Pearson, Ardys (Mrs.) (d. 1951)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 Aug 23 p. 3

Birth date:

text of obituary:

DOCTORS’ EXPERIMENT RESULTS IN TWO DEATHS

At the University of South Dakota, in Vermillion, a doctor’s experiment caused the death of two “human guinea pigs” — Mrs. Ardys Pearson and Jack Clifford. The young doctor, Dr. Louis Michaleck [sic Michalek], had completed his internship only last month.

Testifying in his own defense, Dr. Michalek said he had mistakenly given the two volunteers an overdose of “methadone” in a pain-relieving experiment. Upon realizing his error he telephones his medical superior and ran or antidotal drugs. He said he and other physicians worked with oxygen and the antidotal drugs to save the victims, but without success.