Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-04
A SERIOUS MISTAKE.
FATAL RESULTS EARLY AvsRTsD.
a Doctors First Grave Error ia a
Practice OF Nearly Forty Years
The Fortunate Ending.

On Monday little seven-y yesr-old daugA-
ter of City Treasurer Arthur Melss was taken
III with fever and growing worse in the even
ine. d.. De Camp was called - see her. He
did not think her dangerously III. bat lett
some medicine for her 10 take during the
night aud after telling Mr.. Meigs what
effect the medicine should have, departed.
The medicines did not have The effect pro-
missed by the doctor and the patient eontinu-
ed To grow worse, aud toward morning be
came delirious. The doctor was again sum
nloned, and upon his arrival al once discover
Cd symptoms of poisoning by beliadOnns.
and upon examining his medicine case
he found that hc h I'd prescribed beliadonna
instead of jaborandi as intended. lie al
once informed MIR. Meigs of the facts in the
case and administered bromide of potassium
and morphine a. an antidoie He was 10
liged 10 take a trip ia the country, and tel
ling It's parents that he thought the child
would soon grow better he left, saying tha.
he would call again al noon. The child con-
tinued 70 remain delirious through the day,
and as the doctor had not returned from his
trip al ! o'clock the parents thinking that II
was not doing as Wen as il ought, and that
1t ought 10 be seen by physician, sent for
DIR. Johnson, who, when he had ex-
amined the case, approved of the treat
ment for the poison prescribed by DIR. De
Camp, and SAID that he thought the little pa
tient would be better within few hours.
She began TO improve during the afternoon.
and when DIR. DeCamp called IN the evening
he pronounced her out of danger. AT ten
o'clock last night when the reporter called
at the house to get the facts IN the case she
was resting quietly and the parents were not
ap rehending any serious results.
DIR. DeCamp when called upon said that
he had no excuse 10 offer for making the
mistake; that while anybody could see how
easily such mistakes could be made and
that it WIS a wonder that more
such mistakes did not occur they were mex
cusable and he could only rejoice that the
results had not been more serious. lie said
that he had practiced medicine for thirty
eight years, and this was the third mistake
of the kind that he had made, and he was
sure that he never made others, because he
would never forget any such an occurrence.
Thirty six years ago he gave patient tine
tuFe of iodine for tincture of rhubarb, and
on another occasion mistook ipecac for rhu-
barb. Neither of these mistakes
were followed by serious results, but
they created an impression upon
his mind that he had never forgotten and
had caused him to be very careful 10 avoid
mistakes either in the kind of medicine or
the amount administered. He said that the
mistake ON Monday night was caused 10y his
taking the wrong vial from the case, and As
the medicines produced a similar effect upon
the water into which they are turned, he did
not discover the mistake until the effect on
the patient became apparent. Mr.. Meigs
said that the doctors actions IN the case had
been honest and honorable and seemed
pleased that he had told them the facts,
as soon as he discovered them, in
stead of covering them over as he might
easily have done by saying that the symp
toms were produced by other causes. The
child is of very nervous temperament,
which made the effect worse than it might
nave been upon one of less nervous dis
position.
There is no truth in the rumors that were
circulated about towh that the child Is sick
with scarlet fever.