The Sun. — 1828-08-22 (London, England)

POISONING BY PRUSSIC ACID.  The attention of the public in this country has recently been directed to the subject of poisoning by Preisic acid, in consequence of the suicide of a concieriscl felon by this means ; and in France, at the re,sent moment, there is much excitation on the smile subject, from the occurrence of a most lamentable catastrophe in one of the public hospitals, no less than seven patients having been poisoned by the Incautious use o';' it. It may not, therefore, be considered mallapropos, at the present juncture, to speak of this most energetic poison generally. The Prussic or hydrocyanic acid is a colonyless liquid, having a smell similar to peach-blossoms ; it has a sharp taste, at first cooling to the tongue, but afterwards hot and irrita. ting. It exists as the poisonous ingredient in a great variety of native combinations in the vegetable kingdom, al in the cherry laurel (prunuslauro-cerasus), bitter almond (amygdalus com(minis) ; the kernels of various fruits ; the pips of apples.; leaves, flowers, and kernels of the peach,` &c The Prussic acid was first obtained from the well-known colouring mattercalled Prussian blue, by Scheele, a German chvmist, in 1782, and hence the name Prussic acid. It %to not, however until the year 1808 that ehymista were fully acquainted with its nature. Gay-Lussac, a French chymist, at this period, obtained it in a state of purity, and pointed out the elements of which it is composed. The result of his researches was, that the base of the acid is‘ a compound of azote and carbon, which he denomitisted cyauogen, because it is the principle which generates blue, or, literally, the blue maker ; and this cyanogen, uniting with hydrogen constitutes the hydrocyanic or Prussic acid,, the hydrogen being the acidifying principle. Prussic acid, in its concentrated state, is u:2lic of the most violent poisons yet known, and in, virulence is in proportion to its purity. Magendie states, as the result of his experiments, -that a single drop of Prussic acid being conveyed into the throat of a strong dog, the animal fell down dead and stiff after two or three inspirations. When a rod, dipped into it, is brought in contact with the tongue of an animal, death ensues before the rod can be withdrawn. A particle of the acid, applied to the eye, produces equally sudden death ; and if a bird ,be held a moment over the mouth of a phial containing the acid, it dies. Scharinger, a Professor at Vienna, having prepared a pure and concentrated Prussic acid, spread a small quantity on his naked arm, and died very shortly afterwards.-Orfila relates the following instance :—M. 8., a Professor of Chemistry, inadvertently left upon his table a flask, containing alcohol impregnated with Prussic acid. The girl enticed by the agreeable smell of the liquid, swallowed a small glass of it. At the expiration of two minutes she fell dead, as if she had been struck with apoplexy. Hufeman relates the case of a man, who, being apprehended as a thief, swallowed some Prussic acid at two P.M. ; he staggered a fee steps, and fell ; the pulse could not be felt, and theme was no trace of breathing. In a few minutes a single and violent expiration took place; the extremities were cold; the eyes half open and shining, but without any irritability.— At night he was stiff. In respect to the antidotes to Prussic acid strictly speaking there none, for when the concentrated acid has been given, it acts with. such tremendous rigour, that life is extinct before any succour whatever can he given. If the symptoms have been produced by a dose of the weak acid, or by plants which contain it, it is advisable first to excite vomiting by means of tartar emetic, and then to administer ammonia, brandy, camphorated, spirit, or oil of turpentine, separately or conjointly. The account which has reached us, respecting the death of seven patients by Prussic acid, in one of the French Hospopiiteraultssitslie(cßicetre), is as follows Fer,pritliiosny,dioenrigie of the physicians, wa,F, acid, consisting the for formula ou flaonwebpiealrithe f used medicinal‘s.as oafesi)d,ruipn oefaiseiy.s, tinhatthoefhAaibaitgeolfuleime dopfrroteiciiiali etc:: cs ra acidc; to 128 of syrup. In private practice the medicine has always been procured at the shop of M. Pelletier, and an ounce was usually prescribed for a dose. M. Ferrus, wishing w try the medicine in the hospital, ordered it in the dose of an ounce to fourteen epileptic) patients. The house surgeon represented to M. Ferrus that drachm doses only were given, and that these occasionally produced unpleasant symptoms. This induced M. Ferrus to prescribe half an ounce, although he had, as before stated, usually directed half an ounce to his patients in private practice. The medicine was procured from thePharmacien Centralc des Hopitaux, where the syrup is prepared according to the Codex, or French Pharmacopccia, which is, one part of Prussic acid to nine parts of syrup. The infirmary man commenced the exhibition on the 14 epileptics; by the time he had given it to the seventh, the first was dead, and the others • din the course of 20 • expire minutes. Magendie uses the acid prepared according to formula of Gay-Lussac ;he adds six • times its volume, or B_s dines its weight of distilled water, and he then designated it medicinal Prussic acid. The acid directed in the French Pharmacopoeia is prepared according to the process of Scheele, which, in the opinion of Magendie, is exceedingly uncertain in its results. The formula of Gay-Lussac, Or of Vauquel, should always be followed. Mr. Garden, of Oxford-street, prepares it according to Vauquelin ; it is made at Apothecaries' Hall by Scheele's process.—Lancet.  It is ivell known that the peach leaves are used for the purpose of flavouring the liquor called Noyeau ; as laurel leaves are also for custards.  Last week, such was the lanientable state of the marsh lands in the. neighbourhood of Bridgewater, that the reapers were seen making the best use of their sickhs that the extraordinary circumstance allowed them, whilst they literally waded up to their knees in water; little more than the ears of the corn could be cut off.--Taunton Courier.