Gum Stuck In Throat

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31210, 7 November 1966, Page 1

Gum Stuck In Throat

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, November 5. A doctor and three players gave the “kiss of life” to a 21-year-old prop forward, R. Addison, in a Rugby union match between Ponty-pool-Monmouthshire and Rugby, at Rugby, Warwickshire, today. Ten minutes after play had begun forwards broke from a set scrum but Addison—a Pontypool player remained face down on the ground. The Rugby club president, Dr. J. O’Hanlon,

and three players took turns to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived. The match was abandoned, with Rugby leading, 3-0. “Everything possible is being done, but the man’s condition is still serious,” a spokesman at Rugby Hospital said today. “It seemed just a normal scrum,” one of the forwards said afterwards. “I dont’ just know how it happened.” Later it was dis-

covered at Rugby Hospital that Addison had been chewing gum in the scrum and it had stuck in his throat His breathing was being assisted by a machine, a hospital spokesman said.

“The practice of chewing gum in Rugby football is common, and in my opinion should be banned by referees,” Dr. O’Hanlon said. “In this case we did not know until later that the player had been chewing gum. He could easily have died.”