POISONING TRAGEDIES

Evening Star, Issue 19778, 31 January 1928, Page 6

POISONING TRAGEDIES

ANOTHER TORRENS GREEK VICTIM SCENES AT BUNDABERG Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. BRISBANE, January 31. (Received January 31, at 10.45 a.m.) Florence Windley, aged eleven, another of the Torrens Creek poisoning victims, died, making the death roll four. PATHETIC SCENES Details of the Bundaberg tragedy show that pathetic scenes were witnessed at the hospital during Saturday. When the nurses and doctors were working on the patients the relatives remained in the hospital waiting for the latest tidings. In the cases of the Robinsons and Bakers whole families were lost. Dr Thompson, who gave the injections, said the method of making all injections since the commencement was not changed. A week ago he inoculated his own son in the same manner, without any ill elfect. Bundaberg never passed such a greilstrickcn day as yesterday. The whole oity came to a standstill. Business houses and hotels closed their doors, and the people flocked into the city to pay their last respects to the innocent victi . Flags everywhere were halfmast, and all the schools were closed. Women and children wept in the streets, and strong-hearted men were deeply moved as the tiny white coffins passed through the streets to the cemetery. In many cases the mayor, aidermen, and shire councillors acted as pallbearers. OUT OF DANGER Five children still in the hospital are regarded as out of danger. Dr Schmidt, Government medical officer, conducted, the post-mortem examinations, and in each case certified that death was due to acute toxannia, following the injection of a toxin-anti-toxin mixture. WHERE THE SERUM IS PRODUCED The Melbourne serum is sent to all parts of Australia and New Zealand from the Federal serum laboratories at Royal Park, the output being about 5,200,000 units annually. Among the animals at the laboratories are horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, and mice, but horses are used most in the production of the serum, in addition to making anti-toxic sera for the treatment of diphtheria and tetanus.