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Report of the Chemical Examiner to Government, from November 

 1841, to April 1844, inclusive. By Frederic J. Mouat, M. D., 

 late Chemical Examiner. 



From the difficulty of classifying and arranging the various sub- 

 jects embraced in this report, and presenting a condensed view of 

 the results obtained, the following artificial arrangement is adopted : — 



I. Cases of real and supposed poisoning, or in which substances 

 conjectured to be poisonous, were presented for examination. 



II. Investigations undertaken for the Military Board. 



III. Analyses performed for the Salt Department. 



IV. Miscellaneous subjects. 



Section I. 



The number of analyses performed in cases connected with this 

 division, was not very great, but the minute and elaborate investiga- 

 tion, necessary in many instances, occupied a large amount of time, 

 and required repeated experiments to avoid every source of fallacy, 

 where the life or death of an accused person, depended upon the 

 result. 



The care and attention required in India, are greater than in the 

 majority of medico-legal investigations in Europe, from the impurity 

 of almost all the tests, which can be procured from the public stores ; 

 so much so, that in many instances, it was necessary to prepare some 

 of them in the laboratory of the Medical College.* 



A large proportion of the cases of poisoning, which have heretofore 

 occurred, appear to have been from the administration of arsenic and 

 its compounds, probably from their cheapness and abundance in the 

 bazaars. These have been detected in every instance, and were in 

 general given in such quantities, as to leave ample and indisputa- 

 ble traces of their existence. Latterly, however, the vegetable 



* This was always done by Mr. Andrew Robertson, the present Lecturer 

 on Chemistry in that Institution, whose scientific skill and practical know- 

 ledge were frequently employed in cases of doubt and difficulty, in which 

 they were always cheerfully and readily afforded, although the office of 

 Chemical Examiner had no distinct or immediate connection with his own 

 appointment. 



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