Morbid Fact Du Jour For December 14, 2009
December 14th, 2009
Today’s High Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
Playwright Tennessee Williams died on February 24, 1983, after he choked on an eyedrop bottle cap in his room at the Hotel Elysee in New York. He would routinely place the cap in his mouth, lean back, and place his eyedrops in each eye. The police report, however, suggested his use of drugs and alcohol contributed to his death. Toxic drugs including barbiturates were found in the room, and Williams’ gag response may have been diminished by the effects of drugs and alcohol. As drugs were found in his hotel suite, it is definitely possible that Williams was high when the bottle cap ended up in his throat (and thus did not call 911 or run out of his hotel room calling for help).
Culled from: Wikipedia
I remember that event well. In fall of 1982, in high school, I wrote a report on Tennesee Williams. Interesting man who led a sometimes-tortured life, great subject for an angst-filled sophomore. Then, he died. I was moderately freaked out, especially since details were sketchy at the time — I think there was an implication of suicide by overdose. Overall it was kinda cool — I actually knew something about a famous newly-dead guy. Good preparation for grown-up life… I’m almost old enough to start reading the obituaries like my grandparents did.
Did that event also leave you with a lasting cautiousness about holding small objects in your mouth?
Well, as I noted, details were kind of sparse. I had the impression that he swallowed a regular-sized prescription bottle lid. I couldn’t figure out how in the heck someone could choke to death on something that big. I think that was why the idea of a suicide sounded plausible… you’d have to *work* to choke on a prescription bottle lid.
So no, I never developed a fear of swallowing. But I’m sure it didn’t do anything to steer me away from my morbid tendencies, thankfully.
Checking the cap of my own prescription eyedrops, I think it would be quite possible to inhale it if one wasn’t entirely sober. And I imagine that if it got inhaled down a certain distance, it would be very hard to cough it back up again.
The cap for prescription eye drops are probably smaller than those for actual pills.