Sleeping Tablets Cause Death Of Child At Tautoro

Northern Advocate, 23 May 1944, Page 3

Sleeping Tablets Cause Death Of Child At Tautoro

(Special) KAIKOHE, This Day. At the adjourned inquest held at Kawakawa this morning on the death of Lois Gillian Hows, the two-year-old daughter of Mr and Mrs Gwen D. Hows, of Tautoro, near Kaikohe, the District Coroner (Mr T. J. V. Dunlop) found that death was due to an overdose of pheno-barbitane taken accidentally. The Coroner added a recommendation that only 10 day’s supply of these hypnotics should be prescribed at one time and that parents should lock them up and keep them out of reach of children.

When the inquest opened on April 10, the father said that, 'feeling ill and not being able to sleep, he had bought some sleeping tablets on the prescription of a doctor. He had not used them for six weeks and they had been kept at the bottom of the top drawer of a tallboy in the bedroom. The children could have climbed on the bed and opened the top drawer which also contained all his correspondence. A domestic caring for the children while the mother was visiting relatives, testified to hearing bumps from the front room, where the baby appeared to be groggy. When put back in the cot she fell back and closed her eyes. At first it was thought that a tumble from the cot caused the child’s condition, but as the symptoms became more alarming a doctor was summoned for a second time and ordered the immediate removal of the child to hospital. Later witness found half a white pill on the bedroom floor and the four-year-old brother of deceased said she had eaten the lot.