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.


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