1004 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[Jane 8, 1872. 
aged 38, a mariner. The evidence given, which was 
very lengthy, proved that the deceased returned to 
London from a coasting voyage, and took up his abode 
as usual in Jamaica Place, Limehouse, in company with 
another mariner named Seaman. After being ashore 
for two or three days the two men asked their landlady 
to procure them two black draughts, which she accordingly 
did, purchasing them at the shop of Dr. Trail, of Lime- 
house. The two men drank off their draughts, hut im¬ 
mediately after doing so the deceased fell down insensible, 
and died shortly afterwards; while Seaman was seized 
w r ith violent vomiting, and suffered very severely for some 
days. By order of the coroner, Dr. Nightingale made a 
post mortem examination of the body, and found the 
whole of the organs of the body quite healthy, with 
these exceptions—brain intensely congested, effusion of 
blood into the cavity of the chest and into the pericar¬ 
dium or bag of the heart. The above facts were elicited 
at the opening of the inquiry, which was adjourned 
until yesterday to enable Dr. Tidy, professor of chemis¬ 
try and medical jurisprudence at the London Hospital, 
to make an analysis of the contents of the stomach. 
That gentleman accordingly analysed such contents, 
and detected the presence of oxalic acid, and he said 
that it was highly probable that the death of deceased 
was due to swallowing some of that poison. He also 
told the court that in the preparation of black draughts 
Epsom salts were used, which much resembled oxalic 
acid in appearance, and that the person who made up 
the draughts in question had possibly used the poison 
instead of the salts by mistake. Dr. Trail explained 
that the two draughts in question were the last of a 
stock he bought in November last from the former 
owner of the business. The jury consulted for half 
an hour, and eventually recorded an open verdict, thus 
leaving the matter in the hands of the police.— Times. 
Attempted Suicide by White Precipitate. 
At Stourbridge, on Friday, May 24th, Mary Ken¬ 
drick, a prostitute, was charged with attempting to 
destroy her life by taking a quantity of precipitate 
powder. It appears that she had been drinking freely 
for two days previous, and went to the shop of Mr. 
Morris, chemist, and there purchased the powder, -which 
she mixed up in some liquid and drank. Dr. Campbell 
was soon in attendance, and applied antidotes. 
Mr. Y. Lewellyn, assistant to Mr. Morris, chemist, 
said the prisoner came to their shop, and asked for a 
pennyworth of precipitate powder to dress heads with. 
She asked for the strongest. He supplied her with it, 
and said the white was the strongest, and cautioned her, 
stating what it was, and labelled it “ Poison.” 
Martha Kendrick, sister to prisoner, said that the 
prisoner had a quarrel with her mother, and said she 
would go and buy some poison and poison herself. 
Prisoner, in defence, said she did not intend to poison 
herself; but had something the matter with her head, 
and, having had a quarrel at home, she took it. Was 
very sorry, and would not attempt to take her life again, 
if discharged. 
She was committed to take her trial at the ensuing 
ssions .—Stourbridge Observer. 
The following journals have been received:—The‘British 
Medical Journal,’ June 1; the ‘ Medical Times and Gazette,’ 
June 1; the ‘Lancet,’ June 1; the ‘Medical Press and 
Circular,|June 1; ‘Nature,’ June 1; the ‘Chemical News,’ 
J une 1; ‘ English Mechanic,’ J une 1; ‘ Gardeners’ 
Chronicle,’June 1; the ‘Grocer,’ June 1; the ‘Journal of 
the Society of Arts,’ June 1; ‘Grocery News,’ June 1; 
‘British Journal of Dental Science ’ for June; the ‘Milk 
J ournal ’ for J une; ‘ Longman’s Notes on Books’ for May 31; 
‘ Elorist and Pomologist for ’ June; ‘ Practitioner ’ for June; 
‘Educational Times ’ for June; ‘Food, Water, and Air’ for 
June; the ‘ Doctor ’ for June. 
(toroptitatt. 
* 0 * No notice can be taken of anonymous communica- 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith. 
Soothing Syrups. 
Sir,—You state in last week’s Journal that “most if not 
quite all soothing syrups, cordials and elixirs sold for the bene¬ 
fit of infants under the most amiable titles, contain opium.” 
We beg to deny that this is the case as regards Mrs. Johnson’s 
Soothing Syrup, of which we are proprietors; and to state that 
it is an exception to the rule you lay down, “that the whole 
tribe of infantile soothers belong to the tribe of poisons,” in¬ 
asmuch as our preparation does not contain opium, or any 
of its preparations, or any narcotic whatever. Mrs. John- 
son’s Soothing Syrup is not “ a deadly poison and one which 
needs the utmost care and skilled vigilance to rob it of its 
danger when infants are compelled to swallow it,” as it is not 
a medicine to be taken inwardly, but is only to be rubbed 
on the gums ; and we repeat, contains no narcotic whatever 
—nor would any harm issue should the bottleful be admin¬ 
istered by the nurse in mistake. 
Babclay and Sons. 
Farringdon Street , 
June 3rd, 1872. 
The fact that Messrs. Barclay’s Soothing Syrup is not 
a medicine to be swallowed obviously places it outside the 
class of preparations referred to in our article.— Ed. Phaem. 
Journ.] 
Pharmacy at Home and Abroad. 
Sir,—-In the ‘ Journal de Pharmacie et de Chimie’ for this 
month, I observe an announcement that has caused me certain 
painful reflections and humiliating comparisons. It is as fol¬ 
lows:—“At Lyons, on the 18th September, 1872, will be 
opened a medical congress. This congress will be scientific 
and professional; it will last nine days. Itwili be composed 
of foundation members and ordinary members. Foundation 
members shall bo doctors of medicine, pharmaciens and 
diplomaed veterinary surgeons.” The programme to be dis¬ 
cussed is purely medical. 
How long will it be before a similar announcement will be 
possible in this country ? Echo answers “ how long,” and I 
cannot be more definite. It would be safe, however, to- 
venture a prediction that that day will not be hastened by 
the universal prevalence of the cheap and inefficient pharma¬ 
ceutical education with which we are threatened, it seems, by 
the new Council. 
Gamma. 
May 31 st, 1872. 
W. Botham .—We have received the sample of your india- 
rubber valve for feeding-bottles, but are unable to publish any 
account of it except in the advertising columns. 
F. Tebbutt sends a caution to the trade against the- 
dishonest practices of two men, who have succeeded in some 
cases in robbing pharmacists. The plan they adopt is for ono 
to withdraw the attention of the shopman to a pretended pre¬ 
scription, while the other perpetrates the theft. 
J. II. Bland is thanked for his enclosure. 
W. Bartlett is thanked for the information, which will be 
kept as a memorandum for future use. 
J. Moulton has sent us a communication expressing 
his individual agreement with the statement in the advertise¬ 
ment of Winslow’s syrup, that it is a real blessing to mothers 
and children, and giving some details of the quantity of that 
preparation sold by him. We are unable to see how this 
affects the argument of the editorial article of last week, 
which pointed out the advisability that such preparations 
should be so labelled as to indicate the necessity for using 
them with caution. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. J. Burt, Dr. F. Porter Smith, Mr. T. Stokoe, Mr. E. 
W. Howe, Mr. J. E. Lord, Mr. J. Wright, Mr. J. Thornton, 
Mr. J. Martin, Messrs. Kay Bros., Mr. C. R. C. Tichborne, 
W. F. C., R. J. M., “One who has Known,” etc., “Tyro,” 
“Photo,” S. N. 
