Nagpur, Dec 17 - A lethal combination of a homoeopathic tonic and alcohol has claimed two lives and impaired five others' vision here and in a nearby area amid fears that many more cases could have gone unreported.One person who died Friday at a hospital in Chandrapur, 160 km from here, was a homoeopath. While two others are in a critical condition, the third man is recovering, doctors said.The homoeopath, Mahendra Gundawar, had apparently consumed a homoeopathic tonic in combination with some alcoholic drink regularly for a fortnight before taking ill, Kuber Kotpalliwar, a doctor, told IANS.The tonic, Satis-F, recently introduced in the market, contained 44 percent alcohol and was sold in retail in 30 ml packs. It was available to practitioners and wholesalers in packs of 100 and 400 ml, said a homoeopath, Sanjay Tambe.'Gundawar also consumed (another drug) which is supposed to be an equivalent of sex tonic Viagra,' Kotpalliwar said.The homeopathic tonic the dead doctor consumed was supposedly a general restorative tonic and an appetizer meant for treating neurasthenia, fatigue and sleeplessness.There is a strong possibility the killer cocktail contained methyl alcohol rather than ethyl alcohol. While methyl alcohol, prohibited for humans, is used in paints and polish, medicines and drinks contain ethyl alcohol.Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Joint Commissioner Sudhir Dahate told IANS that his department had collected samples of Satis-F for analysis.'We will prohibit its sale if the tonic is found to contain methyl alcohol', he said.Police have collected the samples to have them analysed, Additional Commissioner of Police Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay said.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
