FATAL DOSE OF MEDICINE

Evening Star, Issue 15907, 13 September 1915, Page 7

FATAL DOSE OF MEDICINE

_ WOMAN POISONED. DOCTOR AND'CiffiMIST. COMJVnTTED' FOR TRIAL'. A coroner's inquiry was made by MiRead Murphy, P.M., at Waubra (Victoria) on August 27 into the death of Mrs Elizabeth Browne, which occurred, on the 25th ult. Mrs Hicks, sister of the deceased, said that she. had been nursing Mrs ?/°wne, who was confined on August 14. The doctor said he would give a tomo, and on August 24 gave witness a bottle of mixture, but said it was not to be given to Mrs Browne unless she heard from him again, as he had not made it up himself. Later on the same day she received a message through the postmistress at Learmonth that the medicine was all right, and that it was to be given as directed. She gave deceased a tablespoonful on Wednesday morning (25th), and then left the room. Soon after she heard a wild cry, and rushed into her sister's room. Her sister was sitting up, and said: " What have you done? Have you poisoned me?" Mrs Browne was twitching violently, clenching her hands and teeth, and frothing at the mouth. The doctor was sent for, but her sister died before he arrived. Leonard Cyril Lade,. medical practitioner, deposed that he had been attending Mrs Browne. On the 23rd inst. he said he would give her a tonic. That afternoon he was in Ballarat, and called at Cornell's shop and spoke to the assistant behind the counter, giving directions for diluted liquid strychnine. Later he obtained the bottle produced. He scratched out the words "Liq. strych." on the label with a knife, and put the bottle in his pocket. Afterwards he wrote on it: " One tablespoonful after breakfast and after dinner." As he handed the bottle to Mrs Hicks he said: " I did not make this mixture up; I got it from Ballarat. Do not give this mixture till I ring Ballarat up." Later he rang the telephone bell irom Leai-month many times, but could not get Ballarat. He intended to ring up Cornell and make inquiries about the prescription. He rang up Mrs Harrison at Waubra, and told, her to tell Mrs Browne- to give the dose as directed. Next morning a' telephone message called him to Mrs Browne. He rang up Ballarat to speak to Cornell's assistant, and asked: "Was it made up all right?" She replied: " Yes, I think so. X did not make it up; Mr Cornell did." Later he spoke to Mr Cornell, and said: " What about the mixture?" Cornell replied: "I sent the pure 8.P." Witness replied: "Good God!" and rang off. When he arrived.at Mrs Browne's she was dead. To the Coorner: I struck out the words "Liq. strych." because it is not the custom to let patients know what they are taking. I know by the results that it was not what I ordered. The label, to my mind ; described what I had asked for. I dictated the prescription to the assistant. I said to the assistant: "That makes the dose half an ounce." I did not tell her specifically that the medicine was for a patient. There was nothing to show the chemist that I was not going to dispense it myself except the directibns for dilution. It is not an order for drugs that I handed to the assistant. Dr Sloss stated that a post mortem examination showed that the body was in a fairly healthy condition. There were certain but indistinct signs of strychnine poisoning, but he would give no opinion as to the cause of death until the stomach was analysed. He saw nothing beyond the signs of strychnine which would cause sudden death. Walter Henry Cornell, registered chemist, said that his assistant informed him that an order had been left by Dr Lade. He saw a bottle of eucalyptus standing on the doctor's order on the dispensing counter. Later lie took an Boz bottle and the stock bottle of liquid strychnine and filled the former, which ho labelled "Poison" and.gave to the doctor. He did not know that the letters meaning '' Five drops to half a fluid ounce" were on the order. When he read the order those letters were covered by the eucalyptus bottle. He did not take the order as a prescription, but as a wholesale order. Dr Lade and Walter H. Cornell were both committed for trial on a charge of manslaughter, bail being allowed in one surety of £IOO and a personal bond of like amount.