ve 
prunus tavroerrasus. ORD. XXVIII. Pomacee. 515 
her mother, Ann Boyse, as a very rich cordial. Ann Boyse 
made a present of it to Frances Eaton, her sister, who was a 
shopkeeper mn town, and who she thought might oblige her 
customers with it. Accordingly, in a few days, she gave about 
two ounces of the water to a woman called Mary Whaley, who 
drank about two-thirds of what was filled out, and went away. 
Frances Eaton drank the rest. In a quarter of an hour after 
Mary Whaley had drank the water, (as I am informed) she com- 
plained of a violent disorder in her stomach, soon after lost her 
speech, and died in about an hour, without vomiting or purging 
or any convulsion. 
«« The shopkeeper, F. Eaton, sent word to her sister, Ann Boyse, 
of what had happened, who came to her upon the message, and 
affirmed that it was not possible the cordial (as she called it) 
could have occasioned the death of the woman; and to convince 
her of it, she filled out about three spoonfuls, and drank it. 
She continued talking with F. Eaton about two minutes longer, 
and was so earnest to persuade her of the liquor’s being inof- 
fensive, that she drank two spoonfuls more, but was hardly 
well seated in her chair when she died without the least groan 
or convulsion. Frances Eaton, who, as before observed, had 
drank somewhat above a spoonful, found no disorder in her 
stomach or elsewhere; but to prevent any ill saueagngtis: she 
took a vomit immediately, and has been well ever since.’ 
Dr. Madden mentions another case of a gentleman at Kikeniy, 
who “ mistook a bottle of this laurel water for a bottle of ptisan; 
«¢ 
ce 
what quantity he drank is uncertain, but he died in a few 
| minutes, complaining of a violent disorder in his stomach.” 
In addition to this, we may refer to the unfortunate case of 
Sir Theodosius Boughton, whose death, in 1780, an English jewry 
* See Phil. Trans. vol. 37. p.84. ‘A Letter from T. Madden, M.D. giving 
@n account of tio women being poisoned Ly the simple distilled water of Laurel. 
leaves, and of several experimenis upon dogs, by which it appears, that this lauret 
és one of the most dangerous poisons hitherto known.” 
