Horn-Elphinstone-Dalrymple, Helena 1909 Jul 23rd Coombe Bissett/Kensington
Killed by Hair Lotion Fumes
The remarkable story of how a lady – the daughter of a baronet – met her death during the process of having her hair dressed by a shampooing process involving the use of tetra-chloride of carbon was related to the Kensington Coroner, Mr C L Drew, on Thursday in last week.
Miss Helena Catherine Horn-Elphinstone-Dalrymple aged 29 years, the daughter of Sir Robert Graeme Horn-Elphinstone-Dalrymple, Bart., lately residing at 5, Alma Terrace, Kensington, paid a visit to Harrod’s stores, and, while her hair was being dressed with the tetra-chloride lotion, became suddenly faint, and died before effective assistance could be obtained.
At the inquest Lord Robert Cecil, who appeared on behalf of Harrods, expressed sympathy with the relatives.
Evidence as to the circumstances immediately attending the fatality was given by Miss Beatrice Clark, assistant in the hair dressing department at Harrods. Miss Clark said that she had explained the dry shampoo process to Miss Dalrymple, and told her that the fumes were obnoxious and might make her feel faint. When the lady came on Monday the electric ventilating fan was working and the window was wide open. Witness had commenced to apply the shampoo when Miss Dalrymple appeared to collapse, and witness at once shouted for help.
In reply to the Coroner, witness said she had previously used the lotion in dressing false hair, but not on a customer. She had never seen anyone made ill by this process, but she warned Miss Dalrymple, because she had first felt the effects of the fumes.
Miss Edith Mary Dale, a friend of Miss Dalrymple, residing at Langdale, Farnham, stated that she had had her hair dressed by dry shampoo at Harrods on many occasions. She had never been upset, although she had noticed an odour of chloroform.
William Henry Eardley, manager of the hair-dresser’s department at Harrods, said the lotion had been used 30,000 times there, and they had sold it to customers without complaint. He had known of one or two slight cases of fainting, but had never known an assistant affected.
Dr Paul Jones, of Walton Place, S W, who was called to the stores to see the deceased lady, said there was plenty of ventilation but there was an odour of tetra-chloride of carbon. There was nothing to show the cause of death.
In February 1907, he saw a lady some time after she had been taken faint after the process at Harrods. He then suggested that a fan should be used in future, and Harrods adopted his suggestion. After that he saw a case from another hairdresser where the customer was in a state of anaesthesia, but there was no fan in use in that case.
The lotion was very largely used, and accidents were not uncommon.
Dr Bernard Spilsbury, pathologist at St Mary’s Hospital, who made a post-mortem examination of the body, said Miss Dalrymple was not a strong lady. She was suffering from a condition known as “statue lymphatieus” which would predispose to sudden death, and in the condition in which she was the inhalation of the vapour would have a greater effect than in the case of a perfectly healthy person.
In the case of a healthy person there would be no danger to life in administering the tetra-chloride ; although the vapour would necessarily cause temporary suffering and discomfort. In a case of heart disease it might be attended by considerable danger.
Dr Spilsbury, in reply to Lord Robert Cecil, said he considered the dry shampoo absolutely safe to a healthy person, and to an unhealthy subject, if the vapour was not inhaled.
The Coroner : What is the percentage of deaths under tetra-chloride administered as an anaesthetic? About 1 in 20,000.
John Charles Macey, an assistant at Harrods, said that during the six years that he had used this dry shampoo he had applied it a thousand times a year, and he had never had a bad case. One or two persons had been a little faint.
By Lord Robert Cecil : There was not the slightest risk in his opinion in allowing Miss Clark to do the work.
The jury returned a verdict of death from misadventure, and expressed sympathy with the relatives.
The deceased formerly lived at Coombe Bissett with her parents, and her remains, which have been cremated in London, were interred in the churchyard on Friday, the vicar, the Rev C Woods, officiating at the funeral.
Subsequently
1909 Oct 15th – Death After Shampoo
After a hearing extending over several days the charge of manslaughter at the Westminster Police Court was withdrawn by Counsel prosecuting for the Treasury. The defendants were Mr William Eardley and Miss Beatrice Clarke, manager and assistant respectively at the hairdressing department at Harrod’s Stores, and they were charged with the manslaughter of Miss Dalrymple, who died while having a shampoo. For the shampoo, tetrachloride was used, and the case for the prosecution was that Miss Dalrymple was overcome by the vapour from the tetrachloride.
Mr Bodkin, the defending counsel, submitted that there was no evidence to justify the criminal aspect of the case. From the moment Messrs Harrod’s ascertained from such a responsible gentleman as Dr Spilbury that tetrachloride used as a shampoo might involve risk and ill health to the participants, they determined that, no matter what other people might do, they would not use it again.
Mr Horace Smith, the magistrate, said he entirely agreed with the prosecution. He, however, wished it to be distinctly understood that he was not of opinion that Miss Clarke was in any way negligent. He thought she had done everything she possibly could.
The case was then withdrawn
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 