The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-06-06
ABOUT POISONS.

The Journal 81 MUerio Hedico notes
the following important facts which
ought to be generally known
Poison A substance which, when taken
into the stomach, mixed with the blood, or
applied to the skin or flesh, proves fatal or
deleterious :. anything infectious or malg-
nant" Our scissors make the first clip out
of Webster for a definition of the greatest
evil as well as the greatest good known in
the medical world. For after the fashion of
the old saying, 1t takes thief to catch a
thief, in public system, so in the individual
system if one poison has stolen away into
the network of veins by fair means or foul.
there is small hope Of recovering ones own,
save another poison be sent after it.
All medicines seem TO be more or less
poisonous. But owing to the large doses of
those claSSed less required to produce
death OF even deleterious effects, they are bv
the mass of people regarded as harmless for
arsenic, strychnine, opium, chlOrOform, iner-
cuTY and perhaps a few other prominent
remedies cover all, to them. dangerous pOi-
child suddenly attacked by severe vomiting
which the usual remedies falling to check
ends in exhaustion and death and the cause
is laid anywhere but at the cOnfectioner'S
counter where the boy bought his candies
and cakes favored with bitter almond.
The bitter almond Is a powerful poison -
\ single drop of the essential oil on a cats
tongue made dead pussy of a living one in
icate organizations, especially among chill
dTen, can bear but little of this essence the
smallest quantity producing an eruption like
q nrtttoTaSn, II nothing worse. and Vet mae
aroons are eaten and given to children to cat
with impunity, while cOnfectionerS are often.
nowadays, using, not the bitter almond but
the essential oil for their tiavOring. There
i ''tamilV connection between the hitter
and sweet almond, how close is not easily
defined, but sufficient to show that on some
persons the sweet nut on our tables, if ca. zen.
produces an effect similar to that caused by
the bitter almond.
''Fish poison is one of the most singular in
all the range of tONicology.' Certain kinds
of fish in hot countries are looked upon as
always poisonous. Other kinds are only
poisonous to peculiar constitutions at Ger
tain times, and perhaps depending some
what on the climate. The richer sort of
vertebrate fish, though actually eaten with
perfect safety 10y mankind in general are
nevertheless poisonous either at all times
or only occasionally To peculiar individuals.
This fact il Selt-eyident to many of Us who
have experienced nausea after eating white
fish, salmon, lobster, etc, at one time or an
other, and instinct Is wise when it heedS the
hint and declines the poison in future
Lead poisoning we are more familiar with,
as some members of our households are
more susceptible than others to the injurious
effect of water run through lead pipes. But
the poison in this case, acting slowly and
subtly, Is usually claSSed under the broad
gOUd-natGredly embracing term, malaria. -
Those who work in lead mines or in any
way with lead and absorb its fine dust into
their systemSs except by the greatest care,
sooner OF later have what in general phrase
Ology is called printers OF painters palsy
The habit of children to bite and wet their
lead pencils is often followed by serious re
suits, which are more likely to be traced to a
close school room and hard study than to the
lead pencils, slate pencils and chalk they
have munched on at short intervals five days
out of every seven.
Another of the everyday poisonS is found
in the syrup which il a leading feature Of
the American hreakfast-tabe The use of
chloride of tin in glucose SyrupS has been
proved 10y numerous analyses Think of
that, oh yc who indulge in golden drip
and maple syrup on cold, wintry morn
ngs on your hot cakes. Beware Of any SyT-
up that leaves a metallic taste in your
mouth, lest by means of the sweet liquid
your stomach gets a tin-liuiug, and You, Won
dering why on earth you have developed
dyspepsia conclude that it must be the hot
cakes disagree with You. And if the said
cakes are made of the raisingeasy stuff call
ed bakmg-pOwdcr, very likely the disagree
mcut can, in part, be laid to them, for anal
ysis has also shown that baking powder con
tains large proportion of desiccated alum.