The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-26 00:00:00

THE CHARGE AGAINST A HERBALIST.

In London, on Saturday, William Wallis, herbalist,
of Bath-street, City-road, was finally examined before
Mr. D'Eyncourt, at Westminster Police-court, charged
with the manslaughter of Matilda Sainsbury, widow
of a carman, by administering lobelia as a medicine
for a chest complaint. Mr. Batchelor prosecuted for
the Treasury, and Mr. Montagu Williams defended.
Mr. Whitmarsh, the surgeon who was called to see
the deceased, was further cross-examiced by Mr.
Williams as to the effect of lobelia. He thought eight
grains would not be a dangerous dose if it acted 83 an
emetic, but it would be dangerous if retained. Lobelia
was not in the list of poisons recognized by the Phar•
nosey Act. He believed it was erased from the list in
1867. When before the coroner he expressed the
opinion that the deceased was poisoned with hellebore.
He was now prepared to say that the proximate cause
of death was lobelia. T)po4scel was in a very vv..vak
state at the time of her death. It might fairly be said
that her life "hung on very flimsy thread."
Re-examined: There were many poisons which were
not mentioned in the Pharmacy Act.
Mr. D'Eynconrt remarked that the Act did not pro-
fess to give a list of all the poisons.

Dr. Stephenson, Professor of Medical Jurisprndence
at Guy's Hospital, &c., deposed that he analysed the
medicine prescribed by the accused as well as the con-
tents of the stomach of the deceased. The medicine
consisted of the seeds and fragments of the leaves of
lobelia plant mixed with dilated acetic acid. Lobelia
was still used in medicine by some few practitioners,
but its use had bee to a great extent discontinued
in cinseqnence of its dangerous properties. It might
be given in small doses—say from two to three
grains—in case of asthma and other lung disease.
When as much as six grains were given its adminis-
tretion should be very carefully watched. In
greater doses it produced extreme depression on the
respiration and circulation, coldness of the surface of
the body, relaxation of the muscular system, often.
diarrhcea, frequently convulsions and generally col-
lapse, which might end in death, In the stomach of
the deceased he found 12 grains of lobelia, and the
symptoms attending her death were consistent with
poisoning by that drug. The effect of the drug de-
pended more on the quantity retained In the stomach
than the quantity taken. The pills supplied to the
deceased, but not taken' consisted of soap and cayenne
pepper. It was part of the" Coffinite" or herbal treat-
ment to give lobelia and capsicum.
Cross-examined: He would not call the " Coffinites"
impostors, but he should certainly call them dangeroas
practitioners. He was not likely to change his
opinion as to the danger of using lobelia if confronted
with opinions of Coffin, Thomson, and others who
believed in its efficiency.
Mr. D'Eyncourt intimated that he should commit
the accused, and Mr. Williams said he did not un ler
theee circumstances propose to address the Count cr
take De, Stevenson through a long cross-examination.
The accused pleaded "Not guilty," and was then
vrnmitted, Mr. D'Eyncourt requiring bail in £lOO in
addition to personal recognisances.

THE CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURE AND
THE CATTLE DISEASE.

The Cattle Diseases Committee of the Central
Chamber of Agriculture have just drawn up an im-
portant report on the subject of foot-and-mouth
disease. It is pointed out that a demand is being
made upon the Government, and will be again as sooe
as Parliamsnt assembles, to prohibit the landing of
foreign live animals in England from countries which
are infected with foot-and-month disease. That pro-
hibition is demanded because the meat can be imported
dead quite as well as alive, and because the
animals, when they come, bring foot-and-mouth disease
into the country with them. Foot-and-mouth disease,
it is acknowledged by the highest authorities, is
neither indigenous tenor spontaneous in England. It
onty occurs when it is brought from abroad, and ex•
perience has shown that English stock can never
he safe from that disease if foreign animals are
allowed to land alive from any of the infected countries.
In 1880 the disease had been entirely extinguished,
the whole country had been free from it for a period
of nine consecutive months, and net a single case
could anywhere be found. Ia the month of September
of that year it was introduced again and spread all
over the country by diseased animals which were
landed at Deptford from France. Professor Brown,
the ht ad of the Veterinary Department of the Privy
Council, and probably the highest authority in Eng-
land on the subject, used these words in reference to
the outbreak in 1880. There can be no doubt that it
was introduced by a cargo of animals from France,
among which it was detected when they were
landed for slaughter at Deptford on the 20th of
September. The existing law requires that all
animals coming from infected countries shall be
slaughtered at the port of lauding. In the Case of
she Deptford cargo this was done Immediately,
but so subtle is the contagion that it was carried not-
withetanding •to the London dairies, where it
appeared almost immediately afterwards among the
cows. It subsequently spread to all parts of
England, and eventually to Ireland and Scotland,
which latter countries, Ireland in particular, had been
free from the disease for several years. Many other
cargoes have been landed since that time. The disease
has never been got rid of since, and losses amounting
to many millions of pounds have been inflicted on the
consumers, as well as the producers, of home grown
food in England. These are facts which can be
verified by any one, and which are placed beyond dis-
pute. They show conclusively first, that the
disease which has inflicted so much suffering
during the past three years was directly introduced
from France; and, secondly, that the existing law,
which compels the elaughter of live animals at the port
of debarkation, is not a sufficient guaranies against i's
Introduction from abroad. Slaughter at the port of
arrival having failed to give protection, it is now de-
manded that live animals from Infected countries shall
not be allowed to land at all. The suppression of foot-
and•mouth disease is of the first importance, both to
the farmer and the public. The effect of the disease to
the farmer is serious in the extreme. When his sheep,
pigs, or cattle are attacked with it, some of them may
die; those which live always lose condiVon and become
unfit for food for months. If the disease appears on a
dairy farm the case is even worse. Cows which are
attacked soon cease to give their milk, while that which
Is produced is injurious to health. Calves die in great
numbers, and in many cases it prevents the cows from
breeding again. Sheep are rendered lame by it for
many m3nths, and among the ewes and lambs the
mortality is very great. The losses are so heavy to the
farmer that the constant fear of this disease often pre-
vents his breeding stock at all, and largely reduces the
quantity of moat and milk which would otherwise be
sent into the market. But the effects of the disease, it
is added, are by no means limited to the producer ;
they are felt by the consumer by the restriction
of the snpply and the increase in the prices of meat
and milk. It is difficult to arrive at an accurate cal-
culation of the amount of meat of all descriptions
which is annually required for consumption in this
country ; but last year it was estimated to have been
1,750,000 tons. A small proportion of this large
am eant is imported from abroad, and the remainder
—by far the largest part of it—is produced at home.
The foreign supply consists partly of live animals and
partly of dead meat, which is sent to England, some
as fresh meat and other as preserved meat. The live
animals again are imported partly from healthy,
countries, and partly from countries which are in-
fected with foot-and-mouth disease, These latter
furnish the only portion of the meat supply which is
in any way affected by prohibition. The proportion
which it bears to the meat produced at home is very
small, and it is even trifling when it Is compared
with the amount which is re 'eared for the whole con-
sumpt]on of the count, y. It is calculated from
the latest figures that roe relative proportions of
the various sonrcss of the meat supply are fairly repre-
sented as follows :-1. Animals produced and killed at
borne supply 73i per cent. 2. Foreign live animals
from healthy countries, 3i per cent. ; dead meat, fresh
or preserved, including bacon, hams, Bec., 17 per cent. ;
total 20, per cent. ; and a Foreign live animals
from unhealthy countries, 6 per cent, of the meat of
all de criptionst which is annually consumed in the
United Kine;dom. The last two items show an increase
on the figures of last year. This is partly accounted
for by the fact that the ca'culation has been made upon
the basis of the heavier meights recently suggested by
the Government as corrtlll. for foreign animals. Of the
entire supply all that it is proposed in any way to
interfere with is the 6 per cent, represented by the
foreign animals coming alive from infected countries.

This amount, moreover, it is certain could easily be
sent into the country dead, as probably it would be if
the animals were not allowed to be sent alive in
future. It is therefore urged that live animals from
infected countries thould be excluded in the future;
that every encouragement should be given to the
development of a dead meat trade with foreign
countries; that this is a consumer's question quite as
much as a producer's; and that in the interests of all
classes in the country the demand which is being made
upon the Government should be conceded without
further unnecessary delay. The report is signed by
Mr. Henry Chaplin, M.P., as chairman of the
executive.

The Berliner Tageblatt reports that one of the
sentinels on duty at the Royal Castle on Tuesday
night in lamt week saw, precisely at midnight, a
"white lady" passing down a corridor, with solemn
step. According to the old legend the spirit of the
Countess Orlamunde always makes its appearance to
warn of the approaching death of a member of the
family of Hohenzollern.

Newspapor enterprise in Germany Is particnlally
active just now, an,i n tewer than 134 new journals
and periodicals have been As.rted since the beginning
of last month, so that although fifty-three of these
publirrsti,na already come to grief, the New Year
bsgine with an incrcas of eighty-one journAls over
those of last year.