health. Witness was not alarmed when he took tlie paint, 'but anxious. She did not suspect anything dangerous. Pr Brugh, medical practitioner, gave evidence that ho was called to Mr Guest's at about a quarter to 2 in the morning, and was told that the child had taken some blue paint, When he arrived he examined the child externally and found him dead., quite recently. Witness took possession of the paints, of which one compartment was empty. He collected information about, the paints, and from what he could gather about them he would expect them to he poisonous. In their manufacture the machinery was arranged so that the dust of the colouring matter could not reach the workmen. The vomit witness was shown was of a deep blue or purple colour. Blue paints were manufactured from indigo, Prussian blue, and aniline, and these were of a more or less poisonous nature. He would expect a square of paint of the size (produced) to be fatal to a child of that age. In view of the information he had acquired since the fatality "he- would expect the poisonous effects to be as above described. He had never heard or read of a-person being poisoned by water coloured •paints. Nothing more eould have been done to save the child than what the mother and girl had done. The jury returned the following verdict: ''That the deceased, Stanley NorImaii Guest, met 'his death through the ! effects of eating, a square' of water coloured paint." In reply to a question by the foreman, the "Coroner expressed' the opinion that the publicity given to the cause of death would act in. the; nature of a rider.