The Home Secretary has been instrumental is writing and passing an important bill in Parliament and has been receiving threatening letters from members of the local communist party. He has also received death threats from a former mistress as well as the eminent surgeon as well.Present during the operation are the authors of two of the letters and at least two more people who wish him ill. Close to him before the operation were the wife he had been cheating on and a hypochodriacal sister who has been pushing multiple patent medicine concoctions on him ever since Sir Derek began complaining of problems. These nostrums were made for her by a friendly pharmacist who was also a member of the communist party.
Detective Chief Inspector Alleyn has been called into the case and it has been found that Sir Derek was poisoned by an overdose of Hyoscine. As the story evolves there are a surfeit of suspects. But sharp eyed Roderick Alleyn has his ducks in a row before too long.
This is a vintage mystery published around 1935. The medicine is archaic. They no longer use or inject camphor as a stimulant after surgery. Hyoscine, better known as scopalamine and used as a transdermal patch for motion sickness was used to decrease gastric or other secretions during surgery. There don't seem to be IV lines of any sort, these were not commonly used until the 1950's mostly because they did not have safe IV fluids. They were a source of infection. There were no post op ICUs. Blood tests are not ordered nor was there things like EKGs which were used in the US during the 1920's. The feeling was that the clinical exam was more trustworthy.American medicine was more scientifically curious and Xrays were used first here at UPenn in 1925. Xrays are mentioned in other European works such as THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN by Thomas Mann written before this novel.
Sir Derek was expected to survive this operation none the less. This he did but he died a few hours later. They don't mention CPR.
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