POISONED WINE.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 277, 25 November 1919, Page 7

POISONED WINE.

SINGULAR CASE AT WHANGAREI.

A peculiar case of poisoning is reported from Whangarei. Br \v B Mercer. District Health Officer ax, Whangarei, got in touch with Superintendent Wright, of the Auckland police, on Friday evening, regarding three residents in that district having been affected by arsenical poisoning after drinking wine. It is stated that a lady at Whangarei got •some wine from Auckland, part oi the consignment being •shared by a friend named 'Mrs-■ Edith Brainsby. The latter opened one bottle some time after its receipt, and filled a flask for her husband ; who is a • returned soldier. This he took in his bag one morning recently, and shared a portion with a friend. An hour later Mr Brainsby had' to be taken home from his office iiia car, and was attended by Dr Baxter. The friend was also taken ill. This caused the idea that something was wrong with the wine, which was sent to the Health Officer at Whangarei, where the bottle remained in a cupboard until one night recently, when the inspector, Mr Shenton, tasted the contents, and became seriously ill. This caused the bottle to be sent to Auckland for analysis, when it was found to contain so much arsenic, that had it been shaken before the taste was taken the sickness would have proved a fatal one in each case.

The problem to be solved is, how the arsenic got into the wine (says the Auckland Star). After a somewhat similar case at Ruawai, where a person was poisoned through drinking bottled beer, the police made exhaustive inquiries and visited establishments to see how bottles ■were cleansed. The result was to satisfy the authorities that as far as the are concerned^ the bottles are most thoroughly cleansed ■with strong caustic soda first , then examined before a strong electric light, and passed throtigh a weaker solution, being finally washed in hot •water with a steam-driven brush. Thus any poisoning ingredient left in a bottle must be cleaned out most effectually. Owing to the war there has been a grqat scarcity of bottles, and thus old ones have had in many cases to he used. Hence the need of the greatest care in thoroughly cleansing and sterilising before using a second time.