X-Message-Number: 7003 Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 10:27:15 -0700 From: David Brandt-Erichsen <> Subject: Australia update From the Sydney Morning Herald October 1, 1996 Nitschke must face coronial inquest By GAY ALCORN in Darwin The doctor at the centre of voluntary euthanasia in the Northern Territory is facing a coronial inquest into the deaths of two heroin-addicted patients whose bodies were found to contain methadone. Dr Philip Nitschke, who last Sunday week assisted Darwin cancer sufferer Mr Robert Dent to end his life using the Territory's landmark euthanasia law, yesterday said he was a "bit suspicious" of the inquest's timing, more than a year after the first man had died. Christopher Rex Dingo, 28, died in September last year and Steve Mallinson in May this year. Dr Nitschke admitted prescribing methadone to the two Aboriginal men two days before they died. Dr Nitschke said there was nothing wrong with his medical treatment of the two men, but the inquest could be used by anti-euthanasia forces to embarrass him. He said the men were heroin-addicted and living in the Seventh Day Adventist Church's grounds, a common squat for Darwin's homeless. The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in Australia where the prescription of methadone as a treatment for heroin addiction is illegal, but it can be prescribed for reasons such as chronic pain management. "The inquest will expose the Government for its total inadequacy in dealing with this methadone and narcotics issue," Dr Nitschke said. "What I'm absolutely certain of is the publication of this information is definitely coming through the ant-euthanasia cause who see this as a way of smearing me." The post-mortem report of forensic pathologist Dr Kevin Lee into the death of Mr Dingo, obtained by the Herald, says that the cause of death was methadone drug overdose as well as inhalation of vomit and chronic alcoholism. The toxicology report said that 0.23mg/L of methadone was found in a blood sample. "The blood methadone level in this case is low, but similar to the lower levels seen in a series of patients who died in Melbourne whilst on a methadone program," Dr Lee's report said. Dr Nitschke said he prescribed methadone to each patient once, in an attempt to stabilise them. He said Dr Lee's report admitted there were other opiates in the blood, as well as tranquillisers. "They [Mr Dingo and Mr Mallinson] obviously got other drugs and died of other drugs," Dr Nitschke said. "It seems a bit of a long bow for Dr Lee to draw with certainty that this was a methadone death, especially when the level of methadone in the blood was not the level which you would normally consider to be lethal. "They were both absolutely destitute and living in homeless environments; they were seeking help. You can either walk away from them, or you can attempt to try and stabilise them on methadone. In any other State in Australia, you would admit these people to hospital and detoxify them." Dr Nitschke said he had been informed several weeks ago that the inquest into the two deaths would be held. He believed the leaking of the details of the inquest to the media was done by anti-euthanasia forces, although he did not know precisely by whom. The inquest is set down for four days from November 11 before Chief Justice Ian Gray. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=7003