Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1904 — A Lamentable Occurence. [ARTICLE]

A Lamentable Occurence.

Mrs. S. P. Thompson Takes Carbolic Acid, The Result Is Doubtful But Hopes Fer Recovery New Strong. A lamentable ocourence took place here Tuesday evening. A little before seven o’clock Mrs. 8. P. Thompson went up stairs at their residence on Work street and going to the family medicine cast*, took a dose of carbolic acid from a bottle'th ere. As soon as she felt the dreadful burning pain of the poison she screamed and started down stairs with the bottle, and meeting Mr. Thompson-, told him what she had taken. Dr. Berkley was telephoned to, and by bis advice she was at once given a large drink of milk, whioh no doubt greatly tended to obevk the work of the acid in throat and stomach. /£ Drs Berkley both soon reached the house, and other vigorous remedies were at once adopted. This included the complete emptying of the stomach by violent vomiting, and then the washing out of the stomach by water. Opiates were administered to relieve the pain, and she passed into an unconscious condition in whioh she remained about three hours, and following that a woke in a delirious state. During the first few hours, her life was generally dispaired of.

The carbolic acid was some that had been used in house cleaning, and just hqw much was taken is not known. The girl who had used it thinks tbe bottle was about half full when she placed it in the case and there is but little perceptible diminution from tuat quantity now. Hence she may have taken only a small quffutity, and in that case it is probable that no great injury was caused to the mimbrauesof the stomach and ht>r recovery can reasonably be expected. Mrs. Thompson has long been in poor health, but very recently has been much better. So much so, in fact, that she lately went to Chicago alone to visit her daughter, Edna.