son, of Glasgow, by Mr. James Irvine, of this town, and was written in order to furnish some reliable information regarding the bean that caused so much distress in Liverpool:-"The Calabar bean, as an ordeal, is given in various quantities, from below a dozen to over a hundred, but a very small portion-less than half-of a bean is sufficient to destroy life; while, on the other hand, entire dozens of the bean have been taken with impunity, being quickly rejected by the stomach and bowels. One bean halved between a brace of infatuated duellists, has cut both off; and a woman who was tried for witchcraft some years ago, and who must have taken some dozens in the process, was still living and in vigorous health last year. When used by duellists, it is customary for the challenger to bite a bean in two, consume his half, and hand the other to his opponent, who is obliged to eat it up. This is said to be a common thing among the Ibebios. When it is administered in public trial, the accused is compelled to eat up a few beans just as you see them, while others were being pounded to pulp in his presence. This is afterwards well mixed with water, and one part of the mixture given as a drink and the other administered in the form of an enema. If the poison so irritates stomach and bowels as to be completely ejected, which is often the case, the party escapes and is pronounced innocent; if not, he dies, and is therefore guilty. The plant grows to a large size, one plant climbing sometimes over several trees, and almost entirely enveloping them in its foliage. It is often to he met with on the banks of the Calabar river. The flower is not unlike that of the sweet pea."

Poisoning by Laudanum.-On Monday, August 15th, an inquest was held at the Town Hall, Lancaster, on the body of Thomas Wilson, 15 weeks old, who died from the effects of laudanum contained in some syrup of rhubarb, administered by his mother, who stated in evidence that the child being very cross, she sent to Mrs. Cooper, who keeps a druggist's shop, for "a pennyworth of syrup of rhubarb, with a drop or two of laudanum." The quantity sent was about 2 teaspoonfuls, the whole of which was given to the child in two doses, in the morning, and about the middle of the day the child became very drowsy, and was carried by the mother to Mrs. Cooper, who advised that a doctor should be sent for immediately. Mr. Watson, surgeon, was accordingly called in, who used all the means in his power to revive the child, but without effect. Mrs. Cooper, in her evidence, stated that she had put 15 drops of laudanum in the quantity of syrup of rhubarb given to the child; but that when she purchased laudanum, she "let it down" by adding 3 ounces of water to about 2 lbs., the quantity her bottle held. There was some discrepancy in the statement of the person who was sent for the mixture, and that of Mrs. Cooper; the former stating that she was told to give a teaspoonful, the latter asserting that she said half a teaspoonful.

The Coroner in summing up quoted from Dr. Taylor's Medical Jurisprudence,' to show how liable infants were to be affected by very small doses of opium, and cases were mentioned-one, a child 4 months old, was nearly killed by the administration of 1 grain of Dover's powder; another child, 4 years old, died from the effects of 4 grains of the same medicine; also, one of a child 9 months old, to whom 4 drops of laudanum were fatal. In conclusion, he observed that as Mrs. Cooper, so to speak, dealt in the health of Her Majesty's subjects, she was bound to bring proper skill and knowledge to bear upon her business. If by negligence she had caused the death of the child, however painful it might be to the jury to do so, they would return a verdict of manslaughter. The jury, after a consultation of about two hours, returned the following verdict:"The jury are of opinion that Thomas Wilson died from the effects of an overdose of laudanum, administered to him by his mother in ignorance; but that his death is attributable to the carelessness of Mrs. Cooper in dispensing poisonous drugs, she being wholly unacquainted with their nature and strength; we consequently return a verdict of manslaughter against Mrs. Cooper."

Mrs. Cooper was admitted to bail, herself in £50, and two sureties of £25 each.

Poisoning by Hemlock.-A lady and her two children, living at Litherland, were lately taken seriously ill soon after dinner. Medical aid was sought, when the symptoms were attributed to poison, and it was found that hemlock had been mixed with the herbs used for flavouring the soup, and, as the parsley had been gathered in the garden, it is supposed that hemlock seed had been accidentally mixed with the parsley seed when sown. The symptoms soon gave way to the remedies used, and the patients recovered.

Accidental Poisoning by Laudanum.—An inquest was held on Monday, August 8, before Mr. Coroner Swann, at Sneinton, near Nottingham, on the body of a child named Joseph Henry Ellicock, aged six months. It appeared from the evidence that the mother of the deceased sent a child for some Godfrey's cordial, but she asked for laudanum by mistake. The druggist's assistant put a label of "poison" on the bottle, but the mother not being able to read, gave the child a portion of it, and death was the result. The verdict was, "Death from laudanum, administered in mistake for Godfrey's Cordial." The coroner and the jury expressed an opinion that there had been great carelessness in the matter by all the parties concerned.

Accidental Poisoning by Corrosive Sublimate.-On Friday, July 26, Miss Lydia Hale, of Chichester Place, Bayswater, expired from the effects of a solution of corrosive sublimate, which she took in mistake for camphor julep.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

DIE MERKMALE DER AECHTHEIT UND GÜTE DER ARZNEISTOFFE DES PFLANZENUND THIERREICHS, NEBST ANLEITUNG ZUR PRÜFUNG DERSELBEN AUF IHREN GEHALT AN WIRKSAMEN BESTANDTHEILEN, ZUGLEICH EIN LEITFADEN BEI APOTHEKENVISITATIONEN. Von Dr. J. B. HENKEL, Prof. der Pharmacie, Pharmacognosie und medicinischen Botanik zu Tübingen. Tübingen, 1864. Verlag der H. Laupp'schen Buchhandlung, -Laupp and Siebeck.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Patent Medicine Licence.-We remind our readers that this Licence becomes due on September 1st, and should be paid within thirty days of that date.

Intending Pupil (London).-Fownes's 'Chemistry;' Möhr and Redwood's 'Pharmacy;' Bentley's Manual of Botany.'

Leptandra (Manchester).-Professor Bentley's papers on "New American Remedies" will be shortly resumed.

Brit. Pharm. (Bristol).—See "Lectures on the British Pharmacopoeia," by Professors Redwood and Bentley, and Dr. Attfield, in the March, April, May, June, and July numbers of the 'Pharmaceutical Journal' of the present year.

A Junior. When Liquor Antimonii Tartarizati is ordered, that made with spirit, according to the Dublin Pharmacopoeia, is intended; but if written with the letters "P. L." affixed, that made with wine should evidently be used.

Chemicus.-They are practically the same.

Chemicus (Aberdeen).-(1) We believe there is no such intention at present. (2) We have no recipe for that purpose. (3) Apply to the Secretary.

Mr. Long's communication has been received, but he has evidently misunderstood the subject.

A Registered Apprentice (Cork).—Fownes's 'Chemistry;' Garrod's 'Essentials of Materia Medica;' and Bentley's 'Manual of Botany.' Write to the Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society, and he will forward you all the Regulations, etc., of the School and Board of Examiners.

Pharmaceutist.-Datura Tatula has similar properties to Datura Stramonium. It is generally regarded as a distinct species, although probably only a variety of Datura Stramonium.

A Lover of Justice (Liverpool) and S. J. Weston (Paris) are thanked for their communications, which will receive notice in our next number.

W. G. Hayward (Reading).—There is no recognized formula for Tinctura Podophylli.

Chemicus (Canterbury).-Henfrey's 'Rudiments of Botany.'

Instructions from Members and Associates respecting the transmission of the Journal before the 25th of the month, to ELIAS BREMRIDGE, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square, W.C.

Advertisements (not later than the 23rd) to Messrs. CHURCHILL, New Burlington Street. Other communications to the Editors, 17, Bloomsbury Square.

THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL.

SECOND SERIES.

VOL. VI.-No. IV.-OCTOBER 1st, 1864.

THE SIXTH REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL, WITH APPENDIX.

66

Embodied in a blue book" bearing the above title, we have one of the most important documents concerning" Poisoning, and the Dispensing, Vending, and Keeping of Poisons," which has for many years appeared; it will be read with interest by all chemists, with surprise by many, and seems to be big with the fate of pharmacy.

Mr. Simon, under instruction of the Lords of the Privy Council, proceeds first to ascertain to what extent accidental or criminal poisoning causes death in England, and what security the public enjoys against an indefinite multiplication of such cases of poisoning. He puts down the suicides by poison during a period of four years at 509, the deaths by accidental poisoning in the same period 1059. Thus far the report proceeds on certain data, and then, diverging to conjecture, presumes "a considerable though not ascertained proportion" of the 1380 murders occurring in four years to have been committed by poison. We think it would have been better, and quite easy, here to have given the exact number. On his next point, some of our readers will be inclined to dispute the conclusion that many accidental cases of poisoning occur and are not distinguished from deaths by natural causes.

It is however most important to consider how far carelessness and incompetence exist among dispensers of medicine, with a view to remedying the evil; and to what extent unnecessary facilities are given for the purchase of poison for criminal purposes, or rather to what extent those facilities could be abridged without inconvenience to the public.

The assistance of Dr. Taylor having been called in, he has handed a very lengthened report to the Medical Officer, opening at once with the indisputable assertion" that a large number of persons wholly unacquainted with the properties of powerful drugs and medicines are allowed to retail them to the public, on demand, without any check or control." He then cites many accidents which have arisen from this cause, frequently referring to the reports contained in former numbers of this Journal for authority. Dr. Taylor bears testimony to the desire of respectable druggists, both in town and country, to throw "every impediment in the way of the purchase of poison," but dwells largely on the careless custody of poisons as a fertile source of danger to the public. Our readers will have the opportunity of judging for themselves how far, as a body, druggists are open to animadversion on this point; but there is one thing we cannot pass without notice, namely the alleged practice of trusting rather to the position of the bottle on its shelf than the label it bears as to the nature of its contents. VOL. VI.

M

We have seen lamentable instances where the result has seemed to justify such an inference,—some indeed where the word “Poison,” in addition to the name of the article, has been apparently disregarded-and we confess that we tremble for the result when we think of a dispenser who can, under any circumstances, weigh or measure from a bottle without first reading its label. This is just the kind of carelessness which men of the greatest experience, when discussing the merits of "Poison Bills," have believed would be increased by cunningly-devised bottles. A dispensary contains so many poisons, that poisonbottles must be common therein. Morphia is a poison, so is strychnia, so is aconitine; but there is as much care required in distinguishing between these three medicines as between tincture of opium and many other tinctures of the same colour and appearance. The label only must be the dispenser's guide, however much poisons, as a class, may be hedged about with further precautions.

Dr. Taylor concludes with certain suggestions, which in the main are doubtless good, for diminishing the evils he has been considering. He commences with the one broad and important provision, "That none but qualified persons, educated to the trade of druggists, should be allowed to vend by retail drugs or medicines capable of acting as poisons."

This is but an extension of the principle set forth in the Pharmaceutical Society from the beginning, and acted upon continuously, that the public safety should be secured and the status of the trade advanced, by the requirement of a certain educational qualification of those who intend to practise Pharmacy. Suggestion 2 may seem unnecessary if No. 1 be enacted; 3 is a due acknowledgment of this Society and testimony to its usefulness; but here the difficulty of schedules will come in, as it always has done when legislative enactments have been proposed, and the impossibility of making a catalogue of "noxious substances, SUCH AS " seems almost insurmountable. The labelling is but enforcing a practice which is invariable with all careful druggists at present. Provisions for age on the part of dispensers are wise and possible, not so the requirement that buyers shall bring proof of being twenty years old; that is a point which must, and may safely, be left in the hands of the properly qualified vender.

We bring this report prominently before our readers, because it treats of subjects of considerable interest and anxiety to our whole body-such anxiety as none but those engaged in the daily practice of pharmacy can appreciate. Those who have taken an interest in the proposed legislation affecting pharmacy, will hail it as another aid in the right direction, and an assurance that our course has hitherto been wise; it is another recognition of our Society, which up to this time has had only power to give a distinctive title without trade privileges, and an evidence that men in a position to form a sound judgment are prepared to take that Society as a means already in existence to ameliorate existing evils.

It is true that our proposed extension of the Pharmacy Act contains no sale of poisons prohibition clauses; but it is equally true that some of the persons acting on the Committee which framed the new Bill, as well as those indeed who prepared the first Pharmacy Bill, were fully impressed with the necessity of adding them, and were only deterred by the fear of risking what may be called an educational measure by the introduction of regulations belonging in some sort to police. It will be better in many respects that the demand for such provisions should come from without, and our wisdom will consist in complying with that demand.

BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE.

The Pharmaceutical Conference at Bath, of which a full report will be found in another part of this Journal, has been attended with at least as much success as its best friends had any right to expect. The meetings extended through four days, and a considerable number of communications were read, the purport and character of which may be judged from the abstracts we have given. The attendance was by no means bad, for we know how reluctant chemists and druggists are to leave their shops with the heavy responsibilities that rest upon them, and recent events will have added to this feeling. In addition to the druggists of Bath, who may be looked upon as the hosts, there appear to have been twelve members of the Conference from London, three from Liverpool, and sixteen from other parts of the country. We might, it is true, have expected a larger attendance from Bristol, but, on the whole, the result must be considered to have been a decided success. We are glad to observe that many of the communications have been contributed by provincial chemists, and especially that several of them are from places where no associations exist for promoting and encouraging scientific investigation. It is by inducing our brethren in different parts of the country to look beyond the mere drudgery of trade, to accustom themselves to the investigation of phenomena which are frequently coming under their observation, to confer together on the results of these investigations, and thus to cultivate a love for science and mutual friendship one with another, that these provincial meetings may be made most useful. In carrying them out in the form of a new institution, it is to be hoped that care will be taken to weaken as little as possible the means of support of previously existing local associations having similar objects. This is an evil which in many cases has been severely felt, from the long-existing tendency to split up societies into associations having special and limited objects, for which there is often barely matter enough to maintain the interest of their proceedings.

The President's address, and the report on the prevention of accidental poisoning, are the only communications read at the meetings that we have received otherwise than in abstract. Some of the scientific papers are on interesting subjects, and we hope to have the means of publishing these more fully than is done in the brief abstracts contained in the report.

TRANSACTIONS

OF

THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY.

AT A MEETING OF THE COUNCIL, 7th September, 1864, Present-Messrs. Bird, Bottle, Davenport, Deane, Hanbury, Morson, Orridge, and Standring,

Davids, George Ware.....

was elected a Member of the Society.

Hackney,

The Report of Professor Bentley on the Herbaria presented for competition was read, and awards were made of a Bronze Medal and Certificate of Merit.

The Report of the Examiners on the competition for the Minor Examination Prize of Books to the value of two pounds was read, and the award made to the successful candidate.

These prizes will be distributed at the evening meeting on the 5th October.