STATE OF COMA

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 155, 12 June 1936, Page 5

STATE OF COMA

'IMS. MATEO'S CONDITION THIRD DOSE IMPOSSIBLE. No Question Of Criminal 1 "" , Intent. Ipi ■ ■>. i ■'• r ' FRESH EVIDENCE FROM AUSTRALIA. Press Association —Copyright. Auckland, To-day. "I was satisfied she was in a state of coma because of the veronal," continued Dr. Paget. "She may have had the limit of 40 grains in 20-grain doses, but I cannot remember exactly. "I think it was impossible for her to have had a third dose. Her husband was very fond of her, ,and there was r,o question of criminal intent. The veronal wrs given on that occasion hypcdermically," Replying to Mr. Meredith, witness said he agreed that drugs of the barbituric acid group acted fairly certainly, but he did not agree with the statement that they also acted with rapidity. He would recommend a dose to bo taken one hour or two hours before the patient desired sleep. The patient to whom he referred was between 50 and 55. Her general health had been good but he had not seen her until some time before the fatal illness, and she may have deteriorated physically during the interval.

No post-mortem examination had

been carried out ,and he was unable to tell tho Court of the woman's organic condition. The patient was in a state of coma —with a brief intermission in which she was awake—for about 3G hours. Her appearance was dusky and her breathing laboured. Witness roused her, he thought, by speaking to her and probably moving her. He though it possible that the other doctor might have given ner

strychnine before witness arrived, and this might have assisted her to awaken. Reexamined, Dr. Paget said that when roused the woman did not become at all lively. She was drowsy and spoke in a drowsy way. Australian Witness. Irene Alice Riace, a widow, of Melbourne, questioned by Mr. Henry, said that she had met Thelma Trott in 1931 with a variety company. Her daughter and her granddaughter had joined the company. She saw Miss Trott again in Melbourne in 1933, when her family had joined the Ernest. Rolls Company. She remembered Thelma telling her that she could not sleep without sleeping powders. Cue night she had a bottle of veronal, which she said was the best thing on tho market for sleeplessness. She had once said that she would kill herself, because life was not worth living. Witness had discussed with her books dealing with certain aspects.

Mrs. Riano remembered Thelma say

ing that if the Ernest Rolls Company did not take her to New Zealand she would kill herself. They had decided to take her. While in Auckland Thelma once came to witness's dressing-room and asked if witness could give her some powders or something. Mareo was standing in the doorway, and said: "1 wish you could try to convince Thelma to be a homeopath, because something will happen if she does not stop taking so many sleeping draughts." Witness remembered Thelma drinking at the Crow's Nest Cabaret in Wellington, and being under the influence. Fend of Mrs Mareo. To Mr. Henry, witness said she was vury fond of Miss Trott. There had been a difference between her daughter and Mareo over the latter playing the music too fast, but there had been no difference with Miss Trott. Cross-examined by Mr. Meredith, witness said that when she had been interviewed by the police at Melbourne she may not have mentioned Thelma showing-her a bottle of veronal. The policemen just came to the door, asked some questions, and took notes in ft book. "He took us by surprise, and 1 did not think it important to tell him everything I knew," said witness. Mr. Meredith: i put it to you that

he asked straight out whether Thelma

| Trott took veronal? | Witness': 1 do not remember that. [ie«fPAfiipß dicing me questions: 1 I was tolling him. {• ' Mr. Meredith: Do I understand | that he stood there mute while you ! told him about Thelma? Witness: He asked me some quesi lions—a lot particularly about, dates Mr. Meredith: Then yon purely i voluntarily brought out those things j about her drinking? j Witness: i did it out of my love of j justice. I though: it was my duty. I Mr, Meredith: Did not your love of justice and duty impel you to tell the police -bout that bottle of veronal? Witness: I am not s*ro that I did not tell them. j Marco had said to her before he was I married that Thelma was taking too

many drugs and had asked witness to break her of it. Mr. MereditUt: If what you say is correct, it follows that Mareo knew that his wife took drugs? Witness: Yes, I suppose so. Mr. Meredith: Would you be surprised to know that when his wife was unconscious and the doctor asked him whether his wife" ever took drugs he had said "No"? Witness: Perhaps dope and drugs are two different things. Would you bo surprised if he said, in answer to the police, that his wife did not take drugs to make her sleep but took alcohol? Witness: I don't know whether I would be surprised. % John William Beat tie, a school teacher Hunterville, said that on No-

vember, 1921, while in Dunedin. Buffering from a nervous breakdown lie had consulted two doctors, who had prescribed veronal to induce sleep.Ho took veronal for about a year. For a time one tablet was enough, but later he hud to take two. He used to take them about half an hour before he went to'batt. Occasionally they didn't have any* affect and after sasp'c* for some time he got up and took two more. At the time he was r ?ufl!or.'ng from a duodenal ulcer. He remembered cue night taking two tablets with toa about ten o'clock. He escorted some visitors to the tram then retired about 11.15. The veronal had not had any effeei at about midnight and he loook two more tablets, lie remembered distinctly having eight left in the box. Ho went asleep and did not remember anything until the morning. Then he remembered, his .wife trying to awaken him, but he went into a deep sleep until dinnertime. His wife again tried to reuse him but lie woke again and then went to £leop. "About 7.30 that night my wto was able to rouse ras with some diflicully. I was just like a drunken

man. We went for a walk. My speech was very thick. When I retired at ten o'clock I decided to risk one more tablet. They were kept in the bathroom in a pound-box with a lid on it, but there were no mare tablets. I concluded that 1 had token them myself on Saturday lrght. My wife has iiover taken veronal in her life." Mr Callan; You concluded th -a (hat between ten o'clock on Saturday nigh'. iii;l Sunday morning you tcok '■ix'.y grains twelve tablets. Witness: Yes. The effect were en' en Monday. On another occasion, witness said he found himself in the bathroom when a bottle fell into the handbati'.n and roused him. He was satisfied thr.l he wns inter more veronal but had enough willpower to lcrcv hlnu.rj! away from the bathroom where it was kept. On the way hack to bed he entered the wrong bedroom. Witness said thai he hart never seen Mare-o until lo day but had thought that bis experience of verou nl might bo valuably and baa uicrcfrrro writ)en lo li"m. I The Ccurl then adjourned.