Joseph
Toynbee, M.D.
View
the book in this collection by Dr. Toynbee
We
regret to have to record the death of Mr
Joseph Toynbee, the distinguished aural surgeon, which took place
at his house in Savile Row, London, on Saturday the 8th July, under very
melancholy circumstances. Mr Toynbee, it
appeared, had been engaged in an experimental inquiry on the effects of
chloroform and other substances, in tinnitus aurium, when injected into
the cavity of the tympanum.
Mr Toynbee
was last seen alive by his man-servant on Saturday afternoon
about four o'clock. Shortly afterwards, on coming into the room, he
found his master lying on a couch, wilh a piece of cotton-wool over his
mouth and nose. He spoke to him, but, receiving no answer, removed the
cotton-wool; and, being alarmed at his master's appearance, ran for
assistance. Dr Markhatn arrived almost immediately, but found Mr
Toynbee perfectly dead. There was a smell
of chloroform in the room, and the cottonwool smelled strongly of
chloroform. Close to the hand of the deceased were two bottles, which
had been procured from a chemist's that afternoon. One contained
rectified ether, and had not been opened; the other was rather more than
half-full of hydrocyanic acid. Underneath the head of the dead man was a
six-ounce bottle which had contained chloroform, but was completely
empty. There was no smell of hydrocyanic acid, but the odour of that
substance, it is well known, disappears very rapidly.
A letter was produced, written by the
deceased on the 6th instant, in which was expressed an opinion that, by
Clover's apparatus for inhaling, the vapour of hydrocyanic acid could be
safely applied to the tympanum. The vapor was inhaled to the back of the
throat, and, by holding the mouth and nostrils, was forced into the
cavities of the ears, thus removing the singing and other nervous
sensibility. An inquest was held upon the body, when the above and
various other facts were stated in evidence. The verdict of the jury
was, " That the deceased met with his death accidentally, while
prosecuting his experiments, by inhaling a combination of chloroform and
prussic acid; and the jury desire to express their deep sympathy with
the family of the unfortunate deceased gentleman."
