PUBLISHED BY THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

 OF THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK 



Vol. II. 



New York, August, 1895. 



No. 8. 



Although the art of poisoning reached 

 its greatest development in Italy, it must 

 not be supposed that other countries were 

 ever entirely free from it. It was less 

 prevalent in England than in most of the 

 other European States, and yet, even 

 there, it was found necessary, as early 

 as King Henry VIII's time, to pass laws 

 punishing poisoners by boiling to death. 



The most celebrated case of poisoning 

 in England occurred in 1613, during the 

 reign of James I, and by the hideous 

 revelations which it gave of the manners 

 and customs of the court circles, it con- 

 tributed in no small degree to the future 

 unhappy fate of his son, King Charles. 

 The victim, Sir Thomas Overbury, a 

 prominent courtier, had been a close 

 friend of the King's favorite, Rober Kerr, 

 who, chiefly on account of his personal 

 beauty, had rapidly risen in favor at 

 court, until he had been made Lord High 

 Treasurer of Scotland, with the title of 

 Viscount Rochester. 



The latter had been carrying on an in- 

 trigue with the Countess of Essex, one 



AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF POISONS. 



NE\ 



By CHARLES E. PELLEW, E. M. 



qa 



of the most beautiful and most licentious 

 women of the court, and, strongly 

 against the advice and entreaties of 

 Overbury, determined to marry her. A 

 divorce suit was begun, one of the causes 

 celebres of the English bar to this day, 

 upon most scandalous grounds, and while 

 it was running its course, Overbury made 

 so many and such vigorous protests that 

 he enraged Rochester and the Countess to 

 the pitch of murder. They brought him 

 into disfavor with the King, had him 

 consigned to the Tower, obtained the 

 appointment of one of their tools as 

 Lieutenant of the Tower, and another as 

 keeper, and then proceeded to drug him. 

 They obtained the poison through a 

 fortune teller, and an apothecary, and 

 administered them in various delicacies, 

 pastry, game, wine, etc., which Roch- 

 ester constantly kept sending the pris- 

 oner with letters of sympathy. 



The range of poisons employed was 

 considerable. They mixed arsenic with 

 his salt, and cantharides with his pep- 

 per. His constitution was very strong— 



