April £9, 1S71.J 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
S75 
vomiting and purging, lie was not surprised that only a 
.small quantity was found. He was of opinion that the 
Inflammation was produced by the toxic action of a salt 
•of copper. Although some toxicologists entertained a 
belief that in certain instances copper was a natural 
element of the body, he was of opinion that in this case 
the quantity found was too large to admit of its exist¬ 
ence under such circumstances. Thei’e were cases on 
record of persons having been poisoned by partaking of 
food cooked in utensils lined with copper; and it was 
well known that others had died from eating sweet¬ 
meats, jams and sauerkraut made in culinary utensils of 
the same material. Taylor, in his work on poison, men¬ 
tioned the case of some seamen poisoned by eating fatty 
matter cooked in a copper vessel. There were many 
other instances of persons partaking of copper sufficient 
to produce death without its being administered as a 
poison. Cases of intentional poisoning by copper were 
exceedingly rare, owing to its easy detection from the 
powerful metallic taste it produced. There was one 
exception, however, a substance used by painters,—ver- 
diter,—which had no taste. Something like a drachm 
would, in his opinion, cause death. In reply to various 
questions, it was stated that no copper vessels were used 
in the house of deceased, or at the hat manufactory 
where she and her husband were employed. Professor 
Calvert added that the contents of a bottle of which 
deceased had partaken contained no traces of copper. 
The jury returned a verdict to the effect “That deceased 
died from the effects of poisoning, but how, when, or by 
what means taken or administered there was no evidence 
to show.” 
Death from Bichloride of Methylene. 
An inquest was held on Friday last, at Charing Cross 
Hospital, to inquire into the circumstances attending the 
death of David Skelton, a labourer, who died while 
under the influence of bichloride of methylene, for the 
purpose of an operation. 
Mr. Ewin Canton, surgeon to the Charing Cross Hos¬ 
pital, stated that the deceased attended the hospital for 
treatment of an injury to one of his fingers, which he 
had received while killing a pig, the tusks of the animal 
having severely lacerated it. Mr. Canton advised am¬ 
putation of the finger, to which deceased assented, and 
expressed a wish to have it done under the influence of 
chloroform. On the previous Tuesday the operation was 
performed, he having previously inhaled 1^ drachms of 
bichloride of methylene. This was administered by the 
regular administrator of the hospital, and was not more 
than half the quantity usually given. The deceased 
having become insensible, the finger was removed, the 
operation not lasting more than one minute, when it 
was noticed that his head had fallen on one side, his eyes 
were upturned, and breathing and pulsation had ceased. 
Every effort was made to restore animation, but without 
success. Upon a post-mortem examination he had found 
all the organs in a perfect state of health; the heart and 
brain, the organs usually affected when chloroform is 
administered, not presenting any traces of the action of 
-the methylene. The only way in which he could account 
for the death was by supposing that the man being in a 
state of great nervous excitement at having to undergo 
the operation, the methylene had acted upon the nervous 
system, causing instant death. He had known death to 
occur under an operation from excitement, without the 
administration of an anaesthetic. There was no doubt 
that in the case under inquiry death had resulted from 
the use of the bichloride of methylene. Cases of death 
while under the influence of this agent were very rare, 
but he never allowed it to be administered except with 
the patient’s full consent. 
The jury returned a verdict “That the deceased died 
from the effects of methylene properly administered 
•during an operation.” 
HOUSE OF COMMONS. 
The Proposed Tax on Matches. —April 20.—In 
making the annual financial statement, the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer announced an estimated deficiency amount- 
ingto £2,713,000, for which it would bo necessary to pro¬ 
vide. In order that this might be done, he proposed, 
.amongst other things, to impose a tax upon matches, an 
idea that he confessed to having borrowed from Ame¬ 
rican finance. He spoke of matches as being one of the 
most splendid boons which science has given to man, to 
enable him to dispense with the flint and steel. Ho 
proposed to put a halfpenny stamp upon every box of 
matches containing not more than a hundred, and a penny 
stamp on a box containing not more than one hundred wax 
lights or fusees. He said that 560,000,000 boxes of matches 
and 45,000,000 of wax lights and fusees were made in 
this country annually. The revenue estimated from this 
source was £550,000. Having noticed that the device of 
an ark on some boxes was a very odd and inappropriate 
one,—suggestive of a watery idea,—he proposed to adopt 
as a motto for the stamp the words Ex luce lucellum .* 
Dr. Playfair, in supporting the proposition of the 
Chancellor of the Exchequer, said that, although when 
he was examined before the Committee of 1867 as to the 
propriety of levying a tax on matches, he was not able 
to see how it could be done, he had given the subject his 
consideration occasionally since, and had come to the con¬ 
clusion that it might be done. Nearly 1 ^ per cent, of the 
fires arose from the careless use of matches. The care¬ 
less use of matches had led to carelessness in their 
manufacture. He believed the proposed tax would give 
an impulse to the manufacture of safety matches. A 
competition in the manufacture of improved quality 
would have a good effect on the workers ; it would tend 
largely to remove that horrid disease,—the worst that 
medical men had to deal with,—disease of the jawbone. 
April 25.—Mr. Disraeli having given notice of his 
intention to move that the financial proposals of the 
Government were unsatisfactory to the House, the Chan¬ 
cellor of the Exchequer announced that, in view of the 
disfavour with which the match tax had been received 
in many quarters of the House, the Government had 
decided to withdraw it. 
Handbuch der Piiarmacognosie end Piiarmacologie 
fur Aerzte, Studirende der Medicin und Pharmacie, 
Apotheker und Droguisten. By Prof. Dr. Archi¬ 
medes von Schwartzkopf, Teacher of Pharmacognosy, 
National Economy and Commercial Science at the 
University of Basle, and Teacher of the Germano- 
Swiss Commercial School. Part I. Leipsic and 
Heidelberg : C. F. Wintersche Vcrlagshandlung. 
1871. 
It is almost impossible to imagine a more difficult 
task than to write a book on pharmacognosy and pharma¬ 
cology which would meet all just demands of the day, 
for the simple reason that it must embody all the infor¬ 
mation which the student of medicine or pharmacy, the 
medical man and the pharmacist may require in order 
to ascertain the physical and chemical properties of 
their remedies, distinguishing marks of purity and adul¬ 
teration of their physiological actions and therapeutical 
applications. 
The writer or compiler of such book must have an in¬ 
timate acquaintance not only with chemistry, natural 
philosophy, botany and mineralogy, but also with phar¬ 
macy and its practical applications, and with some of the 
most important branches of medical science, viz. the 
* The Times suggests that Mr. Lowe should now adopt for 
his crest a match smokingjproper, with the motto “ Et I/ucifer 
1 et Luctifer.” 
