A New Zealand man who lost his sight after accidentally mixing vodka and diabetes medication was brought back from the brink of permanent blindness by a bottle of whisky.
65-year-old Denis Duthie, a Western Institute of Technology teacher from Taranaki was throwing back a few in honor of his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, when his vision suddenly disappeared.
“I thought it had got dark and I’d missed out on a bit of time but it was only about half-past-three in the afternoon,” Duthie told the New Zealand Herald.
After an attempt to sleep the blindness off failed, Duthie decided it was time to visit the hospital.
Doctors there immediately suspected methanol poisoning, which caused formaldehyde to accumulate in his system, leading to loss of sight.
To prevent the methanol from further metabolizing into formaldehyde, doctors administered ethanol through Duthie’s gastro-intestinal tract, but there was only so much in stock.
After the supply ran dry, a staff member was sent to a nearby liquor store to purchase a bottle of top-shelf whisky: Johnnie Walker Black.
“I thought it was pretty bloody good,” Duthie told the Herald, referring to the doctors’ unconventional cure. “I’m alive. The hospital was absolutely awesome. Couldn’t have been better.”
Gawker
