anonymous writer in the Medical and Surgical Journal says a patient of his died in convulsions an hour or two after receiving a clyster composed of two drachms infused in eight ounces.[1] Nay, in the Acta Helvetica there is an account by an anonymous writer of the case of a woman, who, after an injection made with one drachm only, was seized with pain in the belly, anxiety and faintings, proving fatal in a few hours.[2] And a case, fatal in thirty-five minutes, which was occasioned by the same dose, occurred not long ago in Guy's Hospital, London.[3]
Tobacco is an equally deadly poison when swallowed in large quantity. M. Caillard has related the particulars of the case of a lunatic, who, having swallowed half an ounce of snuff during a lucid interval, was seized with vomiting, and afterwards with oppression, incoherence, cold sweats, a slow full pulse, and dilated pupils; but he slowly recovered.[4] The French poet Santeuil was killed in this way by a practical joker at the Prince of Condé's table. When the bottle had circulated rather freely, a boxful of Spanish snuff was emptied into a large glass of wine, and thus administered to the unlucky victim, who was in consequence "attacked with vomiting and fever, and expired in two days amidst the tortures of the damned."[5] The following important case has been communicated to me by Dr. Ogston of Aberdeen, who was employed in the judicial investigations connected with it. An elderly man, a pensioner, was seen to enter a brothel, while in perfect health; and in an hour he was carried out insensible and put down in a passage, where he was found by the police unable to speak or move. While carrying him to the watch-house hard by, the officers observed him attempt to vomit; but he was scarcely laid down before the fire, when he expired. It was ascertained, that he had drunk both rum and whisky in the brothel, and that something had been given him "to stupefy him or set him asleep." On dissection the blood was found every where very fluid, and four ounces of serosity were collected from the lateral ventricles and base of the skull. But there was no other unusual appearance, except that the stomach contained about four ounces of a thick brownish pulp, in which were seen several pellets of a powder resembling snuff. In these contents Dr. Ogston could not detect any opium; but he detected tobacco by the process mentioned above. No doubt could exist that the man died of poisoning with tobacco; but as no evidence could be obtained to inculpate any one in particular of many individuals who were in the brothel with him, the case was not made the subject of trial.
Evidence is not wanting, therefore, to prove that this plant is a very active poison; yet every one knows that under the influence of habit it is used in immense quantities over the whole world as an article of luxury, without any bad effect having ever been clearly traced to it. Its poisonous qualities were known in Europe as soon
