KILLED BY MOTHBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19148, 14 October 1925, Page 12

KILLED BY MOTHBALL.

CHILD'S TRAGIC ERROR, THOUGHT IT A LOLLY. POISONED BY NAPHTHALENE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WANGANUI, Tuesday. Evidence given at an inquest regarding the death of Patricia Caroline Howard, aged two years and eight months, showed that the child died from the effect of a mothball she had eaters. The mother stated that the child mistook the mothball for a lolly. Witness telephoned for Dr. Anderson, who vised a stomach pump. The child afterwards appeared to be all right and ran about as usual during the afternoon and next day, until about 4 p.m., when she started frothing at. the mouth. She was again taken to Dr. Anderson and afterwards brought home. About 6 p.m. she appeared to get worse, and Drs. Anderson and Wall were summoned. They ordered her removal to a private hospital, where she died at 10 p.m. on October 9. Dr. Anderson's' evidence showed that lie washed out the stomach and did all he could for the child on October 7. Next day, when the child was brought to the surgery, she was suffering from a sore throat and her breathing was affected. Witness described the various methods of treatment given. The coroner, in delivering his verdict, said the child had taken a mothball and eaten it, and apparently ran round all right for a day before other symptoms set in. Two days later she died. He considered that public interest might be aroused by giving publicity to the facts, which might easily be duplicated in any citizen's home. No blame was attachable to anyone and everything possible had been done afterwards. The evidence disclosed that the active ingredient in the mothball was naphthalene, which was not well recognised among poisons and its action was somewhat obscure. The verdict was that the child died from exhaustion following the corrosive and toxic effects of naphthalene, accidentally swallowed.