In a tragic mistake, six newborn babies died in one fell swoop, suffering horrific deaths by an oversupply of salt into their blood.
In New York state, a further 10 became ill, with another four left in a serious condition, to the devastation of their new parents.
A nurse was said to have refilled the formula-room sugar canister before she was suspended pending an investigation in March 1962.
She later returned as it was found there were a series of errors which led to the contaminated feed. The nurse said she "was sure she had refilled it from the sugar container in the main kitchen."
Dr John Ford, the chief pediatrician, said these high levels of salt in babies could cause brain damage, upset their insides and stop them being able to pass fluid, reported the New York Times.
The hospital, then known as the Binghamton General, said that the deaths were likely caused by an accidental substitution of salt instead of sugar in the babies’ feed. An inquiry later verified this catastrophic error, as per EU Press Connects.
Autopsies were ordered on the six babies - three boys and three girls - who died aged between three days and eight months old. Two autopsies showed the children's bodies contained an "above normal sodium level," an official said.
Luckily, for the remaining babies, specialists were able to bring down the salt levels in their systems. When examining the sugar container, salt was found inside it, according to Mr. Carl N. Wathne, the hospital's acting administrator.
This was only discovered when a hospital worker tried to make a drink using the same canister.
A nurse happened to discover this by making a cup of coffee and noticing it had “a very bad taste." Mr Wathne added that "she then tasted some of the contents of the sugar can" and found it was salt.
Mr Wathne said the main kitchen's sugar can be kept next to a salt can, and that "it is possible that it had been refilled from the salt container instead of the sugar container.”
The District Attorney's office and the City Detective Bureau worked together on the investigation. The State Social Welfare Department and the State Health Department also announced investigations.
The remaining babies were put on dialysis to clean the salt content of their blood and miraculously these babies recovered. A long monitoring system was then put in place to ensure that there were no lasting effects of the incident.
The city-owned hospital was also the object of an investigation in 1959 after a woman cancer patient died from an alleged overdose of radiation.
The hospital, then known as the Binghamton City Hospital, suspended its chief radiologist and his assistant, but reinstated them after a public hearing. The State Health Department then announced that the hospital had a complete overhaul of their medical staff.
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