Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-04
Death of a New York Man
Being Investigated.
THE DOCTORS STATEMENT 7
Until the Case of Mrs. Adams Came
Up No Idea of Poisoning Had
Been Entertained.

New York, Jan. Adjective Captain
McClusky has given out statement
made by Mr.. Henry Beaman Douglas.
relative to his treatment of He. Barnet,
a member of the Knickerbocker Athletic
club, who died in November 1898, ten
days after having partaken of powder
which he had received from some un-
known party through the mails. Mr..
Barnet was treated by DR.. Douglas, who
declared that he was suffering from
diphtheria. Interest in the case has re-
vived on account of the death Of Mrs.
Kate ]. Adams from partaking a portion
of the contents of bottle sent to Harry
Cornish at the Knickerbocker club by
some unknown person. DR.. Douglas
statement is as follows:
ION October 80, 1885, I was summoned
to see Mr.. Barnet at the Knckerbocker
Athletic club. Mr.. Barnet said that he
felt badly and had a sore throat. I ex-
amined his throat and found int1amma-
ton in the right tonsl the adjoining
parts and the uvlilva. This part was
covered with a membrane. His pulse
was about 80, his temperature about 80.
He stated that the day previous he had
been i'll with his throat and had taken
small quantity of powder from a box
which had been sent him in the mails
which was evidently a sample box of
Kulnows powder. After taking this
powder he had Immediately elected it
from his stomach and had vomited pretty
| thoroughly.
! He called in the emergency DR.. Wen
dell Phillips, who prescribed some rem
edy for stomach trouble. DR.. Phillips
said that he would not call again unless
he was sent for and the next day Barnet,
feeling his throat still sore, sent for me.
1 told him that the emulation from his
! throat looked as if it must be diphtheria,
| but that the symptoms were so mild that
| we could not make a positive diagnosis
without examining the germs in the
| throat procured two culture tubes and
made a culture from the membrane from
his tonsil and developed the culture. Re-
turning to the club in the afternoon I
looked at his throat and found that the
| membrane had extended slightly, cover
| ing rather more than in the morning. l
told him that we would not wait for the
result of the culture examination but l
! would give him an injection of anti
toxine Mr.. Barnet had a bad feeling
from his stomach. His pulse was good
and strong, he was not confined to his
! bed :nd he had no vomiting or diarrhoea.
| He stated that he was a fool for taking
anything that came in the mail, but that
he was in the habit of taking kulnow's
powders and the mailed box was handy.
| The membrane in the throat did not
spread after the anti-toXine had been
given.
Mr.. Barnet was extremely sick and 1t
was considered a mild case of clinical
dphtheria. The cultures were examined
the following day and no diphthera
germs were found in the culture The
case was treated as mild case OF dlph-
| liberia, and Mr.. Barnet took large guam
titles of nourishment without vomiting
and without diarrhoea The diphthera
ran the usual course, the membrane dis
appeared from his throat and he was
| considered convalescent from the diph-
therisi. About 36 hours before he died,
he, despite my instructions, insisted upon
going to the toilet and remained there
about half an hour, using the toilet and
| washing himself. Upon returning to his
bed his heart became weaker and / was
called to see him. He was suffering from
/! symptoms Of heart failure and this con-
! tinued up to the time of his death. DR..
| Andrew II. Smith, at the suggestion of
Mr.. Barnet's brother. saw the case in
consultation with me the day he died.
| Just before death Dr. Walker. was called
in consultation but Mr. Barnet was in
an extreme condition and there was moth
ing more to do. He died about 4 o'clock
on the afternoon of Nov. 10.
During the course of his dphtheria his
| tongue became sore and the edges of his
gums became sore, which intimated
slight symptoms of mercurial poisoning.
Upon discovering the mouth symptoms I
spoke to him about the powder he had
| taken on October 20, which had made
| him sick and the sample package of Kul-
nows powder was removed from his
room. ] made a superficial test and
| thought it best to submit it to a qualified
chemist. l took the box containing the
powder to DR.. Ellison, who in my pres
| that the powder contained cyanide of
mercury. In the intervening week before
+; Mr.. Barnet died he had no symptoms
that would contribute to the suspicion
F; of mercurial poisoning.