A SUDDEN DEATH.
DR GRAHAME OF WAIKOUAITI.
Dr Alexander Grahame, aged 42, a wellknown medical man practising at Waikouaiti in conjunction with Dr. Howden, of Palmerston, died suddenly yesterday morning, as the result of taking an overdose of a sleeping draught. He was a married man, with one child, and came from Africa to practise here.
An inquest was held this morning before Mr A. S. Orbell. J.P., and a jury.
Margaret Millicent Grahame (wife of deceased) said that at about 4 a.m. yesterday deceased rose from his bed, saying he was going to get another dose of bromide, which he was in the habit of taking. Previously — about 8 p.m. on Saturday he had taken a dose from a bottle (produced). When deceased went to bed he showed signs of having had some liquor, and after the first dose of bromide he became somewhat dazed, and was restless in his sleep. He was considerably dazed when he got up at 4 o'clock yesterday. Since Tuesday last he had been drinking occasionally, but had not touched liquor for the previous 13 weeks. After taking the bromide he appeared to be very still and witness found him in a state of collapse.
Dr Howden (Palmerston) deposed that deceased was his assistant. Witness was called over at 4.30 by Mrs Grahame, who mentioned that her husband had taken an overdose of a sleeping draught. Witness arrived at 5.30, but life was extinct. It was highly probable that death was caused by an overdose of a sleeping draught. Deceased was occasionally in the habit of taking some drink, of which it took little to upset him. Witness did not think for a moment that he was a man who would commit suicide. If deceased took the amount now out of the bottle in two doses between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. that would be sufficient to cause death.
Dr Harrison, who made a post mortem, found early stages of pneumonia. Both lungs showed evidence of old trouble. The liver was congested, and the heart slightly fatty. None of the above signs would cause sudden death, but taken in conjunction with an overdose of a sleeping draught would speedily cause death, the resistance of the body being much lower by the use of the drug. A person taking an overdose of the mixture produced at 8 p.m. would still be stupefied at 4 a.m., and would probably not be in a state to judge the quantity he was taking.
The jury found — "That the deceased died from an overdose of bromide, self-administered, all the evidence pointing to the fact that the action was accidental. The weakened state of the organs shown by the post mortem probably assisted to cause death."
Constable Hodgson conducted the inquiry. -Evening Star, 1/6/1914.
DEATHS
GRAHAME. — On May 31 1914, at Waikouaiti, Alexander Grahame, M.D., M.B., Ch.B., Bac. (Ireland), dearly beloved husband of Margaret Millicent Grahame, native of Belfast; in his forty-second year. -Otago Daily Times, 1/6/1914.
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