EFFECTS OF VERONAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22444, 13 June 1936, Page 15

EFFECTS OF VERONAL

SCHOOLMASTER CALLED "FOUND OUT OF BED" BOX DISCOVERED'EMPTY A schoolmaster, John William Beattie, of Rata, near Hupterville, was then called. Witness said that in November, 1931. he was first assistant at Arthur Street School, Dunedin. Ho was suffering from a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork and a. duodenal ulcer. Ho had difficulty in getting sleep and veronal was prescribed for him. Ho took veronal for about a year prior to November, 1931. The one tablet that he took was much less effective on some occasions than on others, but tho effect gradually decreased. Ho then took two tablets before retiring, but the effect of them wore off occasionally after about an hour. He was very rundown in November, 1931. One Saturday morning he purchased 12 tablets of veronal and took two just before supper that night. Witness caused some amusement by saying lie had expected visitors to go earlier than they did. He accompanied them to the Roslyn tram. "Your Honor has tho advantage of us," said Mr. O'Leary, as His Honor traced with witness the streets by which he would go to the tram.

Condition Described The effect did not come, witness said, and he took a further two tablets about midnight, leaving eight in tho carton. He then went to sleep. Ho and Mrs. Beattie wero tho only occupants of tho houso. About 9 o'clock next morning Mrs. Beattie roused him, but he went off into a sound sleep. Later Mrs. Beattie propped him up for dinner, but he could not take it. He tried to speak but could not. When Mrs. Beattie found it impossible to rouse him sho let him sleep until about 7.30 that evening. She managed then to get him out of bed. and he was just like a drunken man. He stayed out walking for about an hour and a-half. On going to bed witness decided he would risk one tablet, but lie found tho veronal box in the bathroom with tho lid on but there were no tablets. Tho only conclusion ho could come to was that ho had got the remaining eight tablets on Saturday night or Sunday morning. On the Monday at school he was pretty thick for a while, but the effect wore off and he was all right. Ho had then been taking veronal for about two years. "Found Out 01 Bed" On a previous occasion he took two tablets and then another two and went to sleep. Later he found himself in the bathroom at the medicine chest, where he was roused by a falling bottle. Ho then roused himself to leave the tablets alone. "It was definitely in my mind that I was after more tablets," he said. Witness said he had found himself out of bed on other occasions after taking four tablets. He had thought that his experience of veronal might bo of use in this case.

Answering Mr. Meredith, witness said there were about four occasions on which he took four tablets. He had not reported the occurrence to his medical man because he was too ashamed of the whole business. On the Sunday he remembered Mrs. Beattie rousing him, but he could not keep awake. His wife was not really alarmed because she had been speaking to him during the day. The last halfhour he was out ho was walking fairly 'well.

Recalled by His Honor after the luncheon adjournment witness said no light had been left burning; in tho house. He had had nono of these pills since. That was the end of it.

EXPERIENCE OF DRUG INSOMNIA SUFFERER MARRIED WOMAN'S TESTIMONY The next witness, Mrs! Moira Esma Meissner, of Havelock North, said that in September, ID.'JO, she had been suffering badly from insomnia. Eventually she collapsed and a doctor made a pill prescription for her, which sho now knew to be barbitone.

Her husband gave her ono pill and after an hour or an hour and a-half she went to sleep and slept until 7..'30 that evening. Her husband gave her another pill and she went quickly to sleep after it. She remembered awaking in tho early morning and taking a third pill. Tho next day sho vaguely remembered was sitting up as in a dream and feeling for the pills that should have been by her bedside, but she could not find them. Sho remembered getting out of bed and searching the room for them, but sho could not find them. She stumbled down the passage to tho bathroom and climbed

on a stool to unlock the medicine chest. She found the pills and remembered taking them, but she did not remember how many. Sho got back to bod and lost consciousness.

Witness said she woke again about seven o'clock in the evening, but she did not know what time had elapsed since her visit to the bathroom. She was amazed to find her faco swollen and bluish. She had not taken veronal or barbitone since. She was a bit confused when she woke, but denied flatly to her husband that she had taken the pills. Afterwards she told him that she had taken them. She had been a nurse before she was married.

In reply to Mr. Meredith, witness said she must have had seven or eight hours' sleep after the first pill. She went to sleep within half an hour of taking tho second pill. She had a recollection of searching for the pills as in a dream. It took her quite a long time to get down the hall, bumping into things as she wont. Her husband was not in the house at the time. From what she now knew her sleep must have run into the third day. After waking up on the third day she did not go off to sleep again. She had no recollection of being fed or given

anything. In answer to further questions by Mr. O'Lcary witness said she had no recollection how long she had been in the bathroom or of getting back into bed. Husband's Evidence Tho husband of the previous witness, Franz Meissner, orchardist, of Havelock North, said he was a native of Bohemia, in Austria. In September, 1930, he called in a doctor to his wife and the doctor made out a prescription. Tho chemist gavo him eight or nino pills. "I remember," said witness, " because I thought it was pretty hot to charge mo eighteerfpenee for eight or nine pills." Witness detailed the pills that had been given to his wife. He was a sound sleeper and hoard no movements of his wife in the night. There seemed to be one pill missing and so he took them away and put them in tho bathroom cupboard. His Honor: About what time? — About seven o'clock in the morning. Witness said his wife slept throughout that day and that night and into the next day. She was sleeping soundly on that third morning. Witness said he lot his wife sleep. He went to give her tea at 10 a.m., but though he roused her he could see it was hopeless to give her anything. The position was tho same about noon, when sho talked nonsense to him. He tried to give her scrambled egg, but it was a very slow job and he gave it up. She was asleep when he retired that night, and was still asleep the following morning. He got her to take a little food at about 10 a.m., and she went off to sleep again. Tho doctor called, but said to let her sleep. Empty Box Found

Late that afternoon witness found tho pill box he had put in the bathroom open with nothing in it. His wife woke up when he was playing the piano. "My friend says that is probably what woke your wife up," remarked Mr. O'Leary.

The witness said he was an amateur pianist and he was playing a piece that was rather rowdy in parts —a Beethoven sonata. After his wife woko she twice denied to him that she had taken tho pills, "and wo nearly had a row over it." he added. Eventually she remembered that she had got them. Cross-examined by Mr. Meredith, witness said the tablets were five-grain ones.

Mr. Meredith: You did not know whether there were eight or.nine tablets?— No.

How did you figure there was one missing?— That was easy. His Honor said he understood that at the time witness knew how many were there, but he did not remember exactly now. Witness agreed that was so. Witness did not notice anything unusual about his wife's sleep, he said. Ho did not tell tho doctor how long she had been asleep. He noticed a blotchy look on his wife's face.

To Mr. O'Leary he said that prior to this his wife had never taken veronal and she had never taken it since. " Smelt of Liquor " Mrs. Alice Frances Smith, who had been assistant wardrobe mistress during "The Duchess of Dantzic" season, said she had been making dresses before the season began. On the last Monday evening of the season Mrs. Marco did not seem well and witness asked her if she was well enough to go on the stage. She smelt strongly of liquor, but said she was quite all right. Witness thought she was under the influence of liquor, and just wondered whether she was well enough to go on. When witness took a dress into Mrs. Marco's dressing room one evening there was a bottle of brandy on the table. To Mr. Meredith, witness said Mareo and visitors would go to that room. Any entertaining to be done would be done in that room. Mrs. M areo played and played brilliantly on the night of which witness had spoken when she thought Mrs. Marco was under the influence of liquor. She had a heavy and responsible part, including dancing and dialogue. His Honor: Will you agree that tho event proved that she was well enough to go through with the performance?— She went through with it. His Honor: And went through it well?— Yes. His 'Honor: Well, that proves your fears were groundless. Tho hearing of evidence will be resumed on Monday.