Mistake

In New York Hospital--Cornell Medical Centre, one night last week a priest hastily christened a four-day-old baby. Mary Ellen Hughes. The father, one John Hughes, and the aunt, Miss Margaret Sullivan, had understood the baby was in good health. But suddenly, said Miss Sullivan later, ". . . They made us understand she had little chance of recovery. They also said she looked so delicate we had better not pick her up. [Next morning] the hospital called up and said the baby had died." Another newborn babe died that morning, a third the day after. The parents did not find out why until they read about it in the newspapers. All three babies had been suffering from dehydration, were unable to take water by mouth because of vomiting. Subcutaneous injections of about a tumblerful of saline solution were prescribed. By mistake, the nurse administered a 2% boric acid solution. In six hours the three babies had boric acid intoxication. They died of acute gastro enteritis and nephritis. Not until the New York Medical Examiner's office received the death reports were the facts made public. The hospital withheld the nurse's name, said that she had four years' experience, had been prostrated after discovering her error. The District Attorney's office planned investigation. Said Medical Examiner Charles Norris: "It was obviously a mistake and in the past there has been no criminal prosecution. . . ."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.