New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-21
SING ULAR DEATHS IN BOSTON,

| SUICIDE or A PROMISING YOUNG PHYSICIAN FROM
CHAGRIN AT A PROFESSIONAL MIsTAKE-IHE
PERus OF CnLoRoFogM ILLUSTRATED.
| lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE rRfBUsEl
Boston, Nov. 20.--A very remarkable double
suicide has just occurred in this city One OF the vic
tins was Marian PhyEer, age TO- a nurse in the City
Hospital during The last six months. For several days
past she had seemed hysterca had frequent fits Of
| weeping, and evidently very wretched On Tues
day she said, Nobody for me-" although
she a general favorite throughout the hospital
That night she appeared depressed than usual ana
as she seemed to grow more and moro nervous, one OF
the women who rOomed with her called mp DIR. Arthur
L. Foster, Of the medical house officers, who had
| already given her one or two quoting doses. lie
visited her, surprising the trouble to be the same aud
repeated the prescription he had already given In the
morning her roommate was aroused earlier than usua
by her heavy breathing and called in of the house
physicians once. lie found her unconscious coula
not her and she died at 1880 O'Clock BY her SIDE
bottle OF elixir Of opium. 1t was evident that she
already under the influence OF the deadly nareonc
when Dr. Foster visited her and failed to discover the
fact None seemed to reach this inevitable CONCLUSION
more quickly than did the unfortunate author OF the
mistake, an energetic and enthusiastic student only
% years and 6 months old. He withdrew to his own
room without a word and with perfect camness, sew
cred the femOral artery neatly and completely ~ tue
most experienced surgeon could have done it, and bed
to death at Young Foster was graduated at Will
nams College and al the Harvard Medical School WIN
high honors His death shock to large circle Oh
acquaintance.
The suddendeath OF Mrs Mary F. erie, which occurred
last week while the lady under the influence OF an
ana sthetc administered by Dr. Eastman dentist OF TINS
city, has occasioned great interest in all circles but
especially among physicians. 1t deemed eNpedient
to jury OF inquest, not that the dentist was
suspected any criminal action, but with view 10
bringing to the public attention some important
facts concerning the use OF an1sthetics. COh-
seduently the jury was composed entirely OF
physicans and the witnesses examined have
been men prominent in the medical profession
At tbs first meeting, the circumstances attending the
death OF the lady detailed and evidence was gwen
showing that previous health had always been good
DIR. Eastman testified that he was in the habit oil admin
fstering anGthetic mixture OF ether and choro-
FORM about two-thirds Of the former and one OF the
latter he thought but OF this he not certain for no
never measured the proportions being so familiar with
the substances that he never hesitated to trust
his judgment Mrs. Crie was put under
the influence OF such mixture, and in less than fve
minutes after inhalng 1t she Strengthened back III the
char like one in spasm. and despite all efforts TO
revive she died. probably almost instantly Last
evening the experts testified the meeting being held In
the large cOmmtee-rOOm OF the City Hall, and about
fifty sixty gentlemen, mostly physcians, being pres
ent The first witnesses examined were Drs Fagg ana
OsGood Of the most experienced dentists in the cry
The former acknowledged that he considered chloro-
form, whether pure combined with ether or
alcohol, unsafe and that he did not dare TO use
H. while the latter uphesiatngly affirmed that he used
continually and always without fear or accident Dr
J. 5. Wood, Professor Of Chemistry IN the Harvard
Medical school reported the rest OF ANALYSIS made
OF the mixture prepared b. DE- Eastman and ol certain
organs OF the deceased lady. The mixture was ~ Per
cent ether and 40 per cent chlOrOiOrm. He
said 1t appeared from statistics that the pro,
portion of deaths caused by ether was 1 IN
532J4; By chlOrOfOrm / in 2,S73; and by the
mixture. / in 55JS. Fifteen drops OF choroform n
hailed had been known 10 cause almost instant dcatn'
DR.. Henry Bseow ProiessO of Surgery IN the Med
real School o. Harvard University was present AZ INC
first OF administering ether III ms cy, IN 1850, anu
that time he mas mace constant study
ne said lnar sf .o n9 70 assure Himself OF tb
perfect health of tho woman ne was OF an undoubting
cnloroorm He further said that the ether in mixture
of three-1fths oiner and t%9,hiths ch,oioi9rm
the chloroforrn might ana mad Killed an adut ne n,a
in ether deaths from chloroorm numbered
~ cr sonpht was whether In addition 10 the narcotic
power choroOrm eher, both, possessed some very
irn I'D and elmer did not cnloroform killed suddenly
and etner could not. Drs. Cabot, CLARK, Gay, and
Hodges all corrobDrated DR. BgeOw's statements, and
all agreed that il Impossible TO administer cnoro-
form with certainty OF safety, aud that even under
tie most favorable circums tances no one could ten
whether the patient nnang it would survive or not.
LATER-The jury met again this evening and returned
the following verdict:
That Mary F. Cuo came 10 her death on Monday, the
10th day November, 1873 between IL and p.
m the Office of Dr. Charles l. ,Stham, dentist, No -
TremOnt-st Boston. and that her death caused by
the inhalation Of chlOrOlOrm administered IN mixture
OF enlorooru ana ether by the said Dr. Eastman. Tue
Jury this opportunity TO caution the public against
the inhalation dangerous agent chlorOform
for the production OF tuseusibIty pain In the
opinion jury the inhalation OF sulphUrc ether l.
safe, while tho Limitation vi eh0roorn either alone OF
mixed, is always attended with danger.
Ezra Palmer. n. ID. George LOTT, VI. D.,
JOnn A. LIm5On, NJ. D., Thomas RestCauX,
George FdOyan, M D., Thomas DOber.
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