The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-04 00:00:00

DEATH PROM OVERDOSE OF MORPHIA.

On Saturday Mr. Bedford held an inquiry at
No. 15, Park-street, Westminster, relative to the death of
Mr. William Gravatt, an engineer, who died from an over-
dose of morphia administered by has nurse. Mr. William
Gravatt Cobbs, an undergraduate clerk of Oxford, identi-
fied the body as that of his uncle, who was 59 years of age.
The deceased had been ill about ten months and was pro-
fessionally attended by Mr. Lee, but owing to that gentle-
man's illness Dr. Poole visited. On Tuesday afternoon
last Dr. Poole asked for pen and ink, and wrote a prescrip-
tion. He said, " This is to be given at night if necessary,
bit not otherwise, and then only the half of it." It
was not to be given if he could sleep without it. It
was given at eleven o'clock by the nurse. She said
that the deceased must have it, as Dr. Poole had
said if he did not get sleep he would die, and
he had not slept the previous night nor day before. Wit-
ness did not see her give hie uncle the draught. He went
into hie uncle's room before retiring to bed, when the
nurse told him to keep quiet. About half-past six in the
morning the nurse asked him to go and look at Mr. Gra-
vett, for he was making a curious noise. Witness went
down and farad him gasping, and heard the rattles in the
throat. Dr. Poole was sent for, but being out, Mr. Lang-
ston was called in. He asked the nurse what had been given
to deceased, when she showed him the bottle, and said she
had given the whole of the draught. He then maid to the
nurse, " Yon have called me in just to see him
die." He administered brandy, but death soon ensued.
The bottle was here produced, the instruction upon it being
" The half of this draught to be taken at once." By the
Coroner : Dr. Poole gave the instructions to witness while
writing the prescription, but the nurse wasin the room.
By the Jury : She was about the room, and must have heard
what was said,but might have forgotten. She could read the
direction on the bottle. Mr. Langston remarked that the
symptomspresented were those of a person having been poi-
soned. Dr. Poole did not say that it would be dangerous
to take the whole of the draught at once. Mr. Samuel
Chaplin, chemist and druggist, of 11, Tothill-street, said
he prepared a prescription on Tuesday afternoon last, and
the label on the "bottle produced was in his handwrit-
ing. He made up a mixture and • draught. The
draught contained four grains of muriate of morphia,
the half of which was to be taken at once. If witness had
been going to administer such a draught, in a case of deli-
rium tremens, he should have thought two grains would
have been a heavy dose, and four grains probably a fatal
dose. Mr. Thomas Langston, surgeon, of 29, Broad-
way, Westminster, deposed to being called to
the deceased on Wednesday morning at seven
o'clock. He was in bed, supported by a woman (the
nurse). He was in a half comatose state, the face look-
ing ghastly, and the lips livid. There was a loud mucous
rattling in the throat, the pupils contracted, the pulse int-
peroeptible, and the body covered with cold perspiration.
From these symptoms he thought he was dying from nar-
cotic poison, and inquired from the woman in attendance
what he had taken. She showed witness a prescription,
and the bottle produced empty. Re asked her if she had
given the half or the whole of the draught, when she said
" the whole." He told her that he was dying, and he be-
lieved that to be the immediate cause of death. He made
a post mortem examination on Thursday, and considered
the cause of death was an overdose of muriate of morphia.
Four grains to • certainty would destroy life. That did
not apply to opium eaters, persons under delirium tre-
mens, or those accustomed to take large doses of narcotics.
Ruth Henny, the nurse, was then called and having been
cautioned by the coroner, said she would give evidence.
She said she bad been two years in deceased's service as
cook and housekeeper. She took the housekeeping after
Mrs. Gravatt's death. Deceased had not been well for ten
months, and she nursed him. She gave Mr. Gravatt a
dose of medicine thinking it was the same as Mr. Lee had
sent. She did not lmowit wu poison, and had no notice that
it was poison. When she was in the room no one said any-
thing about the half being taken. She did not look at the
bottle, because he had had similar bottles before. She had
given Mr. Gravatt five or six draughts from bottles of a
similar size. There was a gaslight in the room. The jury
returned a verdict that deceased was " accidentally poi-
soned by an overdose of morphia given inadvertently by
his nurse, to whom, in the jury's opinion, sufficient caution
was not given by the medical man in attendance ou the
deceased."

THE CATTLE PLAorz. —The return of the reported
cases in Great Britain for the week ending May 26 shows
that 1,207 attacks were reported, being a decrease of 725 on
the previous return. A considerable number of oases are
not reported to the central office sufficientlz early to be
included in the return for the week in which they com-
menced ; they are therefore inserted subsequently in the
column headed " beck cases." On these eases being added
to the respective weeks to which they belong it is found
that they amount, on recent averages, to about 25 per
cent. on the number of attacks duly reported, so that, cor-
recting the 1,207 attacks returned this week, the number
would be raised to 1,509. In the present return,
a table is given for the first time showing the results for
each week from the commencement of the epidemic, and
the " back cases " are therein properly distributed up to
March 31. Twenty-two counties remain free fromdisease,
viz., two in nigland, ten in Wales, and ten in Scotland.
In fifty-nine counties no cases bare been reported as occur-
ring during the week. Seven counties show an increase of
forty-eight cases, and eighteen counties and the metropo-
lis a decrease of 773 cases. The return is now presented
in a new form ; all the essential columns previoualy given
are retained, but additional information and some new
tables are added ; the divisions and counties are arranged
in topographical order, instead of alphabetically as here-
tofore.

--•-•
THE FATAL STABBING CASE AT IMMINGHAM.
An inquest was held at the Grand Turk, Ludgate-hill,
Birmingham, on the body of John Davis, a lad ten years of
age, who met with his death on Wednesday last from a stab
inflicted by Thomas M`Gee, under the following circum-
stances. The deceased worked at Mr. Stevens' glass-works,
and the boy M'Gee at Mr. Gould's binge works. During
the dinner hour on Wednesday there was a quarrel between
the two factiuns, and M`Gee was struck on the head by
one of the glass lads. He pulled off his jacket, but while
doing so his party ran away and be then followed. Seeing
his pursuers close at hand be hid himself against a wall
and the glass lads passed him. He then sat down on
step having a knife in his hand, and while he was there
three of the glass lads returned and made some taunting
remark. Immediately after five other glass lads turned
the corner of the street,and M'Gee attempted to pass them,
when one of them struck him on the side of the bead, when
)(Tree struck round with his right hand,snd the knife
entered the heart of decessed,who instantly expired. After
nearly two hears' deliberation, the jury returned a special
verdict, to the effect that " Thomas M'Grie, being an in-
fant of the tender age of nine years, and not having the
discernment of good and evil, in boyish strife sur-
rounded by eight other boys, and having a knife in his
hand, one of the bop struck the said Thomas M'Gee on
the head, and the said Thomas M'Gee did then swing back
his right hand, and with the knife did cause a mortal
wound to the heart of the deceased John Davis, and that
the said Thomas M'Gee did thus kill and slay the said
John Davis, but not feloniously or of malice afore-
thought." The child, who is very small for his age, ap-
peered unconscious of the perilous position in which he
was placed.
THE GROUND RECLAIMED /EOM THE THAMES AT
THE TIMPLI-GARDEPI. W. understand that the two
acres of ground reclaimed from the Thames, immediately
behind the portion of the embankment near the Temple-
pier has been given up to the benchera. It was generally
believed that the ground would have been added to the
Temple-gardens, and that the public were to have the
benefit of its use, but it appears that this is not to be, as
the benches have given orders for it to be enclosed and
cultivated for their own private use. We are also informed
that the lands fronting crown property at Whitehall.
gardens, and abutting upon the embankment, are to be
given up to the crown lessees, to be dealt with as they
may advise. The public will therefore not get the whole of
the benefit of the embankment, for which they will have
to Jpay so heavily.—City Press.
LAdTeItiseENTIE.tgOLLOWAT'S OINTMENT AND
Prusi—Droprical Owe —Whaterrer may be the remote
cause of collections ot water In the hum= body it must he pro-
dep.:l:m=l:km as soon as rWbU The readiest means
of this end are by ming Holloway's Oint-
ment to Increase the activity of the absorbents. When this
Ointment la well rubbed upon the skin it removes sII edema
congestion, overcomes ell mechanical obstruction to the free
return of the blood, and prevents the tot serum and water.
Holloway. PLY likewise augment the assottfag powers