638 
ACCIDENTAL POISONING BY MORPHIA. 
ACCIDENTAL POISONING BY MORPHIA. 
On Friday, May 13th, an inquest was held at Chipping Hill, Essex, by W. Codd, Esq., 
on the body of Alice Harriet Alger, aged eight years, who died suddenly on Wednesday, 
May 11th. It appeared from the evidence of the mother, that the child had been ill, and 
was attended by Mr. Proctor, surgeon, who sent a mixture, of which two tablespoonfuls 
were given to the child ; after which she became very much worse, when the mother sent 
for Mr. Proctor, who found the child in a dying state. Mr. Proctor stated in evidence 
that after witnessing her death, and the attendant symptoms, he suspected that the medi¬ 
cine contained some ingredient which ought not to have been in it. In consequence of 
that suspicion he took the remainder of the mixture home with him, and recollecting that 
a solution of morphia had been prepared in the surgery during the morning, it occurred to 
him that some of the preparation might have been put into the mixture. On applying 
certain tests, this supposition was corroborated. He then attempted to ascertain how the 
morphia could have got into the medicine. Mr. Kent, their assistant, had been preparing 
a solution of morphia in the surgery ; the method being to powder the morphia in a 
mortar, and to add to it water and citric acid to dissolve it quickly. After this, it was 
filtered through paper into the bottle with a funnel. In order more conveniently to pour 
it into the funnel, as the lip of the mortar was large, Mr. Kent had emptied the solution 
into a glass measure, which held about half a pint, with a smaller lip, which generally 
contained water, and on retiring from the surgery for a few minutes, had left some of the 
solution in the glass measure, the process of filtering being a slow one, and the funnel 
being replenished as the liquid soaked through. He had not observed that Mr. Kent 
was using the glass measure for the solution, and in his absence had taken it up sup¬ 
posing that it contained water, as was usually the case, and had poured it into the mix¬ 
ture (replenishing the measure with water), which he handed to Mrs. Alger. The solution 
was almost colourless, and free from odour. About two ounces of the solution must have 
been poured into the medicine. [Mr. Proctor here exhibited the bottle containing the 
remainder of the mixture, which was only of a light yellow colour, although laudanum 
and other ingredients had formed part of the compound.] Mr. Proctor expressed his 
opinion so decidedly as to the cause of death, the symptoms tallying exactly with the 
the effects of morphia, that the jury considered a post-mortem examination unnecessary. 
John Kent, assistant to Messrs. Gimson and Proctor, stated that on Wednesday, the 
11th inst., he was engaged in preparing a solution of morphia in the manner described 
by Mr. Proctor. After preparing the solution he put some into the funnel, filtering it 
into the bottle prepared for its reception. He left the surgery for the consulting room, 
leaving a portion of the solution in a glass measure which he had filled from the mortar, 
that he might more easily pour it into the funnel. Mr. Proctor was in the surgery at 
the time, dispensing medicines at the same counter. He returned to the surgery in about 
two minutes, and observing that the glass measure was fuller than when he left and that 
its contents had less colour, he asked Mr. Proctor whether he had poured the rest of the 
solution into the filter, who said, ‘"Yes.” Imagining that the solution was in the appro¬ 
priate bottle, and having the impression that Mr. Proctor had seen him using the measure, 
lie was satisfied. 
Mr. Proctor, at this point, explained that he had poured a portion of the contents of 
the measure, before using it for the medicine, into the filter as the liquid subsided, ima¬ 
gining then that it contained water, and that the solution of morphia was all in the 
bottle. 
It was subsequently stated that it is the practice in manipulating to dilute, to the proper 
strength, concentrated peparations by the addition of water in this manner. 
The Coroner, in commenting upon the depositions, suggested whether, under the cir¬ 
cumstances, it would not have been highly desirable for Mr. Proctor to have ascertained 
beyond a doubt that the measure did contain water, and for Mr. Kent to have called Mr. 
Proctor’s attention to the fact that it really contained some of the solution, on leaving the 
surgery. He suggested also the propriety of having all solutions of deadly poison coloured, 
that the possibility of accident might be avoided. 
After consultation, the Jury returned a verdict to the following effect:—“That Alice 
Harriet Alger died from taking a certain quantity of a solution of morphia, which was 
mixed in certain medicine by Alexander George Proctor, he believing it to be w r ater.” 
