A DOCTOR'S ERROR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15849, 20 February 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

A DOCTOR'S ERROR.

A RARE GERMAN* DRUG. By an error several women patients at Bsthlem Hospital, Southwark, were given doses of a. rare German drug, and five died. It transpired at the inquest that the drug leaves no traces, and to all appearance the patients had died natural deaths. The drug is amylene hydrate, and it was explained that it was a sedative given to patients suffering from acute mania. It comes from Germany, and since the war there has been some difficulty in getting it. Ihe coroner said there were no known cases of death by this drug in England. Dr. John G. P. Phillips stated that he became medical superintendent of tire hospital after having been physician, assistant medical officer, etc. Owing to the war, they now had no house physicians as they had been called up. and it had been impossible to replace them as there was a shortage of dm tors. The staff now consisted of three doctors, instead of six. Only acute mental cases were taken in, and it was a common thing for patient* to have to take a draught cverv night. Dr. Jones, who held the highest "possible London University degrees, was the dispenser. Dr. Phillips produced two bottles, one filled with concentrated amylene hydrate, and the other with the diluted drug, pointing out that there wa s no apparent difference between the two. It was impossible by smell to tell which was which. Dr. Bernard H. Spilsburv. pathologist at St. Mary's Hospital, said that death in each of the five cases was due to heart failure, following the administration of amylene hydrate.

In answer to Mr. Pollock. K.C.. repre - sent the City Corporation and governors of the hospital. Dr. Spilsburv admitted that unless he bad heard the evidence he could not. have told that the deceased persons had not died from natural causes. He found 110 traces of the drug which., being fairly volatile, he could not expect to find after death. Hs> did not think it possible to say what was a fatal dose. He had had no experience of the administration of the drug. The jury returned a verdict of misadventure.