Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-02-24
DEATH OF MRS. ]. NJ. THORNBURGH.-
Unfortunate Blunder of Druggist
Clerk.
Life the Price of Gross CareIessncss.

a Life the Price of Gross CarcIessncss.
The city was excited yesterday with ru-
mOrs concerning the sudden death of Mrs
Col. ). NJ. ThOrnburgh. AS usual in cases
OF the kind, a hundred different stories
were in circulation. AS the exact
facts are always certain to do
ali interested parties fuller Justice,
THAN the false rumOrs, we have been at
pains to ascertain the exact truth
On Wednesday afternoon Dr. J. NJ.
Boyd was called upon to attend Mrs.
IhOrnburgh, who was suffering from slight
lndispositiOn. He prescribed for her as
follows:
Sallclne ........0 grains.
Quinine. grains.
The prescription was sent to Messrs.
Heald d LOckes drug house. The pills
were prepared by their pTescriptiOnist.
About eight O'clock on Wednesday night
Mrs. ThOrnburgh took Sir of the pills
She manifested some little excitement
after it, but soon fell asleep, apparently as
usual. About midnight her husband was
aroused by the loud breathing of his wife.
He found her apparently Sutfo eating, and Il
once dispatched Il servant for DIR. Boyd. In
the meantime, with a presence of mind and
a judgment rarely manifest under similar
circumstances the Colonel used every effort
to induce artificial respiration. By exercise
of great physical power and by persistent
efforts, he managed to prOtract respiration
for three-quarters of an hour, until the ar
rival of DR.. Boyd. The latter at once real
lied the situation, and that the patient
was labOring under narcotics. Drs. Boyn-
ton and Deaderick were sent for and reach
ed the house within an hour. Every effort
and appliance known to these gentlemen
were used.
Occasionally some grounds were given
for hope. On Thuraday, Drs. w. F. Rod
efer and J. w. ThOrnburgh arrived and
consulted and acted with the physicians
first named. But the patient was beyond
the reach of medical skill, and at one and
half o'clock Friday morning she expired
THE CAUSE OF HER DEATH.
On yesterday afternoon the physicians
above named, assisted by Drs. Curtis and
Rodgers, and in the presence of Mr.. ThOs.
Heald, made an analysis of the remaining
six pills, in order to see what caused the
fore stated, called for sllicine and
quinine. The test applied was nitric
acid. The unmistakable red resulting
from the test showed beyond question that
morphine had been put into the pills in
stead of quinine. Five grains of morphine
in twelve pills or two and half grains in
the six pills Mrs. Thornburgh took. The
drugs from which the pills We're COM
pounded were then tested, but they were
found pure.
The only conclusion, therefore, left, was
that by mistake the prescriptiOnist had
put morphine in the pills instead of qHi-
nine.
1t is useless for Us here, in view of the
unfortunate result, to do more than state
the facts.
The drug house where the mistake hap
pened had but recently employed the pre-
scriptiOnist. He came to them, however.
with the highest recommendations. He
was a graduate of a school of pharmacy in
England and had letters from Scheiffien,
the great druggist of New York. By re-
cent changes in the bottling Of quinine; it
is put up in the same sized bottles rs NOR
phine, and the clerk assigns this as reason
why he more easily made the mistake.
The price of this mistake is a precious
life. We can not feel it consistent with
our duty to the public to suffer the occa-
sion to pass without some comment. 1t is
impossible to recall the life that has de-
parted, or to doubt that the unfortunate
clerk and his still more unfortunate en-
plOyers, upon whom the blow falls hardest,
suffer remOTse, to which we would not
needlessly add, but the public must be
protected against repetition of such er-
rOrs. With those who occupy such posi-
lions, careleSSneSS IS highly culpable.
Skill is not alone the protection de-
manded. Great and constant vigilance is
quite as necessary al professional training.
Had that care and vigilance which the
public have right to expect in those who
occupy such positions been exercised in
this instance, we should not be called upon
to announce the terrible bereavement
which has just befallen the friends and
relatives of the deceased, and cast such Il
gloom upon our community.