Prescription: Murder! Volume 1: Authentic Cases From the Files of Alan Hynd by Noel Hynd, Alan Hynd, George Kaczender Page B
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could MacGregor have afforded a new motorcar? The doctor often received a bartered payment for a house call - chickens, eggs or butter - and when he did receive cash the payment was two dollars. Nor had he been a wealthy man, it was recalled, when he had first examined, so to speak, Carrie Sparling.
Nonetheless, after Peter’s unfortunate passing, the doctor and his wife - remember his wife? - set out on a drive to his native Ontario. While the MacGregors were away on the trip, Mrs. Sparling bought a fine white house, for investment purposes, right in the village of Ubly, not, in fact, more than a hoot and a holler from the Doctor’s residence. When the MacGregors returned from their trip, there was some interesting action in Ubly. The house that Mrs. Sparling purchased was a big rambling affair. Since MacGregor was only renting the house where he lived and had his office, Mrs. Sparling, the widow, suggested that Dr. and Mrs. MacGregor rent the house she had bought.
And so they did. It wasn’t long after the Doctor and his wife had taken up residence in the Widow Sparling’s property that Mrs. MacGregor didn’t feel well. The Doctor made a hasty diagnosis of the trouble.
“Dear,” he said, “I’m afraid this climate is bad for your health. I suggest that you take a trip to Ontario and visit your relatives. That ought to clear things up.” As soon as Mrs. MacGregor left town, there was plenty of action in the house MacGregor was renting from the Widow Sparling. The widow frequently drove into Ubly from her farm, early in the morning, to spend the whole day in the house. One night, when the MacGregors were visiting the Boomhowers, the doctor seemed to be depressed again.
“What’s the matter, Doc?” asked Boomhower.
Plenty was the matter. Scyrel, the youngest of the Sparlings, had taken to his bed.
“Good God!” said Boomhower. “Don’t tell me somebody else in that Sparling family is going to die!”
MacGregor said he feared the youngest of the Sparlings had cancer. He had decided to call in other physicians for a consultation. MacGregor called in not one, but three doctors to look at Scyrel.
One was a local physician named Dr. Daniel Conboy. Dr. Conboy had extensive training in toxicology. While he had been consulted in Albert’s death and had previously agreed to the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis for Albert, something hadn’t smelled quite right to him about Albert’s passing. So he came into the Scyrel situation with some lurking suspicions. And since the passing of Albert, Dr. Conboy had consulted his trusty Encyclopedia of Medicine and found Scyrel’s symptoms indicated something else entirely: arsenical poisoning.
As Scyrel’s situation deteriorated, Dr. MacGregor, perhaps anticipating the thoughts of Dr. Conboy, out of the blue asked Dr. Conboy if he suspected arsenic as the cause for the patient’s itchy extremities and the irritation in his nose, mouth and throat. Conboy, surprised, allowed that this very well might be the case.
Boomhower specifically told Dr. MacGregor to notify him upon Scyrel’s death, for he wanted to order an autopsy. Dr. MacGregor again added that folks shouldn’t be surprised if the autopsy did show signs of arsenic. The Sparling boys were chronic consumers patent tonics, which contained the very same. Manufacturers did not have to adhere to any government regulations, and these “medicines” and “elixirs” promised cures for everything from scarlet fever to gout, and prevention of almost everything else.
Dr. MacGregor also suggested they hire a nurse to keep an eye on Scyrel. Dr. MacGregor thought this was a great idea and wasted no time hiring a Miss Marguerite Gibbs. She was tall and attractive, blonde-haired and blue-eyed. She would be tending to Scyrel on an hourly basis, administering his medicines, monitoring his food and drink. In her spare time, she would also search the Sparling home for poison.
Two days later, the nurse discretely showed Dr.
Nonetheless, after Peter’s unfortunate passing, the doctor and his wife - remember his wife? - set out on a drive to his native Ontario. While the MacGregors were away on the trip, Mrs. Sparling bought a fine white house, for investment purposes, right in the village of Ubly, not, in fact, more than a hoot and a holler from the Doctor’s residence. When the MacGregors returned from their trip, there was some interesting action in Ubly. The house that Mrs. Sparling purchased was a big rambling affair. Since MacGregor was only renting the house where he lived and had his office, Mrs. Sparling, the widow, suggested that Dr. and Mrs. MacGregor rent the house she had bought.
And so they did. It wasn’t long after the Doctor and his wife had taken up residence in the Widow Sparling’s property that Mrs. MacGregor didn’t feel well. The Doctor made a hasty diagnosis of the trouble.
“Dear,” he said, “I’m afraid this climate is bad for your health. I suggest that you take a trip to Ontario and visit your relatives. That ought to clear things up.” As soon as Mrs. MacGregor left town, there was plenty of action in the house MacGregor was renting from the Widow Sparling. The widow frequently drove into Ubly from her farm, early in the morning, to spend the whole day in the house. One night, when the MacGregors were visiting the Boomhowers, the doctor seemed to be depressed again.
“What’s the matter, Doc?” asked Boomhower.
Plenty was the matter. Scyrel, the youngest of the Sparlings, had taken to his bed.
“Good God!” said Boomhower. “Don’t tell me somebody else in that Sparling family is going to die!”
MacGregor said he feared the youngest of the Sparlings had cancer. He had decided to call in other physicians for a consultation. MacGregor called in not one, but three doctors to look at Scyrel.
One was a local physician named Dr. Daniel Conboy. Dr. Conboy had extensive training in toxicology. While he had been consulted in Albert’s death and had previously agreed to the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis for Albert, something hadn’t smelled quite right to him about Albert’s passing. So he came into the Scyrel situation with some lurking suspicions. And since the passing of Albert, Dr. Conboy had consulted his trusty Encyclopedia of Medicine and found Scyrel’s symptoms indicated something else entirely: arsenical poisoning.
As Scyrel’s situation deteriorated, Dr. MacGregor, perhaps anticipating the thoughts of Dr. Conboy, out of the blue asked Dr. Conboy if he suspected arsenic as the cause for the patient’s itchy extremities and the irritation in his nose, mouth and throat. Conboy, surprised, allowed that this very well might be the case.
Boomhower specifically told Dr. MacGregor to notify him upon Scyrel’s death, for he wanted to order an autopsy. Dr. MacGregor again added that folks shouldn’t be surprised if the autopsy did show signs of arsenic. The Sparling boys were chronic consumers patent tonics, which contained the very same. Manufacturers did not have to adhere to any government regulations, and these “medicines” and “elixirs” promised cures for everything from scarlet fever to gout, and prevention of almost everything else.
Dr. MacGregor also suggested they hire a nurse to keep an eye on Scyrel. Dr. MacGregor thought this was a great idea and wasted no time hiring a Miss Marguerite Gibbs. She was tall and attractive, blonde-haired and blue-eyed. She would be tending to Scyrel on an hourly basis, administering his medicines, monitoring his food and drink. In her spare time, she would also search the Sparling home for poison.
Two days later, the nurse discretely showed Dr.
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