304 
SALE   OF  POISONS  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 
reasonable  time  be  allowed  him  for  the  preparation  of  his  views  in 
the  case,  and  their  submission  to  this  department  for  its  considera- 
tion. James  Guthrie, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
ON  THE  SALE  OF  POISONS  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 
Concord,  N.  H.}  June  1th,  1853. 
To  the  Editor: 
Dear  Sir, — I  observed  in  the  March  number  of  the  excellent 
"  Journal  of  Pharmacy,"  edited  by  yourself,  a  call  for  information 
concerning  the  sale  of  poisons  in  the  various  States.  Not  knowing 
whether  or  not  you  have  any  members  of  your  Association  in  this 
State  who  would  respond  to  your  call,  I  have  taken  some  pains  to 
collect  the  following  facts,  and  think  they  can  be  relied  on  as  ac- 
curate. Of  course,  if  any  one  answers  your  inquiries  more  fully 
or  more  acceptably,  you  are  at  entire  liberty  to  throw  this  aside. 
Numbering  my  answers  to  correspond  to  your  enquiries,  I  reply, 
1st,  a  State  law  exists,  which  is  as  follows : 
"Sec  .  1.  Every  apothecary,  druggist,  or  other  person,  who  shall 
sell  any  arsenic,  corrosive  sublimate,  nux  vomica,  strychnia  or 
prussic  acid,  shall  make  a  record  of  such  sale  in  a  book  kept  for 
that  purpose,  specifying  the  kind  and  quantity  of  the  articles  sold, 
and  the  time  when,  and  the  name  of  the  person  to  whom  such  sale 
is  made,  which  record  shall  be  open  to  all  persons  who  may  wish 
to  examine  the  same. 
"Sec.  2.  The  foregoing  section  shall  not  apply  to  physicians  in 
their  prescriptions  or  receipts  to  their  patients. 
"  Sec.  3.  Any  person  who  shall  violate  the  provisions  of  this 
chapter  shall  forfeit  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars,  to  be  reco- 
vered by  indictment  in  any  court  of  competent  jurisdiction,  one 
half  to  the  use  of  the  county,  and  the  other  half  to  the  use  of  the 
prosecutor." — N.  H.  Compiled  Statutes,  Chap.  228. 
2d.  This  law  wras  passed  in  1848,  and  amended  in  1850  by  the 
addition  of  nux  vomica  and  strychnia  to  the  list  of  poisons.  In 
its  operation  it  is  almost,  if  not  entirely,  ineffectual.  After  making 
diligent  enquiry  of  the  druggists  in  this  and  other  large  towns  in 
the  State,  I  feel  authorized  to  say  that  not  more  than  one  in  five 
of  the  druggists  pretend  to  keep  such  a  record  as  the  law  requires, 
and  those  that  are  kept  are  very  imperfect.    I  have  found  that 
