Acetone is poisonous. Maybe she drank ether:
"For some time attention has been drawn to the fact that in Ireland the drinking of ether seems to be becoming very popular. The origin of this abuse has not been ascertained. It is stated, on the one hand, that the Irish peasants began ether drinking in the year 1840 at the time of Father Mathew's preaching against alcohol, and on the other that medical men prescribed ether too liberally....
"Intoxication sets in rapidly, and disappears with the same speed. The initial symptoms consist in violent excitation, profuse salivation and eructation. Occasionally convulsions, similar to those of epilepsy occur. A state of stupor is evoked after the consumption of very large doses. Ether drinkers of this kind are quarrelsome, tend to become liars, and suffer from gastric disorders and nervous prostration."
Nail Polish contains acetone, and there's tons of references:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Kitty+Dukakis+nail+polish&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial