ON ACCIDENTAL POISONING. 
53 
concave-sided joints. This is used by the Chinese as an aperient medicine. 
The paring produces a smooth continuous scroll about four feet long, the first 
six inches of which are transversely grooved and cut off as useless. The rest 
shows a fine white sheet. The sheets, as they are cut, are placed one upon 
another and pressed for some time, and then cut into squares of the required 
size. The small squares made here are usually dyed different "colours, and manu¬ 
factured into artificial flowers for the adornment of the hair of the native ladies; 
and very excellent imitations of flowers they make. The sheets most usually 
offered for sale, plain and undyed, are about three inches and a quarter square, 
and are sold in packets of one hundred each, at rather less than one penny 
the packet, or a bundle of five packets for fourpence. The larger-sized paper 
is made to order, and is usually exported to Canton, whence the grotesque but 
richly tinted rice-paper paintings have long attracted the curiosity of Europeans. 
Some of us tried our hands at paring, but made most abortive attempts, pro¬ 
ducing only chips, though the operation looked so easy in the hands of the ap¬ 
prentice. The term of apprenticeship to the trade is three years, during 
which time the man receives no pay, but only board and lodging from his master, 
and has to give his services as general attendant besides to his employer. When 
the three years are completed, the apprentice is required to work other four 
months, in place of paying premium. He then receives a certificate of capa¬ 
bility, and can either set up on his own account or demand wages for hire. 
ON ACCIDENTAL POISONING IN CONNECTION WITH THE 
RESPONSIBILITIES OE DISPENSING CHEMISTS. 
BY MR. HENRY B. BRADY. 
In the Journal for December, 1862, I ventured to trouble you with a few 
paragraphs on Accidental Poisoning, and I purpose, if you will allow me again 
to trespass on your space, to add somewhat to the remarks then offered. 
The communication referred to was directly elicited by a melancholy accident 
in dispensing, which occurred at North Shields, the circumstances of which 
will be recollected by many of your readers. A medical man, in large practice, 
was called upon to answer to the charge of causing the death of one of his pa¬ 
tients, by an error committed by his assistant in dispensing. It was in vain 
that he pleaded that special pains had been taken in the regulation of his sur¬ 
gery to guard against contingencies of this kind ; that in the arrangement of 
the bottles, the registration of prescriptions, the mode of labelling medicines for 
external use, and, more than all, in the employment of experienced and highly- 
paid dispensers, unusual care had been exercised. The jury,—such a jury 
as you may find in any commercial seaport,—knowing nothing practically of 
the details of a dispensing-room, nor of the precautions which were admissible 
or desirable in the case, gave a verdict which resulted in the censure of the 
surgeon, and, eventually, in the award of heavy damages to the husband of his 
patient. There were some amongst us who were disposed to pass lightly over 
the event, with the remark, u Medical men should not dispense their own medi¬ 
cines, but leave it to those whose proper business it is,”—a sort of served-liim- 
right verdict, which a second thought would condemn as unworthy jealousy ; 4 
but there were others to whom the result caused alarm and anxiety. A prece¬ 
dent was established which, unless counter-measures were taken, might ruin any 
one practising pharmacy at any moment. 
The heavy calamity which has recently befallen one of our brethren-in-arms 
at Liverpool brings the matter yet nearer home to us, and has filled every rightly- 
thinking member of our profession with feelings of the deepest sympathy. Let us 
pass lightly over a few of the circumstances of the present case, and draw instruc- 
