MISCELLANEA. 
559 
the child died on Monday morning. In returning a verdict of “ Homicidal misadventure,” 
the jury recommended that in future the drugs be kept apart from other goods in the 
shop.— Leeds Mercury, December 27, 186(j. 
The Danger of using Chemical Powders in Cooking. —A. very narrow- 
escape from poisoning a whole family occured at Wilmington, on Saturday. As Mrs. J. 
Davis was making a hard pudding for dinner, she went to a shelf to get a pinch of 
“baking powder,” as she thought, to mix with it, but in mixing, she fancied it did not 
feel just like baking-powder, and in taking up the packet and looking at it, she saw 
poison labelled on the packet, and which was found to contain oxalic acid, which had 
been left there unknown to her, for cleaning boot-tops; she was much frightened, and 
at once threw it all away.— Brighton Paper, December 2oth. 
Chloroform as a Remedy in Kydrophobia. — The following case by Mr. R. 
Delafosse Shield,M.R C.S., of Silverstone, is recorded in the ‘ Standard’ of January 9th:— 
John Harris, a servant man in a farmhouse in this village, was bitten in the hand by a 
young foxhound some seven weeks previous to the attack. It is not quite clear that the 
dog was at that time suffering from rabies, but he was then sickening for what was 
considered an attack of distemper, and of which he shortly afterwards died in great 
suffering, especially from spasmodic closure of the jaws. 
I was called to Harris late on Sunday evening, the 16th ult. The attack had been 
ushered in with sickness, and he had now fallen on the floor, suffering from great mental 
excitement, and was with difficulty restrained by several men. Each paroxysm came 
on with a wild, sharp cry of “Hi! hi!” when he forcibly raised himself up, and then 
immediately threw himself backwards convulsed in all the muscles of the neck and jaws, 
with foaming at the mouth. Each paroxysm lasted a few minutes only. In the inter¬ 
vals, which were also of a few minutes only, he. appeared conscious, and would utter 
“Oh dear!” in a subdued voice, as though he were greatly exhausted. At the onset of 
the attack he was quite unable to take any fluid, but after some hours, and by giving it 
him drop by drop only at first, he swallowed a small quantity of warm broth. Cold 
fluids, a cold vessel, or even the bowl of a spoon, placed to his lips, instantly produced 
the most frightful convulsions. Having, during several hours, exhausted other means 
of relieving him, at 9.30 a.m., 17th ult., I gave him a draught of chloroform with 
laudanum, and on visiting him two hours afterwards with a medical friind (Mr. Watkin, 
of Towcester), we agreed to continue that treatment. Repeated doses of laudanum and 
chloroform, the latter in doses of twenty drops, during the day, rendered the paroxysms 
less severe, but did not entirely remove them; and about eight p.m. on Monday he 
inhaled two drachms of chloroform, which produced its full effect; he fell into a quiet 
sleep, from which he was only disturbed at intervals during the night to give him warm 
broth. On visiting him the following morning we found he had had a quiet night, no 
paroxysm since he inhaled; since then his recovery has gone on satisfactorily. I ought 
to add that each draught placed in a bottle was made warm and administered very 
gently. 
I can attribute success in this case not to any novelty in the way of treatment, but to 
the one fortunate circumstance that he could, although with some difficulty, swallow 
warm fluids. 
Poisoned Thread. —The ‘Moniteur de I’Hygiene’ states that a number of semp¬ 
stresses have suffered from violent colic in consequence of putting into their mouths the 
silk they use in sewing. This affection is attributed to the practice of mixing the silk 
with sulphate of lead, so as to increase its weight. Mr. Jones, of the Chemical Labora¬ 
tory, Leadenhall Street, whose attention was attracted by the above statement, has 
made a chemical analysis of the silk thread used in this country. He operated upon 
many different samples of thread purchased in and about London, and found in almost 
every case large quantities of acetate or sugar of lead. He characterizes that admixture 
as even a more dangerous impurity than the sulphate, on account of its greater degree 
of solubility in the fluids of the stomach.— British Medical Journal. 
New Chemical Toy. —“Pharaoh’s serpents” and “Vesuvian tea” have paved the 
way for the reception of a new Chinese wonder in the shape of “ferns growing out of 
burning paper.” This is a neat little experiment, free from many of the disadvantages 
appertaining both to the “ Devil’s tears ” and the lozenge-shaped crystals of bichromate 
