The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-20

Atdhc W W tAdfulntu the more certain
the results obtainable. But for the
most part with the mineral poisons
their stability prevents any doubt OF
their presence. They can be found and
determined. for the tests are certain
n absolute.
But with the organic poisons II Is
quite different. These are the ones
called acids. salts and alkalis, such as
s~trychnine. ~aconite. belladonna, NOR
Prime and other salts OF opium, etc.
Some of them decompose with the body
and do so very rapidly. Others are
comparatively stable. OF the latter
s~trychnine is a good example. I have
found ~strychnine in a mass Of viscera
a full year after death. But for the
most part these organic poisons, be-
cause they are organic. UNDERGO chem
ical decomposition with the tissues and
may thus be lost Hence the ANALYST
should get the materials as soon as
possible after death n suspicion OF
foul play. OF all the poisons known
none Is more fatal n more speedy in
Its work prussic acid. None is also
as rapid in disappearing after IL has
done its work. The acid proper is ex-
tremely volatile and will evaporate
with remarkable speed. Ii Is a trine
more stable in the form of the cyanides
but none can be relied on to remain
long. But it Is like no other poison in
one other respect. II is as tickle as a
coquette.
o all the organic poisons none is
more uncertain than opium. II and it's
derivatives. morphine being the most
common. will sometimes battle any
analysis. Then again IL can be found
with absolute certainty. AS is the case
with all such things. 1t decomposes
with the body to a considerable degree.
l had one case where 1 made a rigid
examination n not a trace of NOR
phine could be obtained by all the tests
known. Yet the woman committed
suicide and employed morphine to kin
herself with. This was learned after 1
had made my analysis and failed utter
ly to get the slightest trace. She had
taken 20 grains of the drug. In numer-
Gus others where he amount taken
was barely sufficient to produce death
1 had no difficulty in obtaining the
characteristic crystals.
Can the chemist differentiate be-
tween poisons and what are know as
ptomaines? Yes. These ptomaines are
products OF decomposition, and in a
cadaver some are always present. They
may cause death and may develop
after death. But they need not be con-
rounded with other poisons at all. 1 do
not know of a single ptomaine which
Will give all the reactions of any aka
Ioidal poison. They may and do give
of them. but the test continued to
he end and some characteristic reac-
will be missed. This will settle
he nature Of the poison and prevent
~confounding of II with its nearest
)tomaine. There may be the convul-
or strychnine or the physiological
'ymptoms of %atropine, hut when the
examination is made carefully some
essential feature will be lacking unless
l is the alkaloid and not the ptomaine.
There Is another thing which the
must guard against. That is
he embalming fluid. II n body has
been embalmed, the search for arsenic
VIII nearly always be rewarded by it's
inding. But as nearly every fluid used
arsenic, the fact of the body
laving been subjected to this treatment
destroys all evidence hat the poison
not taken after death. Some OF
he fluids are based on arsenic. Most
them have zinc. The most frequent
.purity of zinc Is arsenic. Thus you
ee that analysis OF the viscera of a
'ody embalmed necessarily excludes all
to be found I'm the fluid. / al
analyze a sample of the fluid and
hen look for poisons which are not
in IT.
Can we tell IL the poison was Admin
stored before or after death? No. Not
the body was embalmed before we
the samples for analysis. II poisons
ot I'm the fluid are found, then there
'ould be evidence of the art of the
%oisoner, but not otherwise. . No con
chemist viii say he can de-
this question. / know of sew
raj Instances where IL has been es-
iblished, but they are rare and due
} other circumstances. ] vii give one
ase and use II to illustrate the ex-
care a chemist must observe in
)nducting his examinations.
"A poor woman living on the west
de died. She had been ailing, but
er physician did not expect her to die.
Ter husband was a shiftless fellow OF
Tile account, but no criminal tenden-
He was arrested on general prin-
pies and the autopsy held To discover
any poison had been administered.
he doctor had used none In treatment.
ne materials were sent me. and | found
IDS arsenic. / asked the author
les IL the body had beer embalmed. 4,
I'D was twice assured that Il mad not. I
ut i was not satisfied, so | went to the !
n put him through a I
,urse OF Questioning. He showed me Z
here the body lay and how the OPEN :
x had been made. 1t was remote 2
ON where the fluids were kept. Then
asked III the doctor had placed the 7
In his glass Jars and sealed 4
in the shop. .
Here Is where I caught the man and =
we'd an innocent fellow from probable =
'nging. The undertaken told me the :.
'ctor had forgotten 10 bring his fairs J..
I'm him. He dumped the organs into ,
bucket belonging TO the shop and Q
emit out after the jars. I asked what Z
did with the bucket. and was told v
II was used to contain embalming =
I'D while the process was going on. a
ked 10 see the bucket. and was as y
red that IL a been thoroughly I
'aned. Now. arsenic win reform into n
ystals after a time. / found this C
cket lined with typical crystals. The II
cket was a mass of poison, and the s.
IN l found In the body had been a
iced there by contact with the buck Ct
or course the man was released"
process OF analysing any mate "
Is for one poison is about the same &
AZ Is used for all. A description of II
e Will convey to the min of the read a
an idea Of the methods used In all. W
order that this idea NAV he inn nj