On poisons, in relation to medical jurisprudence and medicine.

  • Taylor, Alfred Swaine, 1806-1880.
Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On poisons, in relation to medical jurisprudence and medicine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    great pain in the region of the stomach with dryness of the fauces, which lasted several days. In a toxicological view it is not easy to distinguish the effects of common salt in these cases from the poisonous action of salt of sorrel, which, as it is wel known, niay be taken with impunity in small quantity, and although the designation poison ^lay appear inappropriate it would be obviously inconsistent to apply this term to one sub- stance and refuse it to the other, when both are innocent in small and noxious only in large doses. (See post, Binoxalate of ^ TheTek another substance commonly reputed to be innocent, but whTeh in a large dose may destroy life. This is the sulfate of magnesia, or Epsom Salt. A trial took place at the Kun- tLdoi lutumn Assizes, 1842, in which two men were mdicted f^-ftloniously killing one Daniel Cox by administering to him n larfrp auantitv of Epsom salts dissolved in beer. ilie decSd rs an'old man'and a -nfirmed drunkard and he was in the habit of drinking beer to excess. On the day laid in tbe indictment, the deceased bad drunk several pints of beer, wh ch was afterwards proved, ^ad been drugged with the sulph^ e o^^ macrnesia He was seized with violent purging, and died withm fortv e Kht hours. On an examination of the body the hnmg membrane of the alimentary canal was found l-^Aan^!' E was no doubt that death was owing to the -^^.^^J^-^L of the salt One of the prisoners was convicted. Ihe quantity of tt sStance taken in this case could not be ascertained, but there was reason to suppose that the dose was arge A o^se is reported in which a boy, ten years oia. uaa t«o ounces of Epsom salts administered to him medicinally by his child died without any other symptom of note P^''^f J. also caused death in large doses ponnect the It has been suggested that substances of this ^o^^^^' true poisons with those which are '^^^l '^ „ °dic.l economy : but thcv are assuredly to be regarded bv t'^^ medical ?ud t as irritant poisons ; and as to the dose «f'^^.i s o - little moment in medicine or in law, whether f one substance or one ounce of another f''^VtL^^^^^^ V dcd the fatal ettccts be clearly traceable to the action ot tlie