No. 606.

LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1835. [1834-35.

ON THE

MEANS WHICH ARE PROPER

TO

RENDER LESS FREQUENT

THE

CRIME OF POISONING.

IN the Journal de Chimie Médicale forthe present month (published in Paris onMonday last, the 6th of April), we findthe following interesting remarks by M.CHEVALLIER on the subject indicated inthe above title. The crime of poisoning,and the means of detecting or preventingits commission, have for a long time anx-iously occupied the attention of medicalmen. In France, where the governmentdoes not disdain to pay some regard tothe public health, the facilities of admi-nistering, or, rather, of obtaining posses-sion of, poisonous substances, are verymuch diminished by a law, most strictlyobserved, which entails severe punish-ment on any " apothecary " who sells apoisonous drug without holding an expressordinance of permission signed by a phy-sician. He is even enjoined to keep allsuch drugs under lock and key, in a sepa-rate department of his shop, and is re-

quired personally to superintend their

delivery. In spite, however, of the salu-tary precaution, the crime of poisoning isnot unfrequent in France, and the sub-ject has, consequently, fixed the atten-

tion of numerous scientific men, who haveendeavoured to ascertain whether some particular provision may not be made,some legal measure provided, under whichwilful poisoning may be rendered moredifficult to commit, and its frequency much

diminished. In accordance with thatobject, M. CHEV ALLIER has endeavouredby a long statistical investigation to esta-blish,-

lst. What is the number of persons whohave been accused of administering poi-son within a given time.

2nd. What are the deleterious substanceswhich have most commonly been employedby them.

3rd. What are the modes by which theyhave procured the poison.

4th. What have been the causes insti.gating the commission of the crime.

5th. What has been the mode of admi-nistering the poison.

6th. What has the relative proportionof accused males been to that of accused

females.1st. The number ofpersons accwed.

According to a list furnished by theMinister of Justice, it appears that in aperiod of seven years, from 1824 to 1832,the number of individuals accused ofpoisoning was 273. Of these, 171 wereacquitted, and 102 were condemned.

2nd. The substances most commonlyemployed.

As to the other questions, the authorwas compelled, in the absence of officialdocuments, to examine the journal exclu-sively dedicated to law reports, in which,during a similar period of seven years, hefound particulars concerning 94 cases ofpoisoning. An analysis of these showsthat,-

In 54 cases the poison was arsenic.In 7 cases it was verdegris.In 5 cases it was cantharides,.In 5 cases it was corrosive sublimate.In 4 cases it was nux vomica.In 3 cases it was fly-powder (an impure

arsenic).In 2 cases it was nitric acid.

The remaining cases comprehend variousminerals, such as lead, zinc, &c., opium,emetics, &c., one case under each head.

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3rd. Means employed to obtain the Poison. sixty-two were effected-by colourless sub-It was impossible to collect any num- stances; 2nd, That amongst those sixty-twowhite arsenic was employed fifty-fourber of authentic particulars under was times. 3rd. That in many cases the colonrhead. but in many cases the poison was or taste of the poisonous substances hadobtained under the pretext of destroying caused the criminal attempt to fail. Hencevermin, or formecl a part of the material the author concludes,

to fail. Hence

used in the trade of the criminal. indispensable,lst. That it is useful, even indispensable,

4th. Causes determining the Crime. that the white arsenic used for agricultural- ,...._, , ,, , purposes, should be mixed with a ninthOf the 94 cases reported by the Gaz. des part of powdered aloes.

-

Tribunaux, 83 contain particulars of the 2nd. That the same precaution shouldcause by which the individual was excited be observed on delivering arsenic to thoseto commit the crime. who treat the diseases of cattle, &c.

In 28 cases it is ascribed to interest. 3rid That the powdered metallic arsenic,In 24 cases to licentiousness (libertinage). vulgarly called "fly-powder," should beIn 15 cases to a desire of revenge. mixed with one-tenth of its weight of so-In 10 cases to jealousy. luble blue.In 6 cases to mental derangement.

The circumstance which will most5th. and 6th. Mode of administering the forcibly strike the minds of those who re-Poison.—Sexes accused. flect on this subject, and who bring them.In seventy-three cases the poison was selves to consider that a peculiar taste maymixed with the food, as soup, bread, wine, be iven as a probable safeguard against&c., in four with medicines, &c. As to the be given as a probable sareguard against .

relation of sexes, in the ninety-four cases unsuspected poisoning, is this, that in or.alluded to, sixty were males, and thirty-four daining a precaution of that kind, it wouldfemales: the author says he has examined be most desirable to affix a similar flavourthe tables of crime committed in England to all poisons that can be judiciously sub-without being able to find anything upon mitted for sale, instead of marking onethis point, which he leaves undecided. , ,.. , ...It would appear, from the details of a Poison or class of poisons by one qualitygreat many cases, that in many instances of taste, another by a different quality,the victims have been saved by the bad and a third by another quality. If sus-taste communicated to the food by the picion be encouraged in the public mindpoisonous substance; and in several others against particular flavour the limit ofthe colour of the poison has been an aver- varietv should be the smallest that can betisement of the danger. These and seve-ral other cases show that the facility of directed, for reasons that must be obviouspoisoning might be diminished, if it were on considering the first circumstance thatrendered compulsory to colour, or give a presses on our notice in the proposal toflavour to, all poisonous substances which adopt aloes as a beacon against arsenic.would not be deteriorated by the admix- In warning the community to be startledture. This happy idea has been put for- at a bitter taste in the intercourse of theward by several persons in France. We at a bitter taste in the intercourse of thefind the first mention of it in the "Dic- tongue with its external relations, the al-tionary of Medical Sciences." About ten most unconquerable prejudice that mayyears ago, M. BERARD made several expe- be excited against a most valuable class ofriments on the same subject, and commu- remedial agents, "must give us pause."nicated the results to the Minister of Com- . ’’.’ . ,,

merce. He proposed to mix ten parts of If this prejudice be not universally esta-

Prussian blue with one hundred of arsenic. blished, the mixture will avail nothing.The commission appointed to examine this If it be created, no discrimination that isproject decided that although calculated nice enough to decide between a bitterto prevent poisoning by accident, it would friend and a bitter foe, can be taught tonot completely oppose criminal attempts. . , -.

’ ..

In 1823 the Royal Academy of Medicine the sick. The proposal of aloes, however,having to occupy itself on a question of is ingenious, and therapeutically practica-poisoning by the oxide of arsenic, a phy- ble, and as a preaaez-garde in food, the sug-sician again proposed to colour that sub- gestion cannot be amended; for althoughstance, but no results followed. However, some animals will seek with avidity inno doubt can be entertained on the pro- priety of colouring many of the destructive marshes for bitter condiments, we cansubstances, especially when we consider, remember no article of food, from plainlst. That of eighty-one cases of poisoning, bread to the richest dish, which bigeds

35

would not reject on the detection of a bitterflavour in its composition.With regard to the scenting of poisons,

musk offers numerous points of recom-mendation in the selection of an odour.For the present we conclude by com-

mending the whole subject to the fartherconsideration of the profession in Eng-land.

LECTURE

DELIVERED AT THE

NORTH LONDON HOSPITAL,BY

A. T. THOMSON, M.D.,

Physician to the Hospital, and Professor of MateriaMedica in the University of London.

FATAL PERITONITIS. — .Post-mortemExamination of the Body.

THE case of peritonitis which I men-tioned to you in my last lecture has ter-minated fatally; and one of carcinomauteri has also terminated as such cases

usually do; both have afforded post- morteminspections of great interest, and of a

highly instructive character.The first of these cases to which I shall

direct your attention is that of MargaretFitzgerald, who was admitted on the 24thof February. This poor woman, who wasof a plethoric habit of body, was sufferingso severely when admitted, that scarcelyany information could be obtained fromher respecting the prior history of thecase; and almost as little from those whobrought her to the hospital. It appearedthat the pain which she complained ofwas chiefly in the hypogastrium, and thatit was greatly increased by pressure. Theabdomen was distended, the bowels wererelaxed, the tongue was white, with someredness at the tip, the pulse was quick, andnausea present. The patient stated that shewas forced to lie on her back, with herknees drawn up, and could not turn onher side without severe suffering. Hercountenance was expressive of the great-est anxiety. She was bled at the arm to

xvj, and was ordered to take two grainsof the tartrate of antimony and potassa,with three grains of calomel and half agrain of opium, every fourth hour; shewas, also, ordered to refrain from every thing in the form of diet, except a little Ibarley-water, or toast-water, to moisten Iher mouth, as she complained greatly of

thirst; a symptom which continued todistress her during the whole period thatshe lived. This judicious plan of treat.ment was directed by the house apothe-cary, as I was not at the hospital whenshe was admitted. I saw her, for the firsttime, on the following day.On examining the patient, I found her,

as is usual in acute peritonitis, lying uponher back, with the knees slightly raised;her respiration was frequent, and thecountenance expressive of the greatestanxiety; she seemed averse from answer-ing any questions. The extreme sensibilityto pressure over the abdomen was stronglycharacterized by the contortion of the

face, and the moan of agony with whichit was accompanied. The abdomen was

slightly tense, but the tension was not ofa tympanitic kind. The patient had vo-mited a greenish fluid soon after her ad-mission, and had been purged severaltimes. The heat of the body was natural;the pulse was small, but when compressedit discovered a considerable degree ofhardness; the beat was 120 in the mi-nute ; the tongue was red at the edges,and covered in the centre with a grayish-coloured mucous fur; the urine was scantyand high-coloured. The blood taken inthe preceding day was cupped and buffy,but its abstraction had produced no reliefof pain; indeed, as far as could be ascer.tained from the expression of the counte-nance, the abdominal tenderness was aug..mented. She was ordered to continuethe use of the tartar emetic and calomel,and twenty leeches were directed to beapplied on the abdomen.

27. There was no improvement; on thecontrary, the breathing was now evidentlyperformed solely by the thoracic muscles.She was ordered to continue the use ofthe same medicines.’

28. She had been much purged; butthere was no improvement; the respira-tory action was the same as yesterday.She had not again vomited. She was or-dered to continue her medicine, and moreleeches were applied. The symptomscontinued nearly in this state until the3rd of March, during which time leecheswere again applied, and a large blister wasplaced over the abdomen ; the tendernesssomewhat abated, but the tension in-creased, and the ,tongue was covered witha dry yellow fur ; the pulse was quicker,softer, and smaller, and the features wereevidently sinking, so that the prognosiswas of the most unfavourable kind. Onthe following day, however, the pain re-turned with redoubled violence, althoughthe disease was, evidently, rapidly draw-ing to a conclusion. A liniment, corn-posed of equal parts of oil of turpentine