CHEMIST’S FATAL MISTAKE
Through the accidental use of a deadly poison in the manufacture of medicinal tablets a tragic fate overtook a baby girl named Mary Slater Thorpe, of Woodlord road, M allington (London). It was through a chemist’s blunder that the fatal ingredient, strychnine, was put into the tablets instead of calomel, as was explained at the inquest at Carshalton, Surrey. It was related that the child had not been well for a few days, and the mother consulted Dr M'Dougall, who gave her a prescription to take to° his partners surgery. She obtained a, bottle of tablets, and gave one to the child with a drink of water and a little chocolate. The little one immediately began to scream and tremble. The mother ran to another doctor, but on the way the child became black in the fa-e and died almost at once. Dr M'Dougall proved that the tablets were stamped " Chloride of Mercury.” Later, when he heard of the child's death, he tested them and found thev had a “distinct taste of strychnine.” The bottle boro tpe correct label. A second child was also given a tablet, and suffered from violent sickness.
Richard Gloude Gnyer, superintendent manager of the laboratory of a firm of manufacturing chemists in Edinburgh, the name of which was not mentioned, described the making of the tablets. The whole of the ingredients, he stated, were weighed before going into the manufacturing room where they were reweighed and checked. It was reported to him that a packet of strychnine t\as missing, and had not been seen since December 4. He tried to trace it by testing all the tablets made from December L but without avail. The tablets for Dr M’Dougall were made on November 29. The loremau was evidently mistaken when lie to.d him that the packet was seen on the 4th. As soon as be beard of the fatality he tested one of the tablets which had been left over, and had no hesitation in declaring (bat the whole of a packet of strychnine was used in the manufacture of the two bottles of tablets supplied to Dr M'Dougall. Adam Eagle, foreman in the lablet-makiiw department, deposed that it was bis duty lo test the ingredients. Ho did not do so on this occasion, as the tablets were not bxouglit to him, and he did not notice they were in process of manufacture. He had a tablet given him on the following morniim snd on weighing it found it correct.. Lbo. Coroner: Why did .you not call your superior's attention to the fact that the tab.ers were being made up without the ingredients having been passed by you? Vou know the tablets were going, out" to the consumer without being checked, and 1 want an explanation. This is a very serious matter. Mr Guyer stated that the foreman was busy in another department and overlooked the matter. The Coroner: That is what I thought It is very disquieting to think that there are people making these tablets who do not. properly attend lo their duties and allow poison to get in. Mr Guyer pointed out than the machinery for testing and checking was ns complete as it could be, but unhappily the human equation entered into ibis case v.Uh sad results. J The jury returned a verdict of “Death from misadventure,” and exonerate'! Dr M.'Dotigall from all blame. They thoraht Eagle was deserving of severe censure. ' Mr Gnyer mentioned that the firm had arranged for a properly qualified chemist to take his place. The Coroner commented on the verv frank maimer in which the firm had tendered their evidence.
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Evening Star, Issue 17279, 18 February 1920, Page 8
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607CHEMIST’S FATAL MISTAKE Evening Star, Issue 17279, 18 February 1920, Page 8
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