316 
LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
cines, it is scarcely possible to over-estimate. It is one so large, complicated, and diffi¬ 
cult, that I am quite incompetent to lay it before you in that clear and logical manner 
it requires to impress you fully with its importance.” I must say that it is one requiring 
so much time, and careful thinking over, that I have been quite unable to do any justice 
to it. It will perhaps not be forgotten that in October, 1861, I read a paper in this room 
on the subject, when I laid before you samples of all the poison-bottles then in existence. 
My advocacy of Savory’s bottles at that time, though earnest, was not received with so 
much favour as I think it would have been now, with the result of three years’ experi¬ 
ence, in mind. I have continued to use the hexagonal, coloured, fluted bottles ever 
since, and the fact that their use is spreading, and becoming general, and that the York 
Glass Company are now making a similar bottle, I take as conclusive evidence of the 
general approval. One great point is gained if all would combine to use the angular 
and coloured fluted bottles for outward applications of a dangerous character, so that 
the public might be educated to the idea which we express by that shape. As the re¬ 
sult of my own experience, which extends over three years, during which I have used 
some grosses of the bottles, I have only had one bottle brought back appropriated to 
another purpose—hair oil—than the original; but were they misappropriated every 
day, I should always feel it my duty to exchange them for ordinary ones. Another 
poison-bottle has been invented by Mr. Merrikin, which he calls his caution-bottle, and 
is getting the patent completed. I regret being unable to show this to-night, but he 
declines even to forward a sample at present. The peculiarity of this bottle is that 
it is covered with pointed excrescences, except where labelled, and therefore cannot 
be touched without exciting attention. I shall take the earliest opportunity I can of 
showing it to you. I beg to call your attention also to the bottles with black caps, for 
dispensing, invented by Messrs. Savory. These I showed you before, but their great 
utility and beautiful workmanship will bear a second mention. I have had to wait 
nearly three months for half-a-dozen; I suppose they are so little known. One of 
these shall be placed in the Museum, for members’ inspection. The employment of 
these most ingenious contrivances to prevent the too free access to poisonous solids, I 
consider very desirable ; nothing that I know of, so well fulfils the necessary qualities 
of a guarded dispensing powder-bottle ; no murderous knife can enter to draw out a fatal 
dose; time is secured for thought, ere the contents will yield to the operator’s wishes. 
Obstruction to the too facile performance of the act, and forced delay, are of the utmost 
value in preventing mistakes. I know there is the danger of mistaking one poison for 
another, and this is urged against using peculiar bottles ; but such an objection is 
equally forcible against every precaution that we know of; and further, the mistaking 
of one deadly poison for another is a rarer, less probable, less fatal mistake than sub¬ 
stituting a deadly poison for a harmless medicine. Further, it narrows the chances down 
to their lowest dimensions. We can render one substitution almost impossible, and this 
the more likely and disastrous of the two. Moreover, the virulent poisons and alkaloids 
are seldom used by the dispenser but in minute quantities, fractions of a grain, and a 
grain, if we except morphia. I imagine that we seldom use more at one time of bi¬ 
chloride of mercury, strychnine, atropine, aconitine, etc. And who does not see that if 
we can withdraw these dangerous agents from the sphere of large doses, we have ac¬ 
complished a great deal, but not rendered a mistake utterly impossible, which is a feat, 
beyond the powers of mortal man ? 
I have said we must except the morphias, which we do frequently use in larger 
quantities, and much oftener than the rest of the group. But here is a fact which suggests 
a remedy ; that which is so much used must be withdrawn and isolated from the rest. 
He must be a hardy man who would keep his morphia side by side with his atropia. 
And here let me say I think much good might be done by classifying our poisons into, 
first, deadly ; second, dangerous; the latter comprising preparations of colchicum, digi¬ 
talis, lobelia, etc. The former should certainly be under lock and key; the less deadly 
may be considered safe if furnished with Bird’s poison cork, or tied over with gutta-percha 
tissue, bladder, or black leather. These arrangements are not only applicable to the 
dispensing department, but also to our shop rounds upon the shelves containing articles 
which we retail to the public, such as laudanum, sugar of lead, oxalic acid, etc. 
But I must hasten on to mention the other novelties brought forward at the Confer¬ 
ence,—bottles that will not stand, as soda-water bottles, tin cases reaching up to the 
stopper, but having no covers; a metal band for the poison bottle ; also in labels, those 
