178 
professor taylor’s report on poisoning. 
In reference to the cases of illness and the number of deaths caused annually in this 
country by carelessness in retailing drugs or poisons for medicines, it would not be pos¬ 
sible to give an opinion without a correct return of inquests held by coroners, and a 
reference to the books of medical practitioners. The cases which are accidentally 
brought to light, render it probable that many escape notice altogether. With regard 
to the number of persons who are injured in health, but recover from the effects of 
such carelessness, they can be known only to the medical men whose assistance may be 
required. They seldom come before the public, but are occasionally reported in the 
medical journals. The deaths of children from opiates are very numerous; but here, 
probably, the greater number are to be attributed as much to carelessness in those who 
administer, as in those who retail the various opiate preparations commonly given to 
children. 
Cases have come to my knowledge in which strychnia has been dispensed by mistake 
for salicine, morphia, and jalapine, and has caused death. This has arisen, not so much 
from incompetence on the part of the dispenser, as from carelessness in keeping drugs of 
a similar appearance (some highly poisonous and others not) contiguous to each other, 
in similar bottles, indistinctly labelled. In such cases, death is likely to be assigned to 
natural disease, the dispenser not being aware of his error, and no inquiry made; and 
the medical man probably finding a sufficient cause for the symptoms by reference to 
exposure to cold or wet, or to the effects of disease. 
The extent of injury to the public cannot, however, be measured by the number of 
deaths, even if recognized and accurately recorded. In numerous cases the effect of 
noxious drugs dispensed for medicines is to undermine health, and to cause injury which 
may affect a person for life. 
There is also another source of mischief which may arise from these mistakes. As a 
dispenser, acting bond Jide, is never aware when a mistake has been made, and almost 
always denies it in the strongest language, it follows that those who may have given 
food and medicine to the deceased, and who have been in attendance upon him up to the 
last hour, are exposed to a false accusation of administering poison. If poison is found 
in the body or in the medicine, this is considered to be of itself a sufficient proof of the 
charge, and even the absence of motive or moral circumstances will not always suffice to 
show that the charge is groundless. The proof of the mistake, if denied, will in general 
rest upon presumptions. A false charge of murder, arising out of careless dispensing, 
is easy to be made, and hard to be disproved, as there can rarely be immediate access to 
the bottles or drawers of a shop to establish the fact upon undeniable evidence. One 
case has been referred to in this report (page 747) Avhich impressed the late Baron Platt, 
who tried it, with the great uncertainty of evidence in such cases, up to the last hour of 
his life. Many years after the trial, in discussing the case with me, he referred to the 
details of evidence, as showing how such a mistake by a dispenser, with his absolute 
denial of it on oath, might have led to the conviction and execution of two innocent 
persons. 
II-TO WHAT EXTENT ARE UNNECESSARY FACILITIES GIVEN FOR THE PUR¬ 
CHASE OF POISON FOR CRIMINAL PURPOSES? 
There is no legal restriction on the sale of any poison excepting arsenic; but the 
statute for regulating the sale of this poison is a dead letter, so far as the public safety 
is concerned. According to the provisions of the statute (14th Victoria, cap. 13, sect, 3), 
no person is allowed to sell arsenic in smaller quantities than of ten pounds weight, 
unless it is previously coloured with a certain proportion of soot or indigo; but in several 
cases of criminal poisoning (two occurring in 1863), which I have been required to investi¬ 
gate, involving charges of murder, uncoloured or white arsenic has been used as the 
instrument of death. Its great cheapness (one penny to twopence an ounce), places it 
within the reach of the poorest person. It is sold to any applicant on the most frivolous 
pretences; and even in the coloured state it affords but little protection, except when it 
is mixed with liquids. The better class of druggists do not sell arsenic by retail; the 
grocer, chandler, oilman, and village shopkeeper, are the principal vendors of this poison; 
and it is clear, from the numerous deaths which take place from white arsenic, that they 
set the law at defiance, and sell the poison in an uncoloured state, in which case it may 
be readily administered in any article of food, without exciting suspicion. 
Nux vomica in powder is also easily procurable, under the usual pretext, that it is 
