DEATH BY MISADVENTURE

The death of Andre Noble, a young actor full of promise, was a tremendous shock.

Apparently his untimely death was due to aconite poisoning.

     So much has been said and written about Monkshood being deadly poisonous that we have come to believe that such stories belong to the myths of times past. A modern case shows just how tragically real and yet how rare an event this was. With about a 100 species of Aconitum growing around the world and a population of 6.3 billion humans or 6.4 by the time I get to the end of this sentence; one would expect that there would be many such deaths.

     The young actor died on July 30, 2004 at the age of 25 in the countryside that he enjoyed so much, near Centerville on Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland where he was born and raised.

     I turned to the 2007 edition of the AMA Handbook of Poisonous or Injurious Plants, but his case is not mentioned. No human poisonings involving the living plant are cited. We are told that all parts of the plant are toxic, especially the leaves and roots but that human exposures are ‘relatively uncommon’. ‘However these plants are utilized in some herbal products (e.g., chaunwu, caowu, fuzi.)’ There are six references to scientific papers that in each instance refer to the use or misuse of Aconitine preparations in Asian medical practise. In the West, as far as I am aware, it is used only in so-called alternative medicine and in labelled water as dispensed by homeopaths.

The one and only time that I have ever heard of a gardener, grower or florist being affected by Monkshoods is an incident that took place in England in 1993. A man who sold cut flowers in the streets of Salisbury and Southampton was hospitalized, due, it is believed to handling Aconitum. If I knew more than that I would tell you.

So, what of the tragic death of Andre Noble? He knew and enjoyed the outdoors. This was familiar territory to him. He grew up there. At the time of death his stomach contents showed that he had consumed wild berries and green vegetation. The Aconitum that grows wild in Newfoundland is not a native but is an escape from gardens; Aconitum napellus. As an intelligent well educated young adult with an interest in nature, he would know Monkshood and its’ deadly reputation. What happened?

Andre and his friends were exploring and foraging on a small island when he became ill. He died on the small boat that was taking him to where an ambulance was waiting. Victims of Aconitine poisonings who get immediate medical attention can expect to make a full recovery within 24 hours. It was not to happen here.

A sudden death from a common naturalized flower was so startling and so rare that many questioned whether some other factor was involved. He was a vegetarian with a known interest in natural foods. “He was really into health foods, herbs and nature. I was in Toronto a while ago and went to a few health stores with him.” said his father. Questions still remain on this puzzling case. The best that can be said is that the chances of such a freak accident being repeated are somewhat more than six billion to one.