A manual of medical jurisprudence / by Alfred Swaine Taylor.

Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of medical jurisprudence / by Alfred Swaine Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    170/872 (page 156)
    was swallowed, and death did not occur for fourteen days, the mucous membrane of the stomach was not inflamed; but it was pulpy, and easily detached. The kidneys were, however, inflamed. The brain has been found congested, and ulceration of the bladder is said to have been met with. There are few fatal cases reported in which the appearances have been accurately noted; indeed, the greater number of those who have taken this poison have recovered. The quantity required to produce serious symptoms, or to destroy life, has been a frequent subject of medico-legal inquiry. The medi- cinal dose of the tincture is from five to ten minims, but may be gradually increased to one fluid drachm 5 of the powder from a quarter up to two grains. Doses above these, whether of the powder or the tincture, are likely to he injurious, and to give rise to symptoms of poisoning. The smallest quantity of the powder which has been liitherto&'known to destroy life, was in the case of a young woman, quoted by Orfila; the quantity taken was estimated at twenty-four grains in two doses. She died in four days ; but as abortion preceded death, this may have been concerned in accelerating that event. An ounce of the tincture taken by a boy, ret. 17, caused death in fourteen days. This is the smallest recorded dose of the tincture which has proved fatal. It must not be inferred from this statement that a smaller quantity of the powder or tincture will not destroy life, dhe actual dose of either required to prove fatal is unknown. Many more observations are required to determine this point. In Reg. v. Eennali (Cornwall Lent Ass., 1877), it was wrongly inferred that it would require at least twenty-four grains of the powder to destroy life. There 1 4-^ Y-wn-irnn f half rvt + m e Fig. 18. is nothing to prevent half of this quantity from proving fatal; this is purely a matter of experience. It is at present impossible to assign any definite quantity as a minimum fatal dose. Chemical Analysis.-^-For the de- tection of the powder, the sediment obtained from the suspected liquids should be mixed with alcohol spread on sheets of glass, and allowed, to dry spontaneously. The shining scales of the powdered elytra will then be seen, on examining the glass by reflected light, either on one or both surfaces. As the powder is insoluble in water, some portion of it may generally be obtained by sediment may then be examined on a f no portion of the powdered beetles can 1*1_ A 1.3 fcn drv-