THE PTOMAINE POISONING CASES.

Evening Star, Issue 12418, 3 February 1905, Page 4

THE PTOMAINE POISONING CASES.

THE INQUEST. ■ Ike adjourned iiiiinest on the body of Thomas Trndgoon, who died in the hospital of ptomaine poisoning on, January 25 Under circumstances already known, was held this afternoon before Coroner H, Y. Widdowson and a jury, of whom Mt Patrick A. Neill was foreman.

Sub-inspector Green appeared for the police. Frederick Farquharson, contractor, Dun'back, said he knew the tiro deceased. They were working at fitmback, treating tailings from the Golden Banner mitre. They were calhping in. a tent by themselves. Witness saw them last, before they were takeh ill, on the morning of Saturday, January 21. The .day before witness took up a loaf of bread and some butter from Mr Phillips’s store. May have taken up tins of food before. Two hr three days before he took up some goods from the store. The goods wore left at the company’s battery to be bated, for. Whert he saw them on the Saturday the deceased were both ih bed sick Witness asked them what was wrong, and Trudgcoii said he thought it was the firings of the stuff they h:ld been working with the night before. They had been treating tailings for gold by the cyanide process. Nothing further was said. There were signs that the deceased had been vomiting through the night Riddell said nothing. Witness was there about a quarter of. an ho#. Ho wfent • away and told the manager of the mine what he had seen. About ten o’clock that morning witness went back to the tent, and the deceased were both in about the sine state. Witness asked them if they would like febffle tea. They said yes, and he made it for them. They would not drink it* and he left it beside their beds. Witness asked if he could do any more. Riddell asked for water, and witness got it Nothing Was said, as to what deceased Had befen eating, Witness went bafck to the mine dnd told Mr Peattie, the manager, that the men were still sick. That was all he knew,about it

Francis R. Hbtop, hoiise surgeon at the hospital, said that he remembered the two deceased, Trtidgeon arid Walter Riddell, being brought to the hospital on Monday, January 23. They were both in a low State, but had nb urgent symptoms. Trudgeon was slightly delirious. They were evidently suffering from the presence of some poisoning in the system. Riddell explained >.aat on the eevnmg of Friday, January 20, tney had taken their t-<?a as usual about six o’clock, and that about two o’clock in the morning they were both taken violently sick, suffering ftom vomiting dud purging and severe abdominal pains. Deceased said that the meal consisted bf tinned tchgues, with onions, bread, and tea. and he atrributed his sickness to eating the tongues. There was congestion of most of the internal organs, of the deceased when they were brought in. Trudgeon, being slightly delirious, was incapable of making a rational statement., Both were very jaundiced. .Riddbil was still vomiting uicessantly, but Trudgeon had stopped vomiting. In both chses there was complete suppression of some of the function's. Trudgeon died oh tlio evening of the 26th January, and Riddell on the morning of the 30th. The symptoms in each case were much the same. Witness attributed their illness to the presence of a tbxihe iii the systent, siich as would bo found in ptomaine poisoning. Witness considered thdt what was seen bf the post mortem w4s coniistent with the appearances found in cases of ptomaine poisoning. This poisoning practically always arose from eating meat. Not necessaruy tinned meat, but meat that has at one tiihe putriefld. Riddell said that the tinned sheep’s tongues which they had eaten were purcjlaS.ed from Phillips, stotekbepfer at Duhback. The brand bii fKe tins was “Gear Meat Company.” It was a freshlyopened tin. Diseased tongues- could 'cause an illness such as deceased had had. The symptoms were like those resulting froin oilier poison's. Some minerals would cause the same symptoms. Witness knew nothing of the cyanide process. Did not tHittk that cyanide of {jotSikMiim wodld cause the symptoms referred to. - To the Foreman: Cyanide poisoning might cause vomiting, but it would come on very suddenly, and would probably prove fatal, in a,, short time, fit Williatti . Stewdirt Roberta said iffi Of**- on iHi Bridv bf ThdtfiaS Tttlageoii bii jithllary $7. Tlib body w4§ tMt of a diiiid-Ijealriiv ighfiwith nb biterhhl ##k s . • Thb ihieHlai orgaim wCTe frbm diseasth The ottiy leribhs.that were fblind werd cfatlgbsttpn bf the mucous methbt-aflg bf fate tmall iHtbnse ■; cSfgeatibn. of

both kidneys, and' a sort of dropsy on the upper surface of the brain. These were the only xnprbid conditions to be found. Conaidfered tho phst-hibrtein appoarettces quite consistent with death from ptomaine poisbiiihg; The appearances in Bitch poisoning areoften negative. That is to Bay, no trace, was left behind. If deceased had been suffering frbm cyanide pbißoniiigi witness thought there would have been more marked sighs. From ptist-mortem room " appearances, he thought deceased hau died of ptomaine poisoning; from the history of the case he thought Ihht cyainde was positively excluded. . There was ope particular variety among the inahy kihds of ptomaine poisonings which, occlfeed in a vacuum in tinned meat withbut vfery much altering the appearance of the meat. The poisons were likely to occur in hams, sausages, tinned,' and olliet prhtcrved meats; The particular form of pbisoniug referred to was one caused by a particular bacillus, ddd .was very deadly.

After other witnesses had been called, the inquest was adjourned till Tuesday afternoon for the eiddeiicb bf !& analytical chemist.