56 
Detecting  Cases  of  Poisoning. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
I    February,  1903. 
tive,  I  think  that  formaldehyde  is  the  best.  A  few  drops  of  the 
common  40  per  cent,  solution  placed  in  each  jar  will  restrain  decom- 
position sufficient  for  toxicologic  purposes.  A  portion  of  the  solu- 
tion from  the  same  stock  should  accompany  the  specimens  in  order 
that  the  chemist  may  show  that  the  preservative  was  not  the  source 
of  the  poison  found.  Alcohol  is  not  so  satisfactory  in  these  cases, 
as  a  good  deal  of  it  is  required,  and  it  may  dissolve  some  materials 
out  of  the  tissues. 
It  may  be  well  to  add  a  caution  here  to  those  who  are  not  familiar 
with  the  methods  of  the  law.  "  Every  man  should  know  a  little  of 
law,"  says  Sir  Edward  Coke,  and  the  author  of  the  "  Comic  Black- 
stone,"  a  humorous  essay  that  appeared  many  years  ago  in  Punch, 
says  "  the  less  the  better."  In  the  trial  of  cases  of  poisoning,  the 
identity  of  the  materials  is  of  prime  importance.  Hence,  all  persons 
who  have  had  the  materials  at  any  time  in  their  possession  are  liable 
to  be  called  as  witnesses.  It  is  therefore  wise  for  a  druggist  not  to 
allow  himself  to  become  a  custodian  of  specimens,  unless  he  is  pre- 
pared to  appear  in  court  to  testify  to  that  fact.  Moreover,  jars  con- 
taining specimens  should  be  sealed,  and  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
sealing  is  not  accomplished  by  dabbing  a  lot  of  red  wax  over  in 
different  spots.  Some  marks  should  be  impressed  on  the  wax.  The 
not  uncommon  expedient  of  using  an  ordinary  coin  for  this  purpose 
is  a  poor  plan.  Use  something  that  is  distinctive.  Label  each  jar 
and,  if  possible,  write  in  the  glass  a  letter  or  number  corresponding 
to  a  number  in  an  identification  list. 
It  may  also  be  worth  while  to  call  attention  to  some  recent 
advances  in  the  treatment  of  poisoning.  Washing  out  the  stomach 
with  water  freely  has  been  shown  to  be .  applicable  in  many  cases. 
The  addition  of  a  small  amount  of  potassium  permanganate,  a  few 
grains  to  the  fluid  ounce,  is  advantageous  in  poisoning  by  phosphorus 
or  morphin.  The  antidotal  value  of  strong  alcohol  in  phenol 
poisoning  is  undoubted,  it  can  be  used  in  the  internal  cases  in  the 
form  of  whisvky ;  in  external  cases  still  stronger.  A  few  months 
ago,  I  accidentally  spilled  some  concentrated  hot  phenol  over  the 
back  of  one  hand ;  the  white  skin  formed  at  once.  I  quickly  poured 
over  my  hand  about  a  tablespoonful  of  strong  alcohol.  The  skin 
returned  at  once  to  a  normal  color,  and  except  a  slight  roughness 
for  a  few  hours  was  unaffected.  Phenol  poisoning  is  now  very 
common. 
