PHARMACEUTICAL LEGISLATION AND THE SALE OF POISONS. 575 
body, and hence pharmaceutical legislation must precede any satisfactory measure 
for regulating the sale of poisons. The conditions required by the latter must 
evidently be of the simplest character, such as clearly that all dangerous articles 
be labelled “ poison,” and that both seller and buyer be not less than-years 
old.* The chief object in such precautions would be to prevent accidental 
poisoning; suicide by poison or otherwise cannot, I think, be materially affected 
by legislative interference ; the poisons most adapted for this purpose would 
be generally sought from the chemist, whose superior education alone could 
guide him in dealing with a would-be suicide; rules, indeed, would help rather 
than fetter the design of the latter; rules, however, alone can be applied to the 
general dealer; if, therefore, we look on him as the innocent abettor of suicide, 
our only course is to endeavour to remove, as Dr. Taylor suggests, the sale of 
“ poisons ” entirely out of his hands. Probably, however, the duty of the Legis¬ 
lature does not extend so far as this, and would be practically fulfilled by re¬ 
quiring the general dealer to use such precaution as would ensure against acci¬ 
dental poisoning, while the chemist’s responsibility can involve no more than 
that care as to quantities, individuals, purposes, labelling, cautioning, and so 
forth, to which his education prompts him, but which no Act of Parliament 
could either prescribe for him or enforce upon him; and having exercised which 
he is fairly exonerated from reflection. Upon this, as upon some other points, 
Englishmen may be inclined to think that “they manage these things better in 
France,”—and it may be true, that there is less suicide by poison in that country 
than in England, but I very much question whether death by suicide is less fre¬ 
quent there than here, or if the difficulty in the way of obtaining poisons ma¬ 
terially decreases its frequency. 
In addition to the simple provisions above suggested, for regulating the sale 
of poisons, I would require all dealers in drugs and chemicals—not being 
chemists and druggists—to take out a drug licence , for the sale of those articles 
which belong exclusively to the drug trade, a schedule of which could be easily 
prepared, such licence to be of moderate amount, and chargeable on any one of 
the articles included in the list, and proportioned to the number for which the 
licence is required. Colourmen, oilmen, and grocers, etc., would be, of course, 
excepted, as regards those substances,—chemicals, oils, spices, etc.,—which form 
their proper commodities; those chiefly affected by such a provision would be 
those grocers and chandlers who deal largely in such articles as carbonate of 
soda, tartaric acid, milk of sulphur, cream of tartar, etc., to the injury of the 
chemist, and not unfrequently to the peril of the health and life of the public. 
It is socially unreasonable and unjust that a licence should be required for the 
sale of tea, pepper, and spices, while the chemist’s opposite neighbour, the 
grocer, can deal in drugs and chemicals without restriction, from salts to sar¬ 
saparilla.! To avoid error in another direction, an exception, in reference to 
certain articles as strongly poisonous as prussic acid, cyanide of potassium, cor¬ 
rosive sublimate, strychnia, and the vegetable alkaloids, might be added, making 
* There is obviously great difficulty in enforcing details of this kind: labelling alone is, 
after all, most feasible, and if actually carried out would probably answer the purposes here 
contemplated. 
j- An oilman living a few doors off, and doing a considerable trade, has a part of bis shop 
conveniently fitted with blue stoppered bottles, having such labels as “Acid Nitric,’’' “Acid 
Hydrochlor.,” “Mist. Senna; Co.,” “Inf. Rosae Co.,” “Liq.Yol. C. C.,” “Ess. Mentli. Pip.,” 
“ Ess. Amygd. Amar.,” etc. I am not sure that be dispenses prescriptions, but I have no 
doubt rhubarb and jalap are on his drug fist; salt of tartar and Price’s glycerine being 
common counter articles. With such a trader the chemist manifestly stands at a 'disadvan¬ 
tage, as be could seldom attempt to pirate the legitimate trade of the former without discredit, 
and be is, therefore, clearly entitled to that legal protection which—without directly forbidding 
it—will yet operate as a discouragement to the general dealer from pursuing such systematic 
piracy as is here manifest. But without previous registration this is obviously impossible. 
