756 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 22, 1873. 
The Sale of Laudanum. 
A man was charged at Portsmouth last week with at¬ 
tempting to commit suicide. In a letter which he had 
written he bade his landlord good-bye ; and he was after¬ 
wards found with a bottle in his hand containing lauda¬ 
num, which he said he had obtained in pennyworths at a 
number of chemists in the town. The prisoner was re¬ 
manded. 
Suicide of a Commercial Traveller. 
On Monday, March 17, an inquest was held in Little 
Britain on the body of Alexander Jackson, aged 39 
years. Joseph Houldsworth, chief clerk to Messrs. 
Maw, Son, and Thompson, Aldersgate Street, said de¬ 
ceased was one of their town travellers. On Friday 
morning witness saw him at No. 12, Aldersgate Street, 
and told him that a customer had written stating that 
an account which they had rendered to him had been 
paid. Deceased replied, “ Yes.” Witness then said, 
“It’s a very serious matter, and I shall inform the 
firm of it.” Deceased was accountable to witness for 
moneys he received, and this was not the first time he had 
mentioned it to him, but not to the firm, but told him he 
must do so if it occurred again. On Friday deceased en¬ 
treated witness not to tell the firm, but he told deceased 
he must do it, and accordingly told Mr. Thompson, the 
junior partner. Soon after, Mr. Maw arrived, and witness 
told deceased to tell Mr. Maw himself the whole parti¬ 
culars, as it would be much better than if witness told 
him. Witness saw deceased again afterwards, and said 
to him, “ Have you told Mr. Maw ?” He said, “ No, I 
cannot; what use is it V and he turned round and left 
the counting-house, and went down stairs. Soon after 
the charwoman called witness, and he went down, and 
saw the deceased standing near the kitchen with his head 
resting on the steps leading into the street. He was not 
sensible, and a doctor was sent for. Sophia Warr, char¬ 
woman, said, when deceased came down stairs he had a 
blue bottle in his hand ; he held it to his mouth, and 
drank the contents, and then threw the bottle across the 
kitchen. Witness called for assistance. John Prior 
Parkes, compounder at Messrs. Evans and Lescher’s, Bar¬ 
tholomew Close, wholesale druggists, said he knew de¬ 
ceased, whom he met on Friday morning in Aldersgate 
Street. Deceased said, “ I want you to let me have an 
ounce of prussic acid, for killing cats. I have some at 
home, but it is decomposed.” Witness objected to go 
back at first, but, knowing deceased was a chemist and 
druggist, he let him have the prussic acid. Witness saw 
nothing peculiar in his manner. He said people ought to 
be very careful with prussic acid ; he had seen many acci¬ 
dents with it himself. Mr. W. Wallford, surgeon, said he 
was called in, and found deceased in a chair, perfectly 
insensible. He died directly. The cause of death wa3 
poisoning by hydrocyanic acid. Verdict, “Temporary 
insanity .”—City Press. 
A Course of Qualitative Chemical Analysis. By 
Wm. Geo. Valentin, F.C.S. London: J. and A. 
Churchill. 1873. 
We had an opportunity a few weeks ago of commenting 
on the “Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry,” consti¬ 
tuting the first of the two volumes into which Mr. 
Valentin has thought it expedient to divide his original 
■work. We now have before us the second volume, which 
is devoted to a systematic course of experiments arranged 
for exercise in practical qualitative analysis. 
The general principle which appears to have guided the 
^author in the arrangement of his work is not new, but we 
<do not think any the worse of it on that account. 
The bock commences with a short chapter devoted to 
an explanation of the objects of qualitative analysis, in 
which the author says, “ Chemical analysis consists in the 
performance of certain experiments with the object of 
putting, so to speak, certain questions to a substance, in 
order to ascertain the presence or absence of certain 
bodies. It is termed qualitative analysis, if the answer 
which is received reveals merely wliat kind of matter is 
present without regard to quantity.” It is quite true that 
this is the primary object of qualitative analysis, and the 
one which is usually kept in view by both teachers and 
students, to the almost complete exclusion of another 
object which in some respects may be regarded as no less 
important. By studying the action of reagents upon 
bodies, and systematizing the knowledge so obtained, we 
may learn not only how to recognize definite chemical 
compounds, and to detect any one or the whole of the 
constituents of a complex mixture, but we ought to be 
able to base upon that knowledge methods for the com¬ 
plete separation of the constituents of bodies, so that they 
may be presented in an isolated form in a condition of 
chemical purity. It is quite true that separations are 
universally practised by students according to the well- 
known system of classification, by the aid of group and 
special reagents. But we think a very useful set of ex¬ 
ercises might be devised, in which a student should be 
required to carry to completion this process, which, ac¬ 
cording to the usual practice, is considered to have served 
its purpose, and to be finished when, by the use of certain 
tests, corresponding appearances have been produced. In 
other words, we think it would have a beneficial in¬ 
fluence on both the mental and manipulative habits of 
the student if he were expected occasionally, and when 
practicable, to produce, in a state of chemical purity, and 
by the usual analytical method, specimens of the sulphides, 
oxides, and other compounds of the elements towards the 
discovery of which search is commonly directed. It 
would have the effect of informing the student as to 
how far the processes which he employs are really ser¬ 
viceable for the true separation and isolation of chemical 
species, and in many cases work of this kind would tend 
probably more than anything to check the slovenliness 
which in some students is a constant source of difficulty 
both to their teacher and themselves. 
In this same introductory chapter, the author gives 
some hints as to manipulation, short but sufficient. He 
then goes on to give the usual “ tests ” for the metals, 
taking them in order, and commencing with the alkaline 
group. At the end of each group those reactions which 
may be called diagnostic are indicated, and the student 
left to construct for himself a process for the separation 
of the members of the group, one from another. Tables 
for his guidance are afterwards introduced. This is a 
very good plan, and when faithfully carried out, is calcu¬ 
lated to diminish the injurious influence which the inju¬ 
dicious employment of tables undoubtedly exercises. The 
work is done more intelligently, and there is far less risk 
of the study assuming the character of a mere mechanical 
art. 
With regard to the tables given in the book we have no 
fault to find. The processes recommended are very good, 
probably the best, that could have been adopted. In many 
cases the methods of separation possess the advantage of 
being those which are practically available for quantitative 
purposes. 
The author insists very properly upon the necessity for 
washing precipitates ; this is an important point, and one 
which is too often neglected by students. 
It generally seem3 to be considered necessary to draw 
up very elaborate tables for what is called the “ preli¬ 
minary examination.” 
Any attempt to make such a table complete we should 
regard as superfluous and almost useless, inasmuch as the 
power to interpret correctly the results of preliminary 
experiments can only be the result of experience, and 
must be based on a previous knowledge of the appearance 
and properties of a large number of substances. To those, 
