70 LAUREL. 



flavoured with the leaves ; and accounts have appeared in the news- 

 papers of persons who have lost their lives by taking ratafied brandy, and 

 other spirituous preparations which contained this deleterious ingredient. 

 Dr. Madden* relates several accidents which occured at Dublin, in con- 

 sequence of the distilled water and brandy flavoured with it, being in- 

 cautiously swallowed. Foderef mentions two cases of servants having 

 stolen and drunk a bottle of distilled Laurel- water, which they mistook for 

 a cordial : being afraid of detection, they swallowed it quickly, and in a 

 few minutes expired in convulsions. The most noted case, however, of 

 poisoning by Laurel, and one which produced an extraordinary sen- 

 sation at the time of its occurrence, [1780,] was that of Sir Theodosius 

 Boughton, a young gentleman of fortune in the county of Warwick, who 

 had nearly attained his 21st year. In the event of his dying before he 

 attained his majority, the greater part of his fortune descended to his 

 sister, who, with her husband, Captain Donellan, and their mother, Lady 

 Boughton, resided with him. Sir Theodosius was labouring under a 

 slight syphilitic affection, for which he was receiving medical advice. On 

 the morning of August 31, he arose at an early hour, and apparently in 

 perfect health, and asked for his usual draught, which was accordingly 

 poured into a cup by his mother, Lady Boughton. He had not, however, 

 swallowed more than half of it, when he complained that it was so 

 nauseous, that he did not think he could keep it on his stomach, and 

 Lady B. observed that it had a strong smell of bitter-almonds. In about 

 two minutes after swallowing the draught, he appeared to struggle very 

 much, as if to keep it down, and had a rattling and gurgling in his 

 stomach. These symptoms continued about ten minutes, when he seemed 

 to be inclined to go to sleep, and Lady Boughton left the room, but on 

 returning again in about five minutes, she found him with his eyes fixed, 

 his teeth clenched, and froth running out of his mouth. He died in about 

 half an hour afterwards. Suspicion was naturally excited that his death 

 was occasioned by poison, and Sir W. Wheeler, the guardian of the young 

 Baronet, wrote to Captain Donellan requesting that the body should be 

 examined, but he eluded these wishes, and the examination did not take 

 place until the second day after the interment, and ten days after death. 

 The inspectors stated that the morbid appearances were such as would be 

 produced by Laurel-water, and Captain Donellan was put upon his trial 

 for the murder. The evidence showed that Donellan came into the room 

 when Sir Theodosius was dying and inquired where the physic-bottle 

 was ; on receiving it, he threw away the contents and rinsed it, and did 

 the same with another bottle, although Lady B. remonstrated, and objected 

 to his conduct. It also appeared, that he had a still in his own room, 

 and in his secretaire was found that part of the Philosophical Transactions, 

 in which there is an essay on the preparation and effects of Chery-Laurel- 



* Philosophical Transactions for 1737. 



t Medecine Legale iv.p. 27. See also the cases enumerated in Murray's 

 Apparatus Medicaminum, torn. iii. p. 216. 



