DANGEROUS DRUG.

Northern Advocate, 8 May 1915, Page 2

DANGEROUS DRUG.

SALE OP CIILORODYNE.

i A LABOURER'S DEATH.

AUCKLAND, May 8. The- dangers of allowing the unrestricLv'd sale of ehlorodyne were emphateeed by both doctor and coroner at tee imiuest hold into the circumstaiv -}s of the death of John Marshal!, an unmarried labourer, of Onopniga, who died in the hospital on Taesday. Tee. det-oased, whose age was 47, was ;:tated by a married sister, with whoei iie lived, to have returned hon: ; on Saturday evening sornewhee under thy influence of liquor. Later in tho evening he asked for 3r>iiH. hot water, calling out that he had taken something like poison. A doctor was called in, and lie attended to tho deceased that night and for the next two days. Witness added thai the deceased had stated that he bad no intention of taking his,.life, but he thought that ehlorodyne was good stuff to take. Dr. Grant, acting-superintendent at the Auckland Hospital, said that Marshall was admitted in a comatose condition on Tuesday morning, and died the same evening. A postmortem examination indicated that death was due to pneumonia following on acute lephritis and 'gastrLl.;, apparently caused by some poison. Dr. Bruce, of Onehunga, stated that he was called in to attend Marshall on Saturday evening. "He was shown three empty ehlorodyne bottles, and it was stated that the deceased had taken the contents. Witness did everything possible to counteract the effects of the poison, and gave the deceased's brother-in-law instructions as to how to keep the patient stimulated. On Monday there were signs of pneumonia, and witness had Marshall removed to tho hospital. C'h'orodynrr, the doctor pointed •;';ii, '..'a' an exceedingly powerful ;.-oi : ;ce. ere:' i::; ■■';' chloroform, morphi;:. e::e pruo.'e acid, and yet the o;j cT if by chemists and grocers ■.••:. ;;•::'- :\:\Y.i ofbvd. ra this in-:-,a;.: tj !.!,-; d-;ee:iK-_d had apparently pvivhuced throe bottles at once without any quest'ens being aeko;*.. Chkrodyne, in hi?, opinion, shoiild be placed on the first schedule oi poisons, so that every purchaser should he required to sign for it. The sale of proprietary medicines containing' poisons needed some regulation. After hearing further evidence, which indicated that the deceased was addicted to drink, and that he was not in. the habit of taking chlorodvae, Mr E. C. Cut ten, S.M., found the;: deceased had committed suicide by making an overdose of poison, his mi;.d being unhinged at tiie time by excessive • drinking. "Whoever supplied the three bottles of ehlorodyne to the deceased," added the coroner, "hre.l taken a grave responsibility, but there was no evidence to show who it was." The coroner said that he agreed with th e remarks made by the doctor about the restriction of the sale of sub poisons as ehlorodyne.