EDITORIAL. 
189 
compel  himself  to  a  habit  of  looking  at  each  label  before  taking  the  medicine 
from  it.  In  this  way  grave  errors  are  constantly  avoided  in  prescriptions 
where  similar  looking  substances,  like  tartar-emetic  and  saltpetre,  are 
being  introduced,  the  one  by  grains  and  the  other  by  drachms,  by  preventing 
the  substitution  of  one  for  the  other. 
The  second  case  of  poisoning,  in  Baltimore,  was  of  a  different  character, 
and  appears  to  have  been  the  result  of  carelessness  in  labelling  a  shop  bottle 
containing  granulated  cyanide  of  potassium  with  the  label  Kali  Chlor : 
which  may  mean  Chlorate  of  Potassa,  or  Chloride  of  Potassium.  The 
following  report  of  a  committee  of  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy  in 
reference  to  this  case,  will  explain  it  to  the  reader . 
"The  Recent  Fatal  Case  of  Poisoning. — At  a  late  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy,  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
investigate  the  circumstance  attending  the  fatal  mistake  recently  made  by  an 
apothecary  of  this  city,  and  directed  to  make  a  report  to  the  College  at  its  next 
meeting.  A  special  meeting  of  the  College  was  held  on  the  30th  inst.,  when  the 
committee  made  the  following  report :  The  committee  appointed  to  investigate 
and  report  upon  the  late  lamentable  cases  of  poisoning  in  this  city  from  the  use 
of  Cyanide  of  Potassium,  respectfully  submit  the  following,  viz  : 
That  they  have  giventhe  subject  a  thorough  examination,  and  after  comparing 
all  the  facts  obtained  from  the  physicians,  coroner  and  others,  as  well  as  from 
their  own  observations,  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  apothecary  alone 
was  responsible  for  the  mistake,  but  are  unable  to  account  how  any  one  with 
the  proper  qualifications  of  a  Pharmaceutist  could  have  made  so  fatal  an  error. 
We  found  .the  bottle,  the  contents  of  which  it  is  supposed  were  taken  to 
compound  the  prescription,  to  have  upon  it  two  written  labels,  one  pasted  over 
the  other.    The  under  one  was  indistinct,  but  appears  to  have  originally  been 
Kali  Chlor,  afterwards  altered  by  writing  over  it  Kali  Cyanid,  the  term  generally 
used  by  German  pharmaceutists  for  Cyanide  of  Potassium.    The  outer  label  was 
in  the  hand  writing  of  the  deceased,  Chloride  of  Potassium,  but  the  salt  remain- 
ing in  the  bottle  bears  unmistakeable  evidence  of  being  granulated  Cyanide  of 
Potassium,  one  of  the  most  deadly  poisons  known  in  Pharmacy. 
The  prescription  of  Dr.  Arnold,  plainly  written,  is  as  follows  : 
Potass.  Chlor. ,  2  scruples. 
Mel  Seillce,  (  each  4  drachms> 
kyr.  Lemon,  \ 
Aqua  Anis.  dit.  \h  ounces. 
The  original  prescription,  the  phial  containing  part  of  the  medicine  compound- 
ed by  the  apothecary,  and  the  bottle  containing  a  portion  of  Cyanide  of  Potassium, 
are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy. 
Geo.  W.  Andrews, 
A.  P.  Sharp, 
L.  Phillips, 
Baltimore,  Jan.  30,  1857.  Committee. 
After  the  adoption  of  the  above  report,  Mr.  I.  J.  Graham  offered  the  following 
resolution,  which  was  concurred  in  : 
Resolved,  That  although  we  regret  deeply  the  occurrence  by  which  either 
through  ignorance  or  carelessness,  or  both  combined,  there  was  administered 
to  the  child  of  a  citizen,  an  active  poisonous  compound  in  the  place  of  a 
comparatively  inert  preparation,  resulting  fatally  both  to  the  child  and  the 
druggist  who  compounded  the  mixture ;  we  feel  it  incumbent  on  us  to  make 
known  to  the  public  that  the  agent  through  whom  this  direful  result  was  brought 
about,  was  in  no  manner  connected  with  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy." 
From  the  newspaper  accounts  of  the  occurrence  it  appears  that  after  the 
