19 g BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
Professor Attfield said that such bottles were introduced by Mr. Mernkin at the 
^ Mr^lAYAGE had f no Talth^hi 'poison bottle's, which were no substitute for care m 
.^ r ’ ‘" A r • Up rpmllocted that the patients in a hospital were supplied with 
SronSs SrSs £&£ sard-paper affixed fa cation. They .ere 
f °Mr^ G^^Torquay) said that one of his standing rules .as, not to allow a power¬ 
ful poison to be dTpenVed hut in the presence of a second person, and tins system had 
""Mr'^ aik^il staled 1 ihe'practice of his firm in order to prevent error in dispensing. 
Tire stoppers of bottles containing poisons were tied over, and their labels were round, 
instead of being of the ordinary form. 
NOTE ON CHLORAL. 
The President (Mr. Hanbury) drew the attention of the meeting to a 
specimen of Hydrate of Chloral received from Berlin, where it has been intro- 
cluced as a reinedial agent by Dr. Oscar Liebreich. Chloral m an anhydrous 
state is a heavy, volatile, colourless liquid produced ^ y °f s 
u-non alcohol and having the composition C 2 U 3 OH. 11 this body lsoioug 
X contact wfth a small proportion of water, the two combine and a solid 
crystalline hydrate is (he result. This substance is extremely soluble in 
Ser a&rdib when pure a neutral solution which » unacted on by nitrate 
of silver or by acids, but which is immediately decomposed by a caustic alkali, 
chloroform King set free. This property suggested to Liebreich the idea of 
employing it therapeutically. He conceived that if it were brought into 
contact with the blood, chloroform would be evolved in a gradual marine , 
and anaesthesia, less transient than that obtained by inhalation of chloroform, 
W °It d Ai Ynfec? found by experiment that hydrate of chloral administered 
to rabbiis produced proiLncF sleep, and similar results followed its admi¬ 
nistration to human beings. The first case ,n wh,eh ™Ty aS hAe w^ hi- 
was that of a lunatic to whom a dose l'3o grammes of the hydrate Mn 
jected subcutaneously, the efi'ect produced being a slee P,f a hj of water was 
tion An internal dose of 3‘5 grammes given in a wineglassful of water, was 
followed by sleep which lasted for the rather alarming period of sixteen hours 
The ordinary dose recommended by Dr. Liebreich, as an hypno ic, 
grammes, about 38 grains. 
[During the meeting of the British Association at.Exeter, the ™tjertof 
pblornl w as brought before the Biological Section by Dr. B. Vv . Iticliaia 
son, F.R.S., from whose report, as given in the Medical limes and Gazette , 
Sent 4 we abstract the follow ing additional particulars. J , 
fo In his experiments, Dr. R. employed a solution of hydrate of chloral made 
by dissolving 30 grains in 40 grains of water: this gives one fluid drachm 
a saturated solution which is very convenient tor use. . ,, , . 
Dr. R. next proceeded to ascertain whether when the hydiate is added to 
Tphaim. Journ. n.s. Yol. YI. p. 161. Proceedings^ Brit. Pharm. Conf.: -Report of 
Committee on the Prevention of Accidental Poisoning. Mernkin s Caution Bottle. 
