May 3, 18T3.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
877 
parcels were both white paper. On reaching the ware¬ 
house, I gave the parcels to Margaret Brown, who mixed 
the contents in a can of water and drank them about ten 
o’clock. The stuff in the parcels was white, like baking 
soda. Margaret drank all the stuff except a “wee drop ” 
at the bottom of the can, and immediately said these were 
the queerest salts she had ever taken. About ten minutes 
afterwards she became ill and vomited, and died that 
forenoon. 
Cross-examined by Mr. Cooper—The medicine was 
lumpy—harder than baking soda. Maggie broke down 
the pieces with her scissors, and mixed them in water. 
On the 15th January, an officer took me in a cab to 
Smith’s shop. I saw a man standing behind the counter, 
I was asked if that was the man, and I said I was not 
very sure. He was not the man. Another man came in 
afterwards, but I was not sure whether it was him. On 
another occasion I was taken to the shop by an officer, and 
was shown a packet taken out of a drawer. I was asked 
whether the packet I got from the man before was bigger 
or smaller, and I said I thought it was about the same 
size. (Shown the prisoner.) I am not sure that the 
prisoner is the man. 
Sophia Mitchell or Fotheringham—I worked beside 
the deceased. On the 14th January last she showed me 
two white paper packets, and said they contained cream 
of tartar and salts. I afterwards saw her drink the con¬ 
tents of the packets, which had been dissolved in a can of 
water. She became ill about half an hour afterwards. 
Margaret Horn, forewoman to Messsrs. Howat, Brown, 
and Co.—Margaret Brown worked under my charge. I 
saw her at her work on the morning of the 14th, when she 
appeared to be in her usual health and spirits. I never 
heard her complain of illness. About eleven o’clock she 
came to me and said she was “ awful bad.” She looked 
pale and sickly. She put up two mouthfuls of white froth. 
She said, “ I took a dose of salts, and have been sick ever 
since.” She died that forenoon. She was not a girl that 
I would think likely to take anything to injure herself. 
Alexander Horn, foreman in the employment of Messrs. 
Howat, Brown, and Co.—I saw the deceased after death. 
Margaret Brown was a cheerful girl. She was six years 
in our service, and I am not aware that she had had 
a day’s illness during that time. 
Superintendent Brown, Central District, spoke to taking 
Jessie Stewart to Dr. Smith’s shop on 15th Jan. Dr. 
Smith was then in the shop, and on entering she said she 
thought it was that gentleman who supplied her. Witness 
explained his object in calling, and Dr. Smith said he had 
not been in the shop in the morning. The girl then said 
she did not know that it was him. About twenty minutes 
afterwards the prisoner came in, and she said she thought 
he was the man. The prisoner said he did not recognize 
Jessie Stewart, but that he remembered selling to a girl 
a halfpenny-worth of cream of tartar and a halfpenny¬ 
worth of salve about the same hour in the morning. He 
said he had not sold any Epsom salts. 
Dr. James Dunlop read the report of a post mortem 
examination of the body of Margaret Brown made by Dr. 
Samuel Moore and himself. The reporters, after describ¬ 
ing minutely the internal and external appearances of the 
body, said there was no indication of preexisting disease, 
and their opinion was that she had died from the immediate 
effects of a large dose of irritant poison. 
Cross-examined by Mr. Cooper—Two drachms of salts 
of sorrel might prove fatal to a person taking them, but 
not certainly fatal if proper medical treatment were 
obtained. In a French case, one and a half drachm 
proved fatal in an hour. He was not able to say how 
many drachms of salts of sorrel might be given for a 
halfpenny. 
By the Court—Salts of sorrel is sometimes mistaken 
for cream of tartar. 
Interrogated — Supposing a person in general good 
health were to take by mistake two drachms of salts 
of sorrel, and within fifteen minutes were to be seized 
with vomiting and illness, w r ould you consider that a 
probable result of taking the two drachms ?—Yes. 
You would not be surprised to hear of the death of 
a person who had taken two drachms ?—I would not. 
Would a mixture of it with Epsom salts have any effect 
at all on its operation ?—I think not. It is so rapid in 
its action. 
Dr. Samuel Moore coincided in the report subscribed 
by Dr. Dunlop and himself. 
Dr. John Clark read the report of an analysis of the 
stomach, etc., of the deceased, as made by himself. He 
was able to trace salts of sorrel in the stomach and bowels, 
but not in the liver or spleen. He had no doubt death 
was caused by the deceased taking salts of sorrel. The 
quantity which he found would not cause death ; but 
taken in connection with what might be presumed to 
have been absorbed or given off in vomiting, it would 
prove fatal. 
By the Court—In its powdered state, salts of sorrel is- 
sometimes mistaken for cream of tartar. Two drachms 
of salts of sorrel might prove fatal. 
Dr. James Ormiston Affleck—I have had occasion to 
observe the action of irritant poison. The smallest 
quantity of salts of sorrel which I know to have produced 
death is three drachms. I think two drachms quite 
capable of producing death. 
James Miller, packing clerk in the employment ot 
Messrs. Howat, Brown and Co.—Salts of sorrel is occa¬ 
sionally used in our warehouse for taking ink stains out 
of cloth. It is kept in my desk, and when necessary to 
be used it is applied by William Smith and myself. Is o 
one else is ever employed to do so. I keep the desk con¬ 
taining the salts of sorrel locked. The deceased had no 
access to it. 
Dr. Thomas Smith—The prisoner was in my employ¬ 
ment for a year, quitting it on the 30th of March last. 
He came to the shop about eight o clock in the mornings 
and I went to it about ten o’clock. On the 14th January 
last, he opened the shop as usual, and I found him there 
about ten o’clock. He was the only person who dispensed 
medicine that morning (shown two pieces of paper). The 
larger paper would contain twopence worth of salts of 
sorrel, and the smaller one a pennyworth or a halfpenny¬ 
worth. We sell two drachms of salts of sorrel for. a 
halfpenny. In a previous case the prisoner made a mis¬ 
take while in my service. An order was given for .3 oz 
of sal volatile, instead of which he gave 3 oz. of liquid 
acetate of ammonia. 
The prisoner, in his declaration, said he was a native 
of Aberdeenshire, and was 24 years of age. He remem¬ 
bered selling a halfpenny-worth of cream of tartar to a 
girl on the 14th of January, but he was sure he did not 
supplv her with any salts, and what he sold did not con¬ 
tain oxalic acid. 
Several witnesses were called for the defence, but no 
point of interest was brought out. 
Counsel having been heard, Lord Ardmillan summed 
up, giving it as his opinion that the point foi the jury 
was whether the prisoner was “ guilty or “ not gui ty, 
and believing that the circumstances in no degree justified 
a verdict of “ Not proven.” 
The jury, after a short absence, returned with a \ eiclict 
of “ Not Proven,” by a majority of one. 
The accused was thereupon dismissed.— Glasgow Herald . 
gUirieto. 
My Garden, its Plan and Culture ; together with a. 
General Description of its Geology, Botany, and Na¬ 
tural History. By Alfred Smee, F.R.S. Second 
Edition. London : Bell and Daldy. 1873. 
When, in the closing year of the sixteenth century. 
Queen Elizabeth visited Sir Francis Carew, at Bedding- 
ton, that worthy knight, knowing her Highness s weakness 
