CASES OF POISONING—ACCIDENTAL AND CRIMINAL. 435 
most of the symptoms generally attributed to phosphorus poisoning; and on post¬ 
mortem examination the muscular tissue of the heart was found in each case to have 
suffered the fatty degeneration well known to follow the administration of poisonous 
doses of phosphorus. The antidote to pyrogallic acid would appear to be an acid solu¬ 
tion of chlorate of potassium. 
As pyrogallic acid is largely employed in photography, and has been hitherto con- 
sidered a perfectly harmless substance, the fact of its possessing powerful toxic properties 
cannot be too widely known ; but increased interest attaches to this circumstance, since 
it strongly supports the chemical theory of phosphorus poisoning proposed by M. Per- 
sonne; for we have here two bodies whose only point of similarity consists in the 
energy with which each is capable of combining with oxygen, and both these substances 
are stated to act in almost precisely the same way on the animal economy. 
I may add here that the chemical relation of pyrogallic to gallic acid is a very simple 
one, and the connection of both with common carbolic acid and benzole, a matter to 
which singularly little attention has been hitherto given. This relationship may be 
shown in the following way :— 
Gallic acid. C fi H 2 cCXlf 
Pyrogallic acid.C 6 H 3 (OH) 3 
Carbolic acid ..C 6 H 5 
Benzole, Or benzine.C 6 H 5 H 
Taking benzole as the starting-point of the series, it is only necessary to replace one 
atom of hydrogen in it by the group OH, or hydroxyl, in order to produce carbolic acid. 
When this replacement of hydrogen is carried two steps further, we get pyrogallic acid ; 
and when to this latter body C0 2 , or carbonic anhydride is added, we have gallic acid .— 
Medical Press and Circular. 
CASES OF POISONING—ACCIDENTAL AND CPHMINAL. 
Death from eating Chrysanthemums. —On Friday, November 26, an inquest 
was held by Mr. Blagden, coroner, VVestbourne, on the body of a child, Eliza Better, 
who was poisoned by eating a number of chrysanthemum blooms, which had been given 
to her at school. 
Accidental Poisoning by Belladonna. —An inquest was held by Dr. Lankester 
on Wednesday evening, December 15, at the Ormond Street Hospital for Children, on 
the body of Rosina Roberts, a nurse. From the evidence it appears that deceased had 
laid out a child a few mornings since, and feeling somewhat sick after it, went into the 
room of another nurse, who told her to take a little brandy. Deceased in mistake took 
some belladonna liniment which she had placed there herself. She spat it out when she 
found what she had swallowed, and shortly afterwards went about her work as usual; a 
little while afterwards she became giddy, and wanted to go to the surgeon. Thinking 
she was intoxicated, a fellow-nurse prevailed on her not to go. She was shortly after¬ 
wards found insensible, every means were tried to restore her by the house surgeon, but 
a little while afterwards she expired. There was some discussion among the jurors 
about the danger of leaving poison in a common glass bottle, though the one in question 
was well labelled. The jury returned a verdict of “ Death from accidental causes.” 
Poisoning by Opium. —On Saturday, December 4th, Agnes Woodford, aged 
twenty, was tried before Mr. Justice Blackburn on the charge of administering to her 
child a quantity of opium with intent to kill him. The prisoner and her illegitimate 
child had been inmates of the Barrow-upon-Soar Union Workhouse. The medical 
officer, from the symptoms he had observed, was convinced that the child was being 
poisoned with opium. The child died a few days afterwards. It was proved that a 
parcel, sent by a man named Goodacre to the prisoner, and intercepted by the porter, 
was found to contain opium in a solid form. The man Goodacre was afterwards 
seen to stop at the workhouse and talk with the prisoner, who was at one of the windows. 
Witnesses were also called to prove the cruel treatment of the prisoner to her child. 
For the defence it was urged that the prosecution had failed to show the intention of 
the prisoner to kill her child, and that if anything had been given, it was probably in 
