The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-09-25 00:00:00

HEALTH AND DISEASE.

POISONING By 11187•1( 11. —Last week three instances
of accidental poitumilig were recorded, all of which
were within an ace of producing death, And all of ,
which might have been preveuted by the adoption
the respective dinpeneisig druggiats of • very simple
precaution, to which we have already more than once
elevated attention. "tn Hospital Surgeon" writea
thac, his patient receiving two bottles of medicine (non a •
lirstrate dispensing esuililialisnent, one uontaining solu•
tem of iodide of puteasium, and the other a solution of
atrurine, dully labelled " poison," and " for external
use, swellowed hurriedly, and by mistake, a dose a
the poisonous solution of atropine, and narrowly
escaped death. Redoubt, this was very careless on the
part of the patient ; lint it is • species of carel,sness
which is not very unsaiunion, and for which ileatb or
1.4811111 illness is a severe penalty. It is the same kind
of error by which the Hon. Mrs. Allmon lost her life,
and by which we lately recorded that AI. Danergwahl,
Minister of State, Berlin, nearly perished. It might be
easily reine lieut. and the danger averted, by the use of
the narrow-necked bottles which we lately describe!.
Haul this gentleman, in pouring out his medicine, found
that it would nut flow freely, hut fell drop by drop, lie
would have been instantly aware that it was a potent
solution which lie wass handling. Haul he, in grasping
the bottle, felt that lie was seizing a deeply fluted
angular phial, lie would have earn aware that lie was
pouring out A IntiOn tor external use, awl not A mixture
to he swallowed. Again. the Vicar of Clare, asking in •
Welah town for a rhubarb draught, was served iii error
with tincture of opium, awl only discocereul the mis-
take after swallowing the poisonous draught, and just
in time fur the s iccessful apelicatiou of Antidote*.
Here, again, the me uicine was sluly labelled. It la int
possible, we think to exaggerate the 'advantage of the
contracted ne.,lt as a erutection from poisoning by lois- ^
take on the part of the patient or attendant, and these
three resent easeeooly afford new illustratiune of • pro-
positiou which might be considered self-evident, and
cure to carry conviction to the tined* of all who preside
liver diapeusieg eat dulishinents ; but the force of hetet
and the re:lli:rinse to change have hitherto overpowered
the stroll :urgiiinents be which this innovation is
recommended, and es yet we are not aware that
any other dispens lig ehymists have adapted the
new bottles beside Messrs. Savory and Moore,
by whom they were introdu ed. The third case of
accidental poisoning indicat:s the necessity of using
the ISMS kind of bottles for storing medicine.
A geutleman, 'u-eking an appetizing draught before
&nits; at the Star and Cart 'r, enters a ohymist's shop
at ittcliumiuuuid, and is there supplied with a mixture
which speedily run lers him senseless, and from the
effects of which active med cal assistance is able only
tardily to restore him. This accident belongs to the
same class of e roes AA that which caused Um self-in-
dieted death of Mr. Dawson. who drank tincture of
aconite fur tincture of orange-peel. in • draught which
lie prepared for !lumen when suffering from • slight
headache. The same error was the CALM, of the fatal
subetirution of a narcotic draught for An aperient at the
shop of Mr. Reeve. at Canterbury. It cocci lately a
death at Brouneton ; it permitted the substituitium of
" pule. milt Tura." for " pale. rhei Turn." in a fatal
case which was recorded in our columns last year; and
it has been the cause of its stlis awl accidents out of
aiumber. many of which have not twin recorded, or are
forgotten. By the adoption of these bottles, which dis-
charge their coutenta only gradually —joirbtflin et grada-
tem- one great source of accidental poisoning will be
cut off. Purists mar urge that precautions intended to
supersede the necessity for intelligent care and con-
scientious observatioe of the lahels on the trait of patient
and dispeoser are themselves a source of danger. It
may be answered that this uecewaity can never be super-
seded. But the advantage of addihg the unmistakable
isaieia afforded by peculiarity of share and mode of
'souring in all bottles coutai • g potent powder* and
guide to the existing safeguard of a properly devised
label Con hardly he said to aulunit of uhiacussion. Tele is
• peesatution ishuicli all dispensing druggista owe it to
their character and their conscience forthwith to adopt;
it is one of which tnediizil practitioners awl the public
are interested in enforcing the observence. It helps no
physician's reputation that • s ratient should ilt pni4olWoi
by his prescription, even though it be in error. It can-
cents him greatly Cott the health of his eatient shall he
in no avoidable way injured. The public have • yet
more direct interest in requiring all prowilde guarantees
that they shall he say,' rem hieing u.ceidentally poisoned
, by their own milady -stances, or, yet worse, by the care-
teems-as of • claymiat't assistant, and the neglect of his
, master to pros isle the best kind of beetles for storing
and issuing his medicines. It remains only to add that
' these bottles are stated to he in no degree more costly
or difficult to terucure than those in ordinary use, and
thus to furnieli that which iney certainly he the lowest
arginuent in favour of this means of security, but which
USIV, perhapii. nevertheless, he cousidereul the uccessary
baaia of all advocacy of its adoption.--La