DEATH IN A DENTIST'S CHAIR.

Northern Advocate, 6 May 1914, Page 5

DEATH IN A DENTIST'S CHAIR.

& MAN'S FRACTURED NECK. c

The extraordinary circumstances of the death of a young man in the dentist's chair was investigated on March ' 17 at an inquest at St. Pancras on Bertram George Darby, aged 22, a fire insurance'clerk of Gaisford Street, Kentish Town Road. George Darby, a

pianoforte tuner, the father, Bald his

son had been suffering from neuralgia, „_;,_ which was attributed to a decayed tooth in the lower jaw. He arranged with a dentist to have it extracted, and on Friday evening he went to the dental surgery, his toother accompanying him. Witness afterwards heard that he had died under the anaesthetic. Other evidence showed that the dentist administered nitrous oxide gas, and the dental . surgeon extracted one molar tooth, and was abotit to extract another, when it was noticed that Darby had difficulty in breathing. Artificial respiration web resorted to, but he died twenty minutes later. \ Dr. B. H. Spilsbury, pathologist of t St:> Mary's Hospital, who made a postmortem examination, said there was tubercular disease of the upper /part of the neck and skull, whilst a portion of - the bone in the neck had become detached. The four vertebrae of the neck he found, had been fractured, and this ; had caused death. Owing to their soft condition and the disease of the bones of the necky said Dr. Spilsbury, any

slight jerk or force would cause such a fracture The administration of the gas had no part in causing death. The jury returned a verdict of "Death by misadventure."