Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-25
THE DOCTORS
WHO DISAGREE
Hanson and st, Jean Stick TO
Poison Theory
IN THE CHOUINARD CASE
Sheevan and Tremblay Say Cerebro
Spinal Meningitis Was Cause
of the Child's Death.
IN THE CHOUINARD CASE

An inquiry into the cause of the death
Of little Alma Chouinard was held last
night at Sherman's undertaking rooms,
and resulted in a verdict of exploding the
poisoning theory. The child died Friday
night under circumstances Of a peculiar
nature and Coroner Phil Julien very
properly decided to make an investiga-
ton of the cause of death.
Mrs. Margery Edne was the nurse who
attended the Chouinard children during
their illness. She testified that the eldest
boy, Lewis, was taken very i'll Saturday,
u week ago, and the following Thursday
the little girl, Alma, was also taken i'll.
She had been playing, and when she
come in drank a quantity of milk and
ate some bread and a little headcheese,
and very soon afterwards it was evident
hat she was quite i'll, she vomited vio-
lently; a high fever followed and then
commissions; towards morning she sank
into a kind of stupor. DR.. St. Jean was
called in Thursday night, but the witness
did not know whether he had prescribed
for the little girl or not. The witness
was of the opinion that the sickness was
caused by poisoning of some kind.
DR.. st. Jean testified to the effect hat
he had been called in to attend Lewis,
the eldest child of Mr.. and Mrs. Chouinard.
Tuesday, the 18th. Addie, the youngest
child, became i'll the next day, and Alma
on the third day. Lewis was treated for
poisoning and epilepsy, the boy having
the symptoms of both; the patient was in
a comatose condition all the time: the
witness suspected poisoning but said
nothing of his suspicious to the fami y.
The symptoms Of the three children We're
very similar and witness idea was that
he illness was caused by the milk; he
had ordered milk to be given them, but
after Thursday night prohibited it, and
the children began to improve; sent a
sample of the milk to be analysed but had
not heard the result of the test; on Fri
day Alma had no fever, and the child'S
temperature was nOrlnal; he called IN an
other physician, who was also of the opin-
ion that it was q case of poisOnlnS; wit
ness described his treatment of the case;
he saw no symptoms of cerebro spinal
meningitis.
DR.. H. H. Hanson testified that he was
called for consultation by DR.. st. Jean;
saw the child in a comatose condition.;
the child's pulse was about 100; DR.. st.
Jean told him about having given the
children milk and he thought the children
might lave been poisoned by the milk.
He said the child could not have been
suffering from cerebro spinal meningitis
as that disease was always accOmH2nied
by a high fever, and if the child had died
from this disease the brain and spinal
cord should have been removed and ex-
amined.
DR.. p. J. Sheeran testified that he had
been required by Coroner Julien to per-
form the autopsy and had asked DR..
Tremblay to be present. The heart,
stomach. intestines and kidneys We're eX-
aminIed carefully and no traces of inf1am-
nation found, the organs being in a
healthy condition; the stomach was in
a normal condition. The head was OPEN
ed and portions of the membrane and
cords removed, and every artery and vein
in the lining of the brain was fOunh to be
enormously ~congested and enlarged. The
arteries We're dilated or the neck distinct
ly; the back of the chest was dark, all
the symptoms Indicating that the child
had died of cerebro spinal meningitis.
With reference To DR.. Hansorfs state
ment that the spinal cord should have
been removed he said that would have
taken some time but congested arteries
showed in the upper portions, and the
black places on the back would indicate
hat the cord had been affected. Poison
ing would not produce such symptoms;
the reason that the organs of the stom-
ach We're NOT contested was because of
the short duration Of the disease.
DR.. ]. Trernblay testified that he was
present when the autopsy was perform
cd by DR.. SheeIar. He was of the same
opinion as DIR. Sheeran, that death was
due to cerebro spinnl meningitis; there
was ar affusion Of blood at the base Of
the brain and about the upper part of the
cord showing conclusively that cerebro
spinal meningitis was the cause Of