General Chat

Farmer Took Cow Mixture Instead of Ginger Wine. Mr. James Thackeray, of Brimmer Head Farm, Easdale, Grasmere, Met with a Tragic death on Monday. After breakfast he was about to go on the fells to gather us the sheep, as is the custom at this season of the year. As the morning was very cold and frosty he intended taking some ginger wine before starting. He got a bottle, but by some mictake had taken cow mixture. Immediately he was siezed with illness, and Dr. Johnson was telephoned for. He motored up only to find that life was extinct. Mr Thackeray was 52 years of age, and came to Brimmer Head Seven years age last spring from the neighbourhood of Tebay. He leaves a widow, Three sons and four Daughters, all of whom except two are grown up. The inquest was held at Brimmer Head on Wednesday by Mr. Cartmel, without a jury. Mrs. Catherine Thackeray said her husband on Monday was in usual health. He was going out to the stock, and went out into the dairy to get some ginger wine. The bottle was on the dairy table. He suddely shouted ''Mother, come here, i have got something wrong.'' He had taken the wrong bottle. He went into the kitchen and she gave him some water. He could only swallow a little. He sent his son for the doctor. He drank out of the bottle, not from a glass. The cow mixture and the wine bottles were similar, and one stood at each end of a box. They got the cow mixture secen or eight years ago from Kendal Chemist. The dairy was the only place they had in which to keep bottle. It was rather dark. It happened about seven o'clock, and he died five ot ten minutes. John James Thackeray said he came down stairs about 7am, on Monday, and his father said, ''i have got something out of the wrong bottle. Go down for the doctor right away. ''Ralph Armstrong, assistant with Mr James Irvine, Kendal said he could not trace the sale or any micture to deceased in their books. The bottle was theirs, and he prroduced a similar bottle labelled ''POISON'' would perhaps run of in time the other lable remained. Dr.B R Johnston said he was called in at 8.15am on Monday, and found Mr. Thackeray dead. Examination showed he had died from carbolic acid poisoning. His lips and face were not burnt. He examined the bottle (produced) and found it contained a very strong solution of carbolic acid- one ounce would be sufficient to kill a person. Deceased would get considerably more than that. The Coroner said it is a very unfortunate accident due to mistake. He recorded death from carbolic acid poisoning taken by mistake.

Whoops!

I think that's what I've been drinking......given me a terrible headache it has! lol

as a matter of interest any one know what Cow Mixture is, or was? or what it would be used for? Bob

Bob. My grandmother used carbolic for cleaning the drains. Don't think that is allowed now! Perhaps it was used to clean the cow sheds. Can't think of any other use but a very interesting thread. What a very painful way to die. Beryl x

How tragic - shows how you always have to be careful with poisons, so easy to pick up the wrong bottle and if little ones are around it is even more important to keep anything toxic way out of their reach. If an adult can make a mistake, anyone can. Never decant toxic liquids into lemonade or squash bottles. Liz

Cow Mixture was a sort of tonic, linseed oil and something, I think - certainly not carbolic acid, which would have killed a cow as well as a human. Must have decanted carbolic acid into the bottle and forgotten he had done it. Or....was his wife fed up of him drinking out of bottles and not using a glass.... OC

It was a medicine for cows, aparently only a teaspoon was ment to be used and that is in litres of water and also for cows who can probly take it better than a human. Anthony