The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1909-02-17
CHARGE THAT
ERROR OF NURSE
!. KILLED WOMAN
Wrong "Salts" Used in Anaes-
. thetic Tortured Mrs. Coster,
T. Say Relatives.
DIED UNDER KNIFE.
Physician in Charge Of the
! Case Admits "Horrible
Mistake" Was Made.
DIED UNDER KNIFE.

use. . prominent surgeon. a Central
Park Hospital and . nurse IL threat
sned with the investigation Of the
death Of Mrs. Helen B. Costsr, Of No.
Ns g. Nicholas avenue, BY her rela-
hvsa Charges and counter charges OF
. sensational nature ere made.
n = alleged that Mrs. coster suf-
fsrsd sxoruciating torturss for ave
days and then contracted Brtght's dis
ease and died In the New York Red
Cross Society following the injection
Of q wrong solution as an ansstl etc
b. the surgeon who discovered tho an
ssthstio. and which was prescribed BY
hsr family physician. who was to per-
form the operation.
Mrs. W. B. Weddle, sister Of Mrs.
Coster. Of No. Isl West Eighty-nrst
street. gave an Evening World reporter
to-day tho history Of the case as fol-
lows:
Victim Of Cancer.
my sister was taken to tho Red
Cross Society Friday a week ago. She
was to be operated on Saturday morn
Ing following by DR.. r. W. Dawbarn,
her physician. She was suffering from
cancer. Saturday morning at 9 o'clock
DR.. Dawbarn called UP DR.. Herman
Haubold and asked him to apply the
anesthetic, which he discovered. so my
sister would be ready for the operation
at II o'clock.
II reached the hospital shortly before
10 o'clock. To my surprise and grief.
she was suffering horrible agony. Her
face was paralyzed and It became
necessary to apply morphine. II was
then found that nurse had prepared
the wrong anesthetic,
"Dr. Haubold, We are told, did not
test or examine the solution. DR.. Daw.
barn arrived soon, learned that q wrong
preparation had been used, and did
everything possible to remove the solu-
ton from the spinal canal.
Died Under Operation.
Finally, Thursday following, sister In.
sisted on being operated upon and died
on the table, She was not only pol.
soned by the terrible mistake, we be.
lleve. but In her treatment her thighs
feet and back were fearfully blstered
1rom hot-water bags, and acute Bright,
disease had set in from the solution.
DR.. R. W. Dawbarn at frst refused
10 discuss the case to-day. but wher
told that Or. Lewis X. Netf, OF tn,
hospital staff. had charged him witt
prescribing an anesthetic no longer II
general use. mads this complete ant
startling statement:
Salts tho Anaesthetic.
THE anesthetic prescribed 10 Epson
salts. II is injected by the intra-spina
method and has better effects thar
ether or chloroform. It was discovered
by DR.. Haubold ana have used 1
frequently with his knowledge and ap
proval. The Librarian at the Academ,
painless and Endorsed BY surgeons. DR.
Haubold has never discouraged It's use
On tho contrary. he has Away
actively lndorsed II.
saturday morning called I'D DR.
Haubold. who Is attached to the hos
Eital, and asked him to apply his anes
thetic. He replied Certainly; glad t
do IT, over the phone. l was sur
prtsed to learn later that Mrs. Coste
was suffering, as her health was ex
cellent. and I never knew such effect
from tho injection.
Now, l asked DR.. Haubold to appl,
the anesthetic at . o'clock. first. be
cause 1t anesthetlzes the body In tw,
hours. and I was to operate at 1
o'clock. Secondly, the distinguished
discoverer OF the anesthetio was o,
hand. and thirdly, he was the senio
surgeon Of the hospital. For thes,
three reasons, he should know hi
business.
There were several physicians pres
ent when I asked to see some Of tn,
solution used on Mrs Coster.
tasted 1t promptly and then convinced
DR.. Haubold that It was not bittersalz,
our EPSON salt4 The nurse was the,
asked to produce some OF the crystals
used In the solution.
"They were not bittersalz' granules
then got the bottle and was horriie,
to find It labelled 'Effervescent Epson
Salts also containing citrate and tar
trate Of sodium
"All the doctors expressed astonish
ment. The chemical effect OF this salt
In lva 10,
causttc soda, or sodium hydrate. TIL
citrate and tartrate were easily broker
, UP In the boiling water the nurse used
leaving the sodium compound.
Despite its thorough dilution II ex
cited Bright's disease. It actively at
tacks the internal membranes. and thi
Is what caused the terrible suffering
whicl. lasted days. until much OF tn
mixture had been washed or driver
from her body. II was a horrible mis-
take"
Hospital Is Defended.
THE nurse was a complete strange
to me. She was recommended by tn,
hospital"
DIR. Nen, In the presence OF William
7. Wardwell. president OF the Re,
Cross Hospital said to-day:
We have a defense ready. DR.. Daw
barn should not have prescribed al
nnesthetic which Its inventor, DR.. Hau
bold, has found does not answer Its pur
lessa 1t has been found TO product