Forty-five-year-old William Henderson had 11 times the danger level of the chemical methanol in his blood when he died, an inquest was told yesterday.

Mr. Henderson was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in a coma on December 7, 1995, and died on December 11.

An alcoholic, Mr. Henderson had drunk methanol although the inquest heard that bottles found after his death were labelled ethanol.

The inquest into his death opened yesterday before a jury and Coroner Will Francis.

Consultant pathologist Dr. John Winwick, who conducted a post mortem, said high levels of methanol were found in Mr. Henderson's body -- about 11 times the danger limit.

"I have no doubt that it was this that killed him,'' Dr. Winwick, who has since retired, told the inquest.

Following Mr. Henderson's death, Police were handed four bottles by a nurse at the hospital. They were also given a plastic container and a small plastic jar containing a red liquid. Police later seized some bottles from Paget and Bermuda Pharmacies.

According to the Government analyst Dr. Shirley Bayne the four bottles -- which had Phoenix Stores of Bermuda labels -- handed over at the hospital were labelled ethanol, but contained methanol.

Two bottles seized from Paget Pharmacy were also labelled ethanol, but contained methanol, she added. All the other bottles examined were correctly labelled.

Dr. Bayne also said the container did not contain methanol, but the plastic jar did.

Mr. Henderson was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit in a coma on the evening of December 7 and was later seen by the physician in charge of ICU, Dr. Andrew Spence.

Dr. Spence said tests were carried out and overseas advice sought, but it was not until after Mr. Henderson's death that he found out about the methanol.

"Given the bizarre nature of his presentation, in that the acidosis was the most severe I had seen in my career, I suspected there had been external poisoning or a severe bacterial infection,'' he told the hearing.

In the early hours of December 8, Dr. Spence called the New York Poison Centre which suggested a number of causes, including ethylene glycol and methanol.

Blood samples were also sent to the Government analyst, however it was not until after his death that Dr. Spence found out about the methanol.

He said that the body turns methanol into formic acid, causing acidosis which leads to poisoning of the central nervous system, causing blindness with small doses, but brain tissue destruction with large doses.

Methanol mislabelled "If we had had prior knowledge of what he had ingested we could have dedicated our treatment, but we did not have that information until after his death,'' said Dr. Spence.

He said Mr. Henderson had a history of alcoholism, but according to his wife had never expressed any suicidal thoughts.

The inquest was told that Mr. Henderson, of South Court Avenue, Paget, had been taking the anti-depressant Prozac as well as another drug for severe anxiety.

He had also been to the psychiatric clinic at St. Brendan's Hospital and had sought treatment abroad and in Bermuda for his alcoholism, according to St.

Brendan's chief psychiatrist Dr. Hameen Markar.

Bottling and labelling of ethanol and methanol is done at the Bermuda Pharmacy.

Barry Jones, the Bermuda Pharmacy manager in December, 1995, said ethanol and methanol were packaged and labelled at the Bermuda Pharmacy for other Phoenix stores, according to demand.

The labels had Phoenix Stores on as well as a warning that the liquid was not for consumption.

Mr. Jones said he did not know how methanol got into bottles labelled ethanol sold at the Paget Pharmacy and said he could not understand how it could have happened.

He admitted that at the time either he or pharmacists working under him would have been responsible for bottling ethanol and methanol.

Mr. Jones said he did not know how a mistake could have been made. He admitted under questioning from the Coroner that someone unfamiliar with the liquids might mistake one for the other.

The inquest continues today when Mr. Jones is expected to give further evidence. Sgt. Donald Grant appears for the Crown, Sonia Grant appears for the Henderson family and Richard Horseman appears for the Bermuda Drug Company.