MISCELLANEA. 
139 
son, of Glasgow, by Mr. James Irvine, of this town, and was written in order to furnish 
some reliable information regarding the bean that caused so much distress in Liver¬ 
pool :—“ The Calabar bean, as an ordeal, is given in various quantities, from below a 
dozen to over a hundred, but a very small portion—less than half—of a bean is suf¬ 
ficient to destroy life; while, on the other hand, entire dozens of the bean have been 
taken with impunity, being quickly rejected by the stomach and bowels. One bean 
halved between a brace of infatuated duellists, has cut both off; and a woman who 
was tried for witchcraft some years ago, and who must have taken some dozens in 
the process, was still living and in vigorous health last year. When used by duellists, 
it is customary for the challenger to bite a bean in two, consume his half, and hand 
the other to his opponent, who is obliged to eat it up. This is said to be a common 
thing among the Ibebios. When it is administered in public trial, the accused is com¬ 
pelled to eat up a few beans just as you see them, while others were being pounded to 
pulp in his presence. This is afterwards well mixed with water, and one part of the 
mixture given as a drink and the other administered in the form of an enema. If the 
poison so irritates stomach and bowels as to be completely ejected, which is often 
the case, the party escapes and is pronounced innocent; if not, he dies, and is there¬ 
fore guilty. The plant grows to a large size, one plant climbing sometimes over 
several trees, and almost entirely enveloping them in its foliage. It is often to be 
met with on the banks of the Calabar river. The flower is not unlike that of the 
sweet pea.” 
Poisoning by Laudanum.—On Monday, August 15th, an inquest was held at 
the Town Hall, Lancaster, on the body of Thomas Wilson, 15 weeks old, who died 
from the effects of laudanum contained in some syrup of rhubarb, administered by his 
mother, who stated in evidence that the child being very cross, she sent to Mrs. Cooper, 
who keeps a druggist’s shop, for “a pennyworth of syrup of rhubarb, with a drop or two 
of laudanum.” The quantity sent was about 2 teaspoonfuls, the whole of which was 
given to the child in two doses, in the morning, and about the middle of the day the 
child became very drowsy, and was carried by the mother to Mrs. Cooper, who advised 
that a doctor should be sent for immediately. Mr. Watson, surgeon, was accordingly 
called in, who used all the means in his power to revive the child, but without effect. 
Mrs. Cooper, in her evidence, stated that she had put 15 drops of laudanum in the 
quantity of syrup of rhubarb given to the child ; but that when she purchased laudanum, 
she “let it down” by adding 3 ounces of water to about 2 lbs., the quantity her bottle 
held. There was some discrepancy in the statement of the person who w r as sent for the 
mixture, and that of Mrs. Cooper; the former stating that she was told to give a tea¬ 
spoonful, the latter asserting that she said half a teaspoonful. 
The Coroner in summing up quoted from Dr. Taylor’s‘Medical Jurisprudence,’to 
show how liable infants were to be affected by very small doses of opium, and cases 
were mentioned—one, a child 4 months old, was nearly killed by the administration of 
1 grain of Dover’s powder; another child, 4f years old, died from the effects of 4 grains 
of the same medicine ; also, one of a child 9 months old, to whom 4 drops of laudanum 
were fatal. In conclusion, he observed that as Mrs. Cooper, so to speak, dealt in the 
health of Her Majesty’s subjects, she was bound to bring proper skill and knowledge to 
bear upon her business. If by negligence she had caused the death of the child, how¬ 
ever painful it might be to the jury to do so, they would return a verdict of manslaughter. 
The jury, after a consultation of about two hours, returned the following verdict:— 
“The jury are of opinion that Thomas Wilson died from the effects of an overdose of 
laudanum, administered to him by his mother in ignorance; but that his death is at¬ 
tributable to the carelessness of Mrs. Cooper in dispensing poisonous drugs, she being 
wholly unacquainted with their nature and strength ; we consequently return a verdict 
of manslaughter against Mrs. Cooper.” 
Mrs. Cooper was admitted to bail, herself in £50, and two sureties of £25 each. 
Poisoning' by Hemlock.—A lady and her two children, living at Litherland, were 
lately taken seriously ill soon after dinner. Medical aid was sought, when the symptoms 
were attributed to poison, and it was found that hemlock had been mixed with the herbs 
used for flavouring the soup, and, as the parsley had been gathered in the garden, it is 
supposed that hemlock seed had been accidentally mixed with the parsley seed when 
sown. The symptoms soon gave way to the remedies used, and the patients recovered. 
