95 
MISCELLANEA. 
Suicide by Cyanide of Potassium. —An inquest has been held at Charing 
Cross Hospital on Esther Ruth Hopkins, 16 years of age. The mother of the deceased 
stated that her daughter was in service in Church Street, Soho, and brought her mis¬ 
tress’s two children with her to see her mother. She was in good health and spirits, but 
was mortified at finding that her father, who had absconded, had not returned. On her 
return from her mother’s she put the children to bed, and on her mistress going towards 
the bedroom she met the deceased in the doorway with a bottle in her hand. She said, 
“ Here, Mrs. Faulkner, I have taken some of this.” Her mistress asked what it was, 
when deceased answered, “Poison.” Deceased had said several times that she wished 
she was dead on account of her father. Mr. Buck, house-surgeon, said deceased was 
brought to the hospital in a state of insensibility. The bottle produced had contained 
cyanide of potassium. Deceased died in a few minutes afterwards from the effect of 
the poison. The jury found a verdict of “Suicide by means of cyanide of potassium, 
while in a state of temporary insanity.” 
Suicide by Prussic Acid. —An inquest has been held by Mr. Payne, the City 
Coroner, on the body of Henry Vowles, aged 28, a clerk, lately in the employ of Mr. 
Beckley, Ludgate Hill, who had charged him with having embezzled £40. He was 
found in one of the closets of the Ludgate Hill Station, a bottle of prussic acid lying 
near him. In a note-book he had written the following:—“I have tried to conjugate 
the verb ‘to love,’ and I have been unsuccessful. I will now try to conjugate another 
verb, and I hope I will be more successful. My legs are stiff; mv eyes grow dim.— 
H. V.” Dr. Hutchinson said that the deceased had died from poisoning by prussic 
acid. The jury returned a verdict of “ Suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.” 
Attempted Suicide by Vermin Powder. —Mr. Thomas Fillis, of Hanley, at¬ 
tempted to terminate his existence, by taking a quantity of vermin powder. As soon 
as the rash act became known, his friends obtained medical assistance, the result 
cf sustained counteracting influences being that he recovered. His sufferings from the 
effects of the strychnine contained in the powder were very great The treatment con¬ 
sisted in the administration of chloroform ; tincture of belladonna and tincture of aconite 
were likewise given in teaspoonful doses repeatedly, which had the effect of moderating 
the tetanic convulsions. The patient appears to have suffered excessively from thirst. 
An Anodyne Formula. —The following formula is recommended for combining 
chloroform and morphia for internal administration:—One part, by weight, of morphia 
is dissolved in two parts of rectified wine-vinegar, and twenty parts of rectified spirit of 
wine ; and the solution, when cold, is mixed with eighty parts of chloroform. One drop 
contains the three-hundredth part of a grain of morphia. The dose for a child is two to 
fifteen drops; for an adult, thirty to forty drops. It is said to give relief in most pain¬ 
ful affections much more quickly and certainly than morphia alone, and to leave none 
of the unpleasant after-effects of opium. The subcutaneous injection of morphia during 
chloroform narcosis, is strongly advocated in all those cases where it is desirable to main¬ 
tain the state of unconsciousness for a lengthened period.— British Medical Journal. 
Bismuth.—A discovery has recently been made in South Australia of a lode of bis¬ 
muth, samples of the metal being now to be seen at the Melbourne Exchange, to which 
place it has been sent from the neighbouring colony. This metal is very valuable if 
found in quantity, and it is stated that the lode discovered contains abundance of rich 
stuff, but being situated about 200 miles in the interior, some serious difficulties in the 
cost of carriage have been encountered. Trouble was also experienced in getting the 
metal smelted, but a quantity of it was sent to England in ingots a few days ago, and it 
is expected the supply will be kept up.— Melbourne Age. 
Electric Light.—We learn from a Montreal paper, that on the “Celebration of Do¬ 
minion Day,” July 1st, Dr. Edwards exhibited from the store of Messrs. Evans, Mercer, 
and Co., a brilliant series of experiments with electrical lights, most of them of a very 
novel character,—a stream of bright magenta light flowing continuously over a glass 
vase, placed under an air pump, and resembling a cascade of liquid fire. I he electric 
light from a powerful battery also illuminated the street for a great distance, and was 
thrown by reflectors over many of the public buildings of the town. 
