332 roisoNS : their effects and detection. [§ 397 . 
Strychnino. 
Name 
Weight of 
Nature 
or 
Powder 
Price. 
of 
Colouring -matter. 
Mark. 
in Grains. 
Weight in 
Per- 
8 tarch. 
Grains. 
centage. 
1 . . 
5-6 
3d, 
0-61 
10-9 
Wheat 
? 
2 . . 
11-8 
3d. 
0-80 
6-7 
Wheat 
Ultramarine. 
3 . . 
131 
3d, 
M2 
8-7 
Rice 
Ultramarine. 
4 . . 
11-6 
3d, 
1-28 
1M 
Rice 
Ultramarine. 
5 . . 
131 
3d. 
1-70 
13 0 
Rice 
Ultramarine. 
6 . . 
21-5 
Gd. 
2-42 
11-2 
Wheat 
Prussian blue. 
7 . . 
49-2 
3d. 
2-85 
5-8 
Wheat 
Soot. 
8 . . 
30-5 
3d. 
345 
11-3 
Wheat 
Prussian blue. 
9 . . 
16-6 
3d. 
3-81 
19 4 
Rice 
Carmine. 
10 . . 
100 
3d. 
4-18 
41-8 
Rice 
Ultramarine. 
§ 397. Statistics. —In England, during the five years 1911-1916, 
strychnine and nux vomica accounted for 80 deaths. Of these deaths, 
29 were suicidal, 2 were homicidal, and 49 were accidental. 
Schauenstein has collected from literature 130 cases of poisoning by 
strychnine, and most of these occurred, comparatively speaking, during 
recent years ; 62 of the 130, or about one-half, were fatal, and 15 were 
homicidal. It has been stated that strychnine is so very unsuitable for 
the purpose of criminal poisoning as to render it unlikely to be often 
used. Facts, however, do not bear out this view ; for, allowing its 
intensely bitter taste, yet it must be remembered that bitter liquids, 
such as bitter ale, are in daily use, and a person accustomed to drink 
any liquid rapidly might readily imbibe sufficient of a toxic liquid to 
produce death before he was warned by its bitterness. It is, indeed, 
capable of demonstration that taste is more vivid after a substance has 
been taken than just in the act of swallowing, for the function of taste 
is not a rapid process, and requires a very appreciable interval of time. 
The series of murders by Thomas Neill, or, more correctly, Thomas 
Neill Cream, is an example of the use of strychnine for the purposes 
of murder. Thomas Neill Cream was convicted, October 21, 1892, 
for the murder of Matilda Clover on October 20, 1891 ; there was 
also good evidence that the same criminal had murdered Ellen Dun- 
worth, October 13, 1891 ; Alice Marsh, April 12, 1892 ; Emma Shrivell, 
April 12, 1892 ; and had attempted the life of Louie Harvey. The agent 
in all these cases was strychnine. There was no evidence as to what 
form of the poison was administered in the case of Clover, but Ellen 
Dunworth, who was found dying in the streets at 7.45 p.m., and died less 
than two hours afterwards, stated that a gentleman gave her “ two 
drops ” of white stuff to drink. 
In the cases of Marsh and Shrivell, Neill Cream had tea with them 
on the night of April 11, and gave them both “ three long pills ” ; half 
