The Tragic Cost of a Pharmacist’s Error
A Seattle family sues for damages after a drug store clerk accidentally sells a lethal poison in place of medicine for their seven-month-old daughter.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Max Kringle and his wife yesterday filed a lawsuit in the district court against Korn & Co., the druggists, seeking $10,000 in damages. The plaintiffs allege that on June 26, their seven-month-old daughter, Gertrude, fell ill and Dr. O. A. Kreich prescribed salep powders in specific doses. The prescription was taken to Korn & Co.’s drug store, where, through gross carelessness, salicylic acid—a poisonous drug—was provided instead of the salep powders. Unconscious of the mistake, the parents administered the supposed medicine to the child. She was immediately seized with violent retching and became so weakened that she could not take nourishment, medicine, or antidotes, eventually passing away on July 3. Mr. and Mrs. Kringle state they incurred $100 in medical and burial expenses, alongside the profound mental anguish of their loss. Korn & Co. have acknowledged the prescription was filled by a clerk and have expressed their deep regret over the terrible mistake.
“The plaintiffs allege that... through gross carelessness, salicylic acid—a poisonous drug—was put up instead of salep powders.”
Medical malpractice remains a critical legal and ethical issue today, though standardized modern pharmacy protocols aim to prevent such tragic mix-ups. This 1888 case highlights the vulnerability of families in an era before stringent pharmaceutical regulation, when a single clerk's negligence could lead to a child's death.
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