266 



POISON 



it necessary to put some restrictions on one descrip- 

 tion vi/_ arsenic in order to prevent persons ob- 

 taining it with facility, and in such a manner as to 

 avoid detection. The 14 and 15 Viet. chap. 13, 

 requires every person who sells arsenic to enter in 

 liis InKiks the date and quantity and purpose of its 

 use, and later acts apply this rule to other poisons. 

 It is not to be sold to one who is unknown to the 

 vendor unless in presence of a witness who is know ti, 

 and whose place of abode is recorded in the book. 

 The arsenic must also lie mixed with soot or indigo, 

 in the proportion of > oz. of soot or indigo to the Ib. 

 All the IKIXCS, hot tics, >Ve. must he labelled 'Poison.' 

 Those who offend as to arsenic incur a penalty of 

 20 ; but in ordinary prescriptions poisons mav l>e 

 used in the ordinary way by duly qualified medical 

 practitioners. As to tne restriction on the sale 

 of other poisons, see CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS. 

 The offences committed by those who administer 

 poisons to mankind are as follow : Whoever causes 

 death by poison commits murder, for the means 

 are immaterial if the death was caused by such 

 means with a felonious intent. Where death 

 is not caused, nevertheless whoever administers 

 poison, or causes it to he administered to any 

 person, with intent to commit murder is guilty of 

 felony, and is liable to penal servitude for life, or 

 for not less than three years. Moreover, whoever 

 attempts to administer poison, or other destructive 

 tiling, to any jierson with intent to commit murder 

 is giiiltv of felony, and is punishable in the same 

 way. These offences are committed whether the 

 poison administered or attempted to lie adminis- 

 tered, does injury or not ; and it is a sufficient com- 

 mitting of the offence if the poison is put in such a 

 place that a party was likely, and was intended to 

 take it. Moreover, even though murder was not 

 intended, but merely an intent to endanger life or 

 inllict grievous bodily harm, still the offence is 

 felony, and is punishable by penal servitude varying 

 from three to ten years. There is also a similar 

 punishment for the attempt to administer any stupe- 

 fying drug. Not only is it a crime to administer 

 or attempt to administer poison to human beings, 

 but if cattle are maliciously killed by poison the 

 offence is felony, punishable by penal servitude of 

 from three to fourteen years. So to kill by poison 

 any dog, bird, beast, or other animal, ordinarily 

 kept in a state of confinement, is an offence pun- 

 ishable by justices of the peace with imprisonment 

 for six months, or a fine of 20 over ami alxive the 

 in jury done. If any person lay poison on lands to 

 kill game he incur- a permit)' of 10. Moreover, 

 by the Act 26 and 27 Viet. chap. 113, extending 

 to the United Kingdom, whoever sells or offers 

 to sell poisoned grain, seed, or meal incurs a penalty 

 of 10. Whoever sows, lays, or puts on giound 

 such poisoned grain incurs a like penalty. The use 

 of poisoned flesh is also prohibited. Hut the sale or 

 use of any solution, material, or ingredient for 

 dressing, protecting, or preparing any grain or seed 

 for agricultural use only, if used bund fide, is not 

 inletfeied with. 



SKI-I:M- POISONING is a mode of taking away 

 life by jmisoiiH so slow in their ojieration that the 

 gradual sinking of the victims under their influence 

 closely resembled the effects of disease or the ordi- 

 nary decay of nature. It has lieen practised in all 

 ages, and several undoubted and numerous supposed 

 Dices of it are mentioned by Greek ami Human 

 writers. The prevailing ignorance of pathology 

 and chemistry enabled crimes to lie carried out 

 with impunity with poisons which would lie readily 

 detected at the present day ; and for similar 

 reasons many dent (is were ascribed to poi-on that 

 were doubtless due to natural causes. It is im- 

 possible to attach much credence to stories such as 

 that Henry VI. was killed by a pair of poisoned 



gloves, or that victims were simply got rid of by 

 inducing them to smell a poisoned rose. And it is 

 wholly incredible that in pre-scientilic days treach- 

 erous friends and hidden enemies had access to 

 secret and mysterious methods of poisoning Ix'vond 

 the power of detection that are happily denied to 

 scientific investigators in days when we are ac- 

 quainted with ten times as many and ten times 

 as subtle poisons. In secret poisoning various 

 preparations of arsenic seem once to have Keen 

 most frequently used. In the 17th century this 

 atrocious practice Iiecame of specially frequent oc- 

 currence ; and from this time it rapidly incre 

 spread over western Knrope like an epidemic, 

 and became gradually a regular branch of cdu 

 cation among those who professed a knowledge 

 of chemistry, magic, or astrology. These persons 

 regarded the knowledge of the mode of prepar- 

 ing secret poisons as of the highest importance, 

 and many of them realised large sums by the 

 sale of their preparations, and occasionally of the 

 secret of their composition. It was in Italy and 

 France that this art was chiefly practised and 

 brought to the highest perfection ; but it seems 

 also to have ptcvailcd in Kngland to a considerable 

 extent, for in 1531 the poisoning of seventeen per- 

 sons, two of whom died, oy the Bnbopof Rochester's 

 cook led to the passing of an act which declared 

 the employment of seci el poisons to ! high- treason, 

 and sentenced those who were found guilty of it 

 to be boiled to death. This act was repealed in 

 1547. 



The only undoubted instance of this crime 

 which appears prominently in Knglisli history is 

 the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury (q.v. ) by 

 Viscount Rochester (the favourite minion ot .lames 

 I.) ami his wife, the divorced Countess of Essex. 

 Prince Henry was falsely supposed to have been 

 poisoned by his father, .lames I. ( ltil'2): and James'* 

 own death wax similarly ascribed to nefarious 

 practices on the part of Buckingham, nay. even 

 of Charles I. (Milton). rndoiibtcdly .such was 

 the popular impression at the time, for DT 

 Lamb, a conjuror and quack, who was lie- 

 lieved to have furnished Buckingham with the 

 poisons, was seized by the angry DMmkuM in 

 Wood Street, Cheapside, London, anil beaten and 

 stoned 'to death. But it was in Italy that this 

 mode of poisoning was most prevalent. There, 

 judging from the writings of various authors, it 

 seems to have been looked upon as a not uiijnsiili- 

 able proceeding to get rid ot a rival or enemy by 

 poison ; anil from the time of the Lombard invasion 

 down to the 17th century Italian history teems 

 with instances which sufficiently show thai poison 

 was both the favourite weapon of the oppressor and 

 the protection or revenge of the oppressed. The 

 Borgias (q.v. ) are generally singled out and held up 

 to the horror and detestation of mankind ; but as 

 far as their poisonings arc concerned they merely 

 employed this method of destroying their adver- 

 saries a little more frequently than their neigh- 

 iMiiirs. To show the |Mipular feeling on thi- 

 subject we may instance the case mentioned in the 

 Mn/iitiret of Henry II., fifth Duke of (luise, of a 

 soldier who was requested to rid the Duke of 

 (icnnarn Annese, one of his opponents in Maple-. 

 Amiiixniiiti'rn was the mode proposed to the soldier, 

 but he shrank with horror from the suggestion, 

 stating at the same time that he was quite willing 

 tofoittm Annese. It was shortly after the date of 

 this story ( 1648) that secret poisoning Ix-eame so 

 frequent ; and the Catholic clergy, despite the rules 

 of the confessional, felt themselves bound to 

 acquaint Pope Alexander VII. with the extent of 

 the practice. On investigation it was found that 

 young widows were extraordinarily abundant in 

 liome, and that most of the unhappy marriages 



