Evening star., 1938-03-31
7TH WOMAN DIES
OF CANCERSE
4 Other Patients Watched
as Probe Is Begun of
Fatal Injections.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ORLANDO, Fla, March 3l-A
seventh woman died today, while a
coroner's jury assembled medical wit
nesses in an investigation Of series of
deaths which followed injections of a
serum in cancer treatments.
Mrs. F. E. Moonert, SO, of Winter
Park, Fla, succumbed early today. Six
women who had been given injections
of the serum, termed ensol, died yes
terday. Four other persons are in
hospitals with symptoms resembling
those of tetanls.
DR.. T. A. Neal said the seven dead
and the four presently ill had been
given injections at his clinic. The
serum came from one bottle. Physi-
clans said one other person may have
been treated from this container.
AS coroner's jury began an in
quiry, in which the Federal Food and
Drug Administration, the American
and county medical associations and
the Board of Health joined, Dr.
Henry Connell, Canadian physician
who discovered the serum, expressed
belief that the bottle had been con-
taminated.
His belief was echoed by Dr. Neal,
who said he had such faith in
the serum II would not be hesitant to
inject it into my own body if be-
came afflicted with cancer"
U. S. to Seize Ensol.
The bottle was given to the Federal
Food and Drug Administration for
investigation of the contents and DR..
j. J. Burrett, chief of the drug divis-
ion, said all ensol in the country
would be seized pending final report
from Investigators
DR.. Morris Fishbein, spokesman for
the American Medical Association,
said in Chicago he did not expect
many deaths from use of the product
since it was restricted to physicians
and not sold over drug store counters.
DR.. Fishbein said the association had
NSSAA4iSu w oPPiofC QoC Va lllC oNl bAAl
and had warned against its use
In addition to Mrs. Moonert, the
dead were listed as Mrs. Jack Sweet
man, 40; Mrs. L. j. Jackson, A, and
Mrs. w. R. Thompson, 70, all of Or
lando; Mrs. w. c. Braswell, 40, of
HolopaW, Fla; Mrs. H. B. Harnage,
"a, of Cocoa, Fla, and Mrs. Elizabeth
Funderburke, 36, Of La Grange, N. c.
DR.. H, A. Day, president of the
Orange County Medical Association,
said additional tests would be neces-
sary to learn definitely whether the
victims were stricken with tetanus.
The symptoms were identical, he said.
At Kinkston, Ontario DR.. Connell
said he was ready and willing to go
to Orlando to assist in the investiga-
ton.
Il am convinced one bottle of ensol
became contaminated after it left
Kingston" he said. "Other bottles
of the same shipment have been used
at Orlando without harmful results. :"
Not Regarded as Cure.
DR.. Connell said the fluid, which
he described as a protein product, was
not a cure and added its present
limitations are fully recognized,
acknowledged and accepted"
DR.. Neal. agent for the serum in
Florida, said he had been using the
serum for two years with remarkable
success and with no previous III
effects"
II can't imagine what happened to
the bottle of serum received" added
DR.. Neal, practicing physician here
for 80 years
He added he had talked by tele-
phone to DR.. Connell's associates and
had been told other injections had
been made with no harmful results
from the same batch of serum ad-
ministered here.
The coroners jury met late yes
terday, but adjourned until today,
when Coroner Eugene Duckworth
learned undertakers had embalmed
the bodies of the six women without
waiting for autopsies.