February 22,1873 ] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
673 
Tyndall. 
1S53 Transmission of Heat through Organic Sub¬ 
stances. 
1854 Vibrations due to Contact of Bodies at Different 
Temperatures. 
1855 Researches on Diamagnetic Force. 
1856 Slaty Cleavage. 
1857-8 Physical Properties of Ice and Glaciers. 
1859-63 Absorption and Radiation of Heat by Gases. 
1865 Calorescence. 
1866-7 Action of Heat of high Refrangihility. 
1868-9 Formation of Clouds. 
„ Colour and Polarization of the Sky. 
1870 Smoke and Dust Respirator. 
Frankland. 
1863-6 Synthesis of Acids of the Lactic Series. 
1863 Mercury-methyl, Mercury-ethyl, and Mercury- 
amyl. 
1864 Transformation of Organo-Mercury Compounds 
into Organo-Zinc Compounds. 
„ Combustion of Iron in Compressed Oxygen. 
1865 Synthesis of Acids of the Acrylic Series. 
„ Synthesis of Fatty Acids. 
1866 New Organic Radical Oxatyl. 
„ The Source of Muscular Power. Potential 
Energy in various kinds of Food. 
1867 Source of Light in Flame. Effect of Pressure 
upon Luminosity of Flame. 
iparltitnmrtarg anti fate fromtatp, 
HOUSE OF COMMONS. 
The Juries Bill. 
In moving the second reading of the Juries Bill on 
Monday night, the Attorney-General stated that, 
although he had introduced the Bill in exactly the same 
form in which it left the Select Committee, he should feel 
bound to take the sense of the House upon two points 
in which he differed from their decision. He considered 
that in every common jury there should be a definite pro¬ 
portion of higher educated men to that of what lie might 
call less educated men. The other point was that he 
did not think it necessary to insist upon unanimity in 
juries as to their verdict except in cases of treason, trea¬ 
son-felony, and murder. 
In the discussion which followed, the proposal in the 
Bill to reduce the number of jurors from twelve to 
seven, was opposed by Mr. Chambers, Mr. James, and 
Mr. Alderman Lawrence. Eventually the Bill was 
read a second time and set down for committee on 
Thursday, with the understanding that it should not 
come on, but that the Attorney-General should then fix 
a day which would meet the wishes of the House. 
In the Bill, which has just been issued, the portion of 
the clause relating to the exemption of chemists and 
druggists reads as follows :—“ Apothecaries certificated 
by the court of examiners of the Apothecaries’ Com¬ 
pany, dental surgeons certificated by the board of ex¬ 
aminers in dental surgery of the Royal College of Sur¬ 
geons in England, and all registered medical practi¬ 
tioners and registered chemists, if actually practising as 
apothecaries, dental surgeons, medical practitioners and 
registered chemists respectively.” 
Supposed Death op a Pharmaceutical Chemist from 
an Overdose of a Narcotic. 
On Tuesday, February 11, an inquest was held at 
Carlisle, before Mr. J. Carrick, deputy coroner, on the 
body of Mr. William Moss, pharmaceutical chemist, 
fifty-three years of age. Mr. Thomas Moss, a son of the 
deceased, said he was called by his mother about a quar¬ 
ter to four on Sunday morning to see his father, who 
was then in bed breathing heavily. His father occasion¬ 
ally, though not habitually, took a dose of compound 
tincture of chloroform when out of health, but he never 
took more than a drachm. Ho complained of a pain in 
his side on Friday, but was in his usual health on Satur¬ 
day and continued in the shop all day. He was depressed' 
in mind during last week, but witness did not think that 
his mind was affected. 
Mr. Herbert Page said that he saw the deceased at 
twenty minutes past four, at which time he was in a 
state of perfect insensibility, and all the other symptoms- 
were such as to induce the belief that he was poisoned 
by opium. The stomach pump was tried, but he did. 
not expect much result from that, as a sufficient time had 
evidently elapsed to allow tho opium to pass through the 
stomach. Antidotes were used and every effort made to 
arouse Mr. Moss from his state of coma, but none of them 
made the slightest impression upon him. His breathing 
gradually became worse and at times stopped altogether,, 
when artificial respiration was applied. Mr. Page stayed 
at the bedside till half-past seven, when he left, sending 
a message to Dr. Hay to replace him. He was called 
again before eleven, when Mr. Moss was dead. On Monday 
afternoon he made & post-mortem examination of the body. 
He found the brain, lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys all 
healthy, but extremely congested. There was no poison 
found in the stomach, and no trace either of opium or 
morphia was found in the fluid drawn from the stomach 
on Sunday morning, but, as he had said before, they 
could hardly expect that when they applied the pump. 
The Deputy-Coroner : Can you form any opinion as to 
the cause of death F 
Mr. Page : I believe it was caused by opium poison,, 
both from the symptoms before death and from the- 
post-mortem examination. The extreme congestion of 
the viscera and their perfect healthiness were such as we 
would find under those circumstances, and the death 
also would take place during coma. 
A brief consultation then took place between the 
Coroner and the jury, the former suggesting that the 
verdict should be open. 
Tho Foreman : From what I know of him he was not 
a man who would take poison intentionally. 
The Coroner's suggestion was agreed to, and a verdict 
was returned that the deceased died from an overdose of 
opium or some other narcotic poison, but how it was, 
taken there was no evidence to show. 
The Sale of Poison in Ireland. 
On Friday, February 14th, Agnes Munroe was charged 
at the Belfast Police Court with attempting to commit 
suicide by poison, and there was also a summons against 
Dr. George Smith, charging him with having sold poison 
without complying with the requirements of the Act of 
Parliament regulating the sale of poisons in Ireland. 
It was deposed that the prisoner went to a neighbour’s 
house after quarrelling with a companion, and was seen 
to drink something out of a small bottle, declaring her 
intention to poison herself. Another bottle was taken 
from her by force. The prisoner became very faint and 
ill, but afterwards recovered. 
Head Constable Irwin produced the two bottles which 
were taken from the prisoner, one of which had not been 
opened at all, and contained stuff for destroying vermin, 
He could not produce any evidence to show what had 
been in the bottle out of which the prisoner took tho 
draught. 
Dr. Smith, said that Dr. George Smith, against whom 
the summons was issued, was his son, and acted .as his 
deputy in their Donegal Street establishment. His son 
could give evidence with regard to the sale, and he him¬ 
self could give evidence as to what was in the bottle out 
of which the prisoner took the draught. The defendant 
had not a drop of poison in his establishment, nor did he. 
