NOTES ON POISONING BY CALABAR BEANS. 
99 
He concluded by proposing “ The honorary members of the Chemists’ Association." 
The toast having been drunk, Mr. N. Mercer gave u The health of the gentlemen whose 
works had been visited—Messrs. Kurtz, Daglish, and Pilkington.” He thought the 
liberality of those gentlemen was the more commendable because there were manufacturers 
who had a great objection to their works being visited, especially by persons engaged in 
the same trade. It had been his good fortune to visit most of the alkali works in the 
district, and there was none in which such order and regularity prevailed as in that of 
Mr. Kurtz. For himself he was surprised at the progress made in Mr. Daglish’s iron 
foundry ; and as to the Crown Glass Company, it bore one of the greatest names in the 
world. The toast was severally acknowledged by Mr. Duffey, on behalf of Mr. Kurtz ; 
Mr. Young, for Mr. Daglish : and Mr. Gardner, for Messrs. Pilkington. Amongst the 
remaining toasts were “ The Pharmaceutical Society,” by Mr. Wharrie ; “The town and 
trade of St. Helen’s,” by Mr. John Matthews, and acknowledged by Mr Young, who pro¬ 
posed “ The town and trade of Liverpool,” to which Mr. Blighton replied. The party 
shortly afterwards separated and returned to Liverpool, much gratified with their excur¬ 
sion and with the courtesy of the gentleman through whose kindness they were enabled 
to make their tour of inspection. 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
The meeting for the present year will be held at Bath,—at 41, Milsom Street. It 
will commence on Wednesday, the 14tli September, at 10 A.M., and be continued on 
a subsequent day or days, according to the amount of business to be transacted. 
Many interesting papers on pharmaceutical subjects are promised, and a large gathering 
of members is expected. The presence also in the town of the members of the 
British Association for the Advancement of Science, from the 13th to the 23rd of 
September, will be sure to render a visit to Bath even more pleasant than usual. 
Intending visitors to Bath, at the meeting in September, who will require accommo¬ 
dation, are requested to communicate their intention to the Local Secretary without 
delay. The Committee are anxious to know what number to expect, but will only 
take apartments specially if requested to do so. 
John C. Pooley, 
8, George Street , Hath. Local Secretary . 
ORIGINAL AND EXTRACTED ARTICLES. 
NOTES ON THE CASES OF POISONING BY CALABAR BEANS 
IN LIVERPOOL, 10th and 11th AUGUST, 1864. 
BY J. BAKER EDWARDS, PII.D., F.C.S., LECTURER ON CHEMISTRY AND MEDICAL 
JURISPRUDENCE AT THE ROYAL INFIRMARY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, 
LIVERPOOL. 
1. About seventy children were poisoned by eating the beans, of whom about 
fifty were treated at the Southern Hospital in this town. The quantity taken 
by each child was from half a bean to six beans. The nuts were cracked, and 
the kernel eaten without the spermoderm. 
2. The children were mostly under ten years of age, and the poison generally 
produced nausea and vomiting in half an hour. The secondary symptoms, 
trembling, dizziness, and loss of power in the limbs, came on within an hour of 
administration. Within three-quarters of an hour to one hour after eating, the 
children were brought to the hospital and at once treated with emetics. In the 
one case which proved fatal, the emetics (sulphate of zinc and mustard water) 
failed to act, and the child died by syncope within a quarter of an hour of his 
admission. He was said to have eaten four beans. 
3. The organs were found healthy, except some tuberculous disease in the 
lungs. The blood was very fluid. The heart contained fluid blood and clot in 
