70 THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. January, 1882 . 
theme, chosen by the candidate himself, and a discussion of 
this dissertation. It is required of the candidate who wishes 
to be a “ dottore ” in pharmacy, that he shall have passed the 
above-mentioned “ licenza liceale.” 
|£egal anb iflagistmd. 
ACCIDENT WITH LIQUOR AMMONIA!. 
At the Belfast Quarter Sessions, on Tuesday last, before Mr. 
J. H. Otway, the County Court Judge, a case was heard in 
which a railway porter, named John Murray, and his wife 
sought to recover the sum of £50 damages from Mr. John 
Hogg, druggist, York-street. 
Eliza Murray, one of the complainants, deposed that on the 
25th ult. she sent her daughter to Mr. Hogg’s to buy one 
pennyworth of “head salts,” as she was subjected to headaches. 
The girl returned with the bottle produced. It was “ fizzing” 
through the cork when she first saw it. It was put on the shelf 
and not used for a few days. Having a headache she lifted it 
to apply it, and had it in her hand for a few minutes when it 
exploded, the contents covering her face. Her eye was de- 
stroyed, and her mouth and throat burned, the skins of both 
having been torn off. It had been put on the mantelpiece pre- 
vious to the time that she used it. When about to apply it she 
was sitting near the fire. 
John Murray, husband of the injured woman, said that the 
day after the accident, he went to the defendant to tell him of 
the occurrence, and Mr. Hogg sympathised with him and gave 
him 10s. towards paying the expenses of the doctors. 
Dr. Gault deposed that on 28th September, he saw Mrs. 
Murray. Her eyes, mouth, and throat were greatly swollen. 
The contents of the bottle produced was liquid ammonia. 
Smelling” or “ head” salts were usually prepared with 
carbonate of ammonia and a few drops of the liquid ammonia. 
He did not think that liquid ammonia should be sold by itself 
for smelling or “ head salts.” it would be too strong, and the 
heat of the hand would be sufficient to burst the cork. 
Dr. W. A, M'Keown deposed that when Mrs. Murray came 
to him her eye was completely lost. He knew “head salts” to be 
the white powder, carbonate of ammonia, with a few drops of 
the liquid put on. Liquid ammonia was not smelling salts. 
John Hogg, the defendant, deposed that he sold the liquid 
ammonia to the plaintiff’s child. The custom of the trade was 
to give either carbonate of ammonia or the liquid in a diluted 
form. That given to plaintiff was diluted. He had sent to 
various druggists in town for the same article that the plain- 
tiff asked for, and in each case the liquid ammonia was given. 
This liquid would not explode except it were heated. 
His Worship granted a decree for £30, with two guineas for 
expenses . — Belfast Evening Telegraph . 
SUICIDE OF THE REV. A. F. HARDING. 
Prosecution for Selling the Poison. 
A CASE arising out of the late suicide of the Rev. A. F. Hard- 
ing, of St, Kilda, was heard at the St. Hilda Police Court 
on 9th January, when the chemist, J. W, Thwaites, was pro- 
secuted under the 5th section of the Poisons Statute. It will 
be remembered that at the inquest Mr, Thwaites was interro- 
gated, and answered as follows : — 
Coroner : Are you aware that chloral is one of the articles 
scheduled m the “ Act for Regulating the Sale of Poisons ?” 
Witness : I never gave it a moment’s thought. 
Coroner : ihe Act was passed expressly to prevent suicide 
by sudden impulse. It provides that no druggist shall sell cer- 
tain poisons (of which chloral is one) unless a witness is pre- 
sent, and the sale is entered in a book kept for the purpose. 
Are you in the habit of selling chloral as you did to Mr. Hard- 
ing yesterday afternoon ? 
Witness ; No. I had no reason to believe that there was 
anything wrong with the man. 
Coroner : It is a very difficult matter even for a medical 
expert to decide as to a man’s mental condition. Why did 
you not comply with the provisions of the statute ? You did 
not carry out the law, did you ? 
Witness : I must admit that, certainly. 
, C° roner : Had you done your duty, the man, in all proba- 
bility, would be alive to-day. Was the quantity you gave him 
poisonous? J 
Witness : Yes, if taken all at once. 
The information laid against the chemist charged him that 
he “ did sell a certain poison specified in the first schedule to 
the Sale and Use of Poisons Act 1876, to wit the poison called 
chloral hydrate, to oneF. Harding, deceased, without, and be- 
fore the delivery thereof to the said F. Harding, the purchaser, 
inquiring his name and place, and occupation, and the place of 
abode, and occupation, and the purpose for which the said 
poison was required, or stated to be required, and did not 
thereupon make a faithful entry of such sale, specifying the 
said poison and the quantity thereof, together with the day of 
the month and year of such sale, in a book to be kept by you,, 
such vendor, for the purpose in the form set forth in the 
second schedule to the said Act, and signed by the said F. 
Harding as such purchaser, and also by a witness to such sale f 
the said poison not being made up or compounded by you as a 
medicine according to the prescription of a legally qualified 
practitioner, or otherwise being within the exceptions men- 
tioned in the 13th section of the said Act, contrary to the 
form of the statute.” 
The magistrates on the bench were the Mayor (Mr. G. Shaw), 
and Messrs. Keogh, Quinlan, Simpson, Finlay, and Baldwin, 
J.P’s. 
Mr. Gillott appeared to defend the accused. 
On the case being called on, Sub-Inspector Toohey said he 
had been led to believe that the defendant was going to 
plead guilty. Seeing, however, that defendant had come 
! prepared with a defence, he would ask their worships ta 
! adjourn the case for a week, so that the police might have an 
opportunity of getting the evidence for the prosecution pre- 
pared. The case had been put in his hands ouly at the last 
moment. 
Mr. Gillott : I scarcely think it is worth while adjourning 
the case. 
Mr. Quinlan : By whom are the proceedings being instituted ? 
Sub-Inspector Toohey : By the Chief Commissioner of Police. 
Mr. Quinlan : This should guarantee for sufficient time on 
preparation. 
Sub- Inspector Toohey : I had no notice until yesterday that 
the case was in hand. 
Mr. Gillott did not propose to raise many difficulties in the 
way. 
The Bench : Go as far as you can now. 
Constable Hoey deposed that on the 3rd inst. he saw the 
deceased gentleman, Harding, at the Melbourne Hospital, 
where he had died, death being caused by his having taken 
inwardly hydrate of chloral. The defendant was present. 
Witness had shown defendant the bottle in which the poison 
was contained, and he had acknowledged that it was his 
bottle. 
Mr. Keogh (taking the bottle) : This bottle could not have 
contained chloral ; it must have been a preparation of chloral; 
Chloral is a solid matter. 
Cross-examined by Mr. Gillott : Witness said deceased had 
taken chloral before, when he was attended by a medical man 
and got over the dose. 
Mr. Keogh : Was there any other bottle besides the one 
produced found on the deceased ? 
Witness : Yes ; this one (produced). It was found on 
deceased, but defendant would not acknowledge it as from 
his establishment. 
Mr. Keogh here interpolated : " It seems by the Act that 
there is no necessity to enter the sale of a preparation of 
chloral hydrate in a book. Chloral hydrate is one thing, but 
a preparation of such a drug is another. The Act does not 
require the entry of the latter.” 
Mr. Quinlan ; For the purpose of giving a formal aspect to 
these proceedings they might make the objection suggested, 
and if a majority of the bench do not think it a valid one they 
might entertain the request for an adjournment. But there 
was no use of adjourning if the bench did not think the objec- 
tion a valid one. He noticed by the Act that there was no 
interpretation clause to this section. 
As further evidence, a deposition of Thwaites was put in by 
Constable Hoey, to the effect that deceased had been supplied 
by him with a mixture of 90 of chloral and the rest water. 
Deceased was in no way excited when he made the purchase. 
He seemed quiet and rational. He, the chemist, did not 
carry out the provisions of the Act. 
Mr. Quinlan : Was Mr. Thwaites aware that Mr. Harding 
was a clergyman ? 
Constable Hoey : He was not so aware. He said he thought 
he was a German student. 
