Broadcast To Save Baby's Life

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 15118, 29 October 1949, Page 6

Broadcast To Save Baby's Life

Wrong Medicine Delivered Mother's Suspicions Aroused After a Sydney woman had been given the wrong medicine for her baby, police last Saturday broadcast urgent messages trying to locate her to "warn her that the mixture contained strychnine. The child's grandfather heard the boardcast while he was listening to a description of a horse race and told his'daughter not to give the medicine to the baby. Fortunately, the mother's suspicions had been aroused by directions on the bottle and she had decided not to give the medicine to the baby. The baby is IG-month-old Donald Bourke, of Petersham. Donald was suffering from gastric trouble, and his mother, Mrs June Bourke, took him to a chemist. The chemist told Mrs Bourke that lie would make up a mixture for Donald's illness. He told the mother not to give Donald any food for 24 hours. Mrs Bourke look the by by to spend the day with her mother. About !! a.m. Mrs Bourke's sister Miss Barbara Kontos, went to the chemist shop and asked for Mrs Bourke's medicine. When Miss Rootes returned with the medicine, Mrs Bourke looked at the prescription label and read I lie directions: "Two tea.spoonsful before meals." She smclled the brown medicine, then put it away wilhout giving a dose to the child..' , Mrs Bourke said to her mother: "This is funny. The chemist told me not lo give Don any food for 24 hours and this says to give him the medicine before meals." Half an hour after Miss Rootes left tli" shop another-Mrs Bourke, fry whom the prescription had been prepared, called at the chemist's for her medicine. The chemist found the baby's mixture on the counter and realised his assistant had given ihe wrong boltle to Miss Rootes. He immediately telephoned the police told them the mixture contained strychnine, and asked them to broadcast an urgent warning. The chemist said later: "The mistake was unavoidable, especially as the young woman asked for Mrs Bourke's medicine' instead of saying she had called for 'Baby Bourke's medicine.' My assistant •unwittingly handed out the wrong bottle, because it was labelled for Mrs Bourke."