The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-25

'lCD which / am not even going to
name, and which, when used,
1t would be impossible to detect
These words are not quoted from any
novelst's romance IN which an effect OF
mystery is attached by calmly disregard
ing scientific fact. They are the words
of Sir James Crichton Browne, the fam
Gus English chemist, and were uttered
during a lecture in London the other day
to students of pharmacy.
In spite of oft-repeated assertions that
science knows no poison which the an
alyst cannot detect there is a substance
which would baffle even the best analysts
Sir James Crichton Browne was blamed
for saying even as much as he dld' A
London coroner publicly deplored the fact
that at a lecture to which the public was
admitted sit should even be mentioned
that there were organic poisons well
known to medical men which could be
used without the slightest fear of de-
lection. A connoisseur of poisons could
slaughter hundreds of persons without the
slightest fear of his crime coming to
light"
A very small dose of the poison is suf-
ficient to cause death; but, having done
its work. it decomposes Immediately into
various harmless substances such as are
found In every human body after DEATH
To convict the author of a crime perpe-
trated by such means would be well-nigh
impossible.
Curiosity is frequently aroused by &C.
casional cononers inquests that give a
verdict after a post-mortem examination
of "cause of death unknown" Very often
the cases in which such verdicts are given
are open to very curious speculation.
But since the mere fact that secret
poison exists is now known to the general
public it is impossible not to reflect that
there may be prisoners at large and en-
joying complete immunity from discovery.
| Knowledge of the poison referred to is,
luckily, confined to a small class of
men whose general education and great
knowledge lift them out of the ordinary
channels of criminality. Still, it would
| be idle to deny that even among this Sc
| lect class occasion might find man cap
| able of committing murder to serve some
| private end
! The public may derive some consola-
ton from the very extraordinary fact that
when medical men stoop to murder they
usually employ the quite easily detected
| poisons. Indeed, the writer cannot find
| on record case in which medical pois-
oner has gone beyong the common pois-
ons.
| 1t is very fortunate that the common
poisons, such as cyanide of potassium
and arsenic, leave traces that are quite
unmistakable, and also that such drugs
are very difficult to buy 1t is true that
| they are largely used in manufacturing
processes, and the former even enters into
the equipment of the photographer but
| you cannot buy them as you would buy
| cough lozenges.
| In the rare cases when, by means of
false pretenses, druggists are induced to
part with poisons to persons who medi-
tate crime detection and conviction nearly
! always follow.
Strychnine, brucine and aconitine are IA
miliar allSaloids. The sptomaines which art
| sometimes set up in decomposing foods arc
| a modern discovery, and are alkaloids
| Nicotine, an alkaloid with which all smok-
ers are said to be more or less poisoned
has been given with malice aforethough'
in only one known case-that of the
| Count Bocarme, who killed his brother
in-law, Fougnies, in France.
The ancients had no knowledge of pto
! maines. and evidence points to the fac
that most of their renown as poisoner'
! was achieved by the simplest means
We know that powdered glass was use'
with dire effect. Arsenic undoubtedly wa
prime favorlte with wicked italian an'
French court ladies'. 1t should be remem
bered that until the second quarter O
tho nineteenth century arsenic could no
he identified with certainty in the bod.
OF one who died from it. Now 1t Is tn
most easily recognized of all poisons.
iraffania, the notorious Italian femal