396 
MISCELLANEA. 
Accidental Poisoning- by Opium. —Mr. W. Carter, Coroner for East Surrey, 
has held an inquest at Surbiton, on the body of. a child eleven weeks old, who died 
from the effects of an overdose of medicine. On Sunday, December 15th, the 
grandmother of the child, who had charge of it, sent a boy to Mr. Acfield, a chemist, for 
medicine, the baby having been suffering from diarrhoea for two or three days. From 
the evidence given by Mr. Acfield, it appeared that he understood the boy to say that 
he wanted the mixture for “ Mr. Charles,” and Mr. Acfield, knowing a man of that 
name, made up his usual dose for adults. Being told that the sick person was in great 
pain, the chemist made up a powder of opium and calomel to give instant relief. The 
grandmother did not follow the instructions written on the powder and bottle, which 
were for the powder to be washed down with half the mixture, but gave about half the 
powder, aud half a spoonful out of the bottle. From the effects she fancied a mistake 
had been made, and sent over to Mr. Acfield, who then found that he had mistaken the 
words ‘ Mrs. Jeal’s child ” for Mr. Charles, and so had prescribed for an adult instead of 
for an infant. He at once sent a stimulating mixture, and told the people to send for a 
doctor. Mr. C. I. Mason was sent for, but the child never recovered. Mr. Acfield gave 
his evidence, and then the jury found that the child died from the effects of an overdose 
of calomel and opium, administered accidentally. The chemist was exonerated from any 
blame. 
Accidental Poisoning by Morphia. —On Friday, December 20, an inquest was 
held before the Borough Coroner, at Portsmouth, on the body of a child four years of 
age. The child had been unwell, and Mr. G. B. Hill, staff-surgeon, was consulted, who 
advised that a dose of antimonial wine should be given. Two spoonfuls of the supposed 
mixture were accordingly given, but the child becoming drowsy, Mr. Hill was sum¬ 
moned, who, on examining the contents of the bottle, found it to be a solution of 
morphia, which had been placed in a bottle which had contained antimonial wine, the 
label not having been removed. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the child 
had been poisoned by mistake. 
Poisoning by Tobacco. —Yesterday Mr. Booth, Coroner for North Staffordshire, 
held an inquest at Stoke-upon-Trent, touching the death of Mr. Edward Sneyd, aged 
twenty-nine, a respectable grocer in High Street, in that town, which took place under 
these circumstances:—The deceased, a fine young man, on Thursday last, in company 
w r ith two friends, visited several public-houses, including the King’s Head Inn, Stoke, 
where they had some drink, and at about half-past six in the evening one of them com¬ 
menced smoking. Sneyd, it appeared, was in the habit of chewing tobacco, and put into 
his mouth the greater portion of half an ounce. He was advised to take it from his 
mouth, but refused, and in a few minutes the effect was to cause him to become insen¬ 
sible. He suddenly fell, and he appeared to have swallowed a portion of the tobacco. 
Three medical gentlemen were sent for as soon as danger was apprehended ; but not¬ 
withstanding every effort to save him, Sneyd died on Sunday morning. The jury re¬ 
turned a verdict in accordance with the above facts.— Times , Oct. 1. 
Australian Amber. —A curious discovery, that of a mine of amber, has been made 
at Grassy Gully, near Rokewood, and some men are now at work at the mine, and others 
prospecting for the same material in the vicinity. A professional mineralogist at Bal¬ 
larat thus reports on the substance found :—“ The resinous substance left with me for 
examination is undoubtedly amber, and has not previously, to my knowledge, been 
found in this colony,—making, therefore, another addition to our colonial minerals. The 
colour of the said substance is brown, streaked yellowish-white, transparent, couchoidal 
fracture, lustre waxy. Specific gravity, IT. Acquires resinous electricity by friction; 
contains empyreumatic oil and succinic acid, and corresponds in all other respects with 
the brown amber of Europe.— Journal of Society of Arts. 
Opium Eating. —Agricultural gangs are bad enough, but opium eating is worse, 
and this, as most of the doctors and some of the parsons of the district are aware, goes 
on to an incredible extent in the eastern counties. Dr. Hawkins, of King’s Lynn, tells 
the readers of the ‘ Medical Journal ’ that half the opium imported into England is con¬ 
sumed in Lincolnshire and Norfolk. One Lynn chemist sells 200 lbs., another 140 lbs..a 
year of solid opium, besides five or six gallons of laudanum and five or six gallons of 
“ Godfrey’s Elixir ” (a pint of laudanum in every three gallons) a week. People will be 
