Opium Poisoning - self inflicted?

Rockford · Post by **Rockford** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:03 am

My second great grandfather died in 1904 from opium poisoning. Does anyone know if, at that time, it was more likely to be self inflicted or the result of a medication gone wrong? His death was recorded as occuring at 1pm on a Monday afternoon and he was a colliery labourer - we would have expected him to have been at work.....

Best wishes

Brian

Post by **emanday** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:13 am

Hi Brian,

Please don't be offended, but I think opium houses were still active in that period, so apart from the two possibilities you mentioned, there is also that to consider.

As to the time of day; remember, some colliery workers worked shifts.

Rockford · Post by **Rockford** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:23 am

Mary,

I'm intrigued, rather than offended! An opium house in the sticks in West Lothian, now that would make the papers!

I've just found out from another post what the "Reg of Corr Ent" means at the side of the extract, so I'll pursue that for more info...

Thanks
Brian

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:23 am

Hi Brian

I would expect an Opium overdose to be due to some well meaning first aider at the coal face or pit-head administering it to ease the pain of an accident in the mine. There was no Controlled Medicine or Dangerous Drugs Act then and it was included as part of the first aid kit.
Stretcher bearers during WWI would administer Morphine and mark the persons forehead with an M to show it had been given and, as far as I know, something similar was practised in the better run mines. Unfortunately a lot of them were not well run and miners were almost expendable items of equipment rather than people.
Morphine is a refined form derived from Opium.
Where did he live ?
Lots of mining villages were little more than a few miners rows with the only shop belonging to the mine owner. Opium would NOT be one of the items on their shelves.
Miners injured underground at the face would be shoved into a hutch and brought up to the surface so that staff at the pithead would be confronted with a seriously injured man with no clue what his injuries were and only minimal first-aid training to deal with him.
Living in Ormiston the miners there had a bumpy journey in a rickety ambulance 12 or so miles to Edinburgh to the nearest hospital. The same must have applied in the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire mines. (My father was ambulance driver for the Ormiston Coal Company).

Russell

Rockford · Post by **Rockford** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:34 am

Russell,

Thanks for your comments _ I could be here all night...

The idea of a mining accident is an interesting one. I'm planning some time soon at the local Local History Library sometime soon to chase up some loose ends - I'll add this to the list!

Brian

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:45 am

Back again Brian

If it was an accident which involved just one or two men then you might be hard pressed to find any record of it. Fatal accidents were quite common and often only the major ones actually made it into the local press. It was only newsworthy if it involved men being trapped, or multiple injuries to quite a few men.
A crushed leg or traumatic amputation was just one of those things

If you do a 'search' on the site here there was a bit of info exchanged on miners and mining a few months back. Sorry I didn't have time to find it for you.

Russell

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:12 am

I'd tend to agree with Russell, .... the info in the RCE entry awaited with great interest.

But for that date, there should be a Sheriff Court Fatal Accident Inquiry, which may well survive in the records at NAS.

As well, http://www.scottishminingmuseum.com/ is reputed to have a record for every fatal and serious accident in the Scottish coal mining industry (but they don't hold any records relating to shale or ironstone mining, - the former was well under way this date in West Lothian).

David

Post by **paddyscar** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:19 am

Hi Brian:

Opium poisoning - Knew I'd read about this in some detail. It was a post by Tracey

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ight=opium

Also, if you click on the SEARCH box in the banner at the top of the page, and type in opium at the prompt, you will see several previous threads. If it's more mining info you're after, as mentioned by Russell, you can also try a search there for mining.

And yes, Brian, you might just be here all night, but I'm sure you find the overnight rates are reasonable

Frances

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:47 am

Hi Brian
There are quite a number of links to web sites about mining in the "Working Lives" section which may be of interest:
http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4133

Best wishes
Lesley

Cathy · Post by **Cathy** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:47 pm

Hi Brian,
I have an Opium Poisoning on hubby's side.
RCE very disappointing. It only confirmed cause of death:
Opium Posioning.