The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-31
QUICK. sEoaET POISONING.
It Ha. Become Amos, Los, Art.

Nhth az bruuHy made one ~ the
characters in "A Debt Of Honor" die
within few minutes from the effects OF
taking an overdose Of chloral hc commit
ted q great physiological bluudcr
A person with an ordinarily sound heart
almost every ones heart s. nttlo un-
sound Ia some rcspcet-could take a dozen
oVer,losess aud not die FOR many hours-
90 fact he would probably be found alive
next morning only DO would b. Impossible
20 rouse him. Chloral. morphine. opium
sulphouyl-all the nnnesthettes and sopo-
rife aud hypuotlcs-iakc time as well Ns
quantity 90 kim An author or "a drama
list VINO wishes haste lea dispatching his
characters. must use prussic acid hydro
cyanlc acid. lt o. the deadMcsf drug In
the pharmacopOeia, both IN rapidity of a.
feet ana To- smallucss Of the l.fhal dose.
and. acting directly on the respiratory or
cams kills painle-sly and with awful sud
dcnuoss IN a very few moments.
When YOU see the villain of "a play I'D
minister a cup OF poison. IA. ha,' to his
unsuspcctiug victim. aud that victim drops
dead with the cup In his hand. as if he
had received bullet in tho brain. you
may write the author OF the play down
an iguoramus-uo poison will DO that.
Ssrychuiue runs pfu,si1 aci3 vcTy close
Ia dcadliucss. both for time ana guam
tity. but acting on she nerve centcrs Il
causvs terribly painful and by 40 means
Instantaneous end II b.. OF course. a veg
ctable poison derived from a uut or bean.
the nuN vomica, whereas prussic acid Is
a chemically prepared artificial product
Both these deadly drugs are very readily
detected. not only from their physiology
cal effects. but also by means Of chemi-
cal analysis. In fact nowadays, SO FAR
has chemical science progressed that se-
oret poisoning Is an absolute impossible
ty-at any rate. by means Of drugs. II
II not - many years aEo that the detec-
zion Of arsenic waH considered something
OF feat. depending principally upon mi
croscopicai examination. and. therefore
unreliable, except ga the case Of large
Overdose when sufficient unassimilated
PARTICLES remained Tor recognition. Nova
DAYS forty thousandth part Of o grain
In the human body can be Identified with
absolute certainty ana the utmost ease hy
chemical analysis. by means OF March's
OF Rensoh's tests.
Tho most difhcult drug 10 detect chem
loally r. atropin the active principle Of
belladonna, which a.. Of course. a deriva-
| tive Of the deadly nightshade IL s,
| however, very fortunately. unmistakahle
| in is physiological effects, aud, although
/ % 81 difiicult TO recognize IL chemically.
| % g. by no means impossible. la old
! times many OF the vegetable poisons were
undetertable. especially belladonna. dig
taiis tfrom the foxglove, deadly
/ drug) and strephanthus from the seed
I Of a kind 81 dandolion). The last named
| Is one OF the famous South American polls
| ons chat figure so largely IN romance and
/ Is the active principle Ia most arrow and
/ dart polsous. for which purpose strych-
nine Is also largely used.
Indian and South American poisons
/ have for 80 long had such a hold Of pie
tureaqueness surrounding them that u u
almost an act Of vandalism 90 shniter
/ their claim to distinction, In these utli-
tartan DAYS they are an scheduled In the
/ British Pharmacopoeio and when you
read Of ian obscure Indian poison you
may console yourself with the reflection
/ that there are plenty OF people 20 whom
/ IFS desection would offer no diniculsies
] whatever. The only form Of poison which
/ Won cap uae upon your friends with any
| chance 81 the analyst not being hnle
state With absolute certainty Ia what form
/ Il was administered H. an onimal one ara
! NOT a drtig-either hacteriological toxin,
/ which YOU viii ind costly either 90 produce
/ or 40 nurchase and difiicult 20 administer,
J ar Some OF tho piomanies. the poisons that
cvtat IN pufrid and purifying hsh ara
/ mot These YOU will not be able 20
/ 90 any sane person 90 take. owing 70 iae
! osfenslve smell and taste Of any 1000 ~
/ which they are present 30 thah as az
readv stated, secret poisoning may now
/ he reckoned thing OF the pass one OF
the lost arts -, ,..,,.. ,.,,,.
a., tbelr action on different people There
80 - II q put rather more scientifically.
n.-.onsi ldiosyncrasies in the action OF an
/ Ar,,,,a Thus. a very commonly used one.
/ a,pfontn. makes everything look yeho"
y, sorns e,,biects. while most ~ the drugs
already mentioned vary IN the amount OF
/ nhvsiolNFlcal reaction on different persons
/ 10 a remarkable degree. some people can
/ ,skc aulte a considerable dose Of bella
do,n,' others. though such cases are rnre,
c,hlbit an the symptoms OF atropin pol
/ sonipr when only a small quantity Of the
| d,,,sy a. present IN a lotion used externally.
/ ne Oulucey Il will be remembered. used
| 10 eat opium IN large Jumps. whereas q
| few drops OF iaudanum constitute 700
large a dose for patients with diseased
/ Kidneys or for those unused 10 the drug.
| The prise OF many drugs used ln medi-
cine Is astonishing 20 those who are not
Acquainted with the subject There are
1 aeveral which are worth their weight IN
[ cola "a an ounce) wnen sold retail. while
/ los lis and n an ounce are quite common
prices IN pharmacy The drug which
takes the palm for cosflineHs T.. curiously
enough. the one which - perhaps the
most widely known BY name OF them
All 10 the general publlo-uamely. musk.
rs retail price at the present moment Is
about no an ounce n2l a pound opothe-
cary. or two and q half timea the value ~
pure gold "a carats fine. y Il obtained
/ dom the musk deer. \ very rare animal.
ard Is contained IN q foilicie Of which
there = only one En- each animal. 50 that
an ounce o. the drug represents approxi-
nately one OF these precious animals. A.
n largely used for scent. tbs demand
constantly exceeds the supply and the
,rice has been steadily advancing. having
risen from 6 b. al ounce 10 is present
mice in Ave years. and, 20 Tar ~ one can
80. there Is 10 reason why Il should nor
go 10 80 or 100 an ounce during The mex.
Few years ~ the musk deer is graduany
vanishing of the face Of the earth.
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