This was a fashionable treatment that involved injections of bichloride of gold. Thomas' death was attributed to acute nephritis caused by mercury bichloride absorption. Historical treatments have used alcoholic tinctures of heavy metals, such as mercury bichloride. All patients received injections of bichloride of gold four times daily. On May 27, 1922, Munson attempted suicide by swallowing a solution of bichloride of mercury. In May 1915, at age 23, Carruthers attempted suicide by swallowing 30 mercury bichloride tablets. An intoxicated and tired Thomas ingested mercury bichloride liquid solution.