| PART I.—INTRODUCTORY. | |
| I. THE OLD POISON-LORE. | |
Section | | Page |
1. | The History of the Poison-lehre—The Origin of Arrow-Poison—Greek Myths, | 1 |
2. | Knowledge of the Egyptians relative to Poisons—Distillation of Peach-Water, | 2 |
3. | Roman and Greek Knowledge of Poison—Sanction of Suicide among the Ancients—The Classification of Poisons adopted by Dioscorides, | 2-4 |
4. | Poisoning among Eastern Nations—Slow Poisons, | 4, 5 |
5. | Hebrew Knowledge of Poisons, | 5 |
6. | The part which Poison has played in History—Statira—Locusta—Britannicus—The Rise of Anatomy—The Death of Alexander the Great—of Pope Alexander VI.—The Commission of Murder given by Charles le Mauvais—Royal Poisoners—Charles IX.—King John—A Female Poisoner boiled alive, | 5-9 |
7. | The Seventeenth Century Italian Schools of Criminal Poisoning—The Council of Ten—John of Ragubo—The Professional Poisoner—J. B. Porta’s Treatise on Natural Magic—Toffana and the “Acquetta di Napoli”—Organic Arsenical Compounds—St. Croix and Madame de Brinvilliers—Extraordinary Precautions for the Preservation from Poison of the Infant Son of Henry VIII., | 9-13 |
| II. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN METHODS OF CHEMICALLY DETECTING POISONS. | |
8. | Phases through which the Art of Detecting Poisons has passed, | 13 |
9. | Treatise of Barthélémy d’Anglais—Hon. Robert Boyle—Nicolas l’Emery’s Cours de Chimie—Mead’s Mechanical Theory of Poisons—Rise of Modern Chemistry—Scheele’s Discoveries, | 13, 14 |
10. | History of Marsh’s Test, | 14, 15 |
11. | Orfila and his Traité de Toxicologie—Orfila’s Method of Experiment, | 15 |
12. | The Discovery of the Alkaloids—Separation of Narcotine, Morphine, Strychnine, Delphinine, Coniine, Codeine, Atropine, Aconitine, and Hyoscyamine, | 15, 16 |
13. | Bibliography of the Chief Works on Toxicology of the Nineteenth Century, | 16-19 |
|
| PART II. | |
| I. DEFINITION OF POISON. | |
14. | The Legal Definition of Poison—English Law as to Poison, | 20, 21 |
15. | German Law as to Poisoning—French Law as to Poisoning, | 21, 22 |
16. | Scientific Definition of a Poison—The Author’s Definition, | 22, 23 |
| II. CLASSIFICATION OF POISONS. | |
17. | Foderé’s, Orfila’s, Casper’s, Taylor’s, and Guy’s Definition of Poisons—Poisons arranged according to their Prominent Effects, | 23, 24 |
18. | Kobert’s Classification, | 24, 25 |
19. | The Author’s Arrangement, | 25-28 |
| III. STATISTICS. | |
20. | Statistics of Poisoning in England and Wales during the Ten Years 1883–92—Various Tables, | 28-31 |
21. | German Statistics of Poisoning, | 31-33 |
22. | Criminal Poisoning in France, | 33, 34 |
| IV. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TOXIC ACTION AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. | |
23. | The Influence of Hydroxyl—The Replacement of Hydrogen by a Halogen—Bamberger’s Acylic and Aromatic Bases, | 35, 36 |
24. | The Replacement of Hydrogen by Alkyls in Aromatic Bodies, | 36-38 |
25. | The Influence of Carbonyl Groups, | 39 |
26. | Oscar Loew’s Theory as to the Action of Poisons, | 39-41 |
27. | Michet’s Experiments on the relative Toxicity of Metals, | 41, 42 |
| V. LIFE TESTS: OR THE IDENTIFICATION OF POISON BY EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS. | |
28. | The Action of Poisons on Infusoria, Cephalopoda, Insects, | 42-44 |
29. | Effect of Poisons on the Heart of Cold-blooded Animals, | 44, 45 |
30. | The Effect of Poisons on the Iris, | 45, 46 |
| VI. GENERAL METHOD OF PROCEDURE IN SEARCHING FOR POISON. | |
31. | Concentration in a Vacuum—Drying the Substance—Solvents—Destruction of Organic Matter, | 46-50 |
32. | Autenrieth’s General Process—Distillation—Shaking up with Solvents—Isolation of Metals—Investigation of Sulphides Soluble in Ammonium Sulphide—of Sulphides Insoluble in Ammonium Sulphide—Search for Zinc and Chromium—Search for Lead, Silver, and Barium, | 50-53 |
| VII. THE SPECTROSCOPE AS AN AID TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF CERTAIN POISONS. | |
33. | The Micro-Spectroscope—Oscar Brasch’s Researches of the Spectra of Colour Reactions—Wave Lengths, | 54-56 |
| Examination of Blood or of Blood-Stains. | |
34. | Naked-eye Appearance of Blood-Stains—Dragendorff’s Process for Dissolving Blood, | 56, 57 |
35. | Spectroscopic Appearances of Blood—Spectrum of Hydric Sulphide Blood—of Carbon Oxide Hæmoglobin—Methæmoglobin—of Acid Hæmatin—Tests for CO Blood—Piotrowski’s Experiments on CO Blood—Preparation of Hæmatin Crystals—The Guaiacum Test for Blood, | 57-62 |
36. | Distinction between the Blood of Animals and Men—The Alkalies in various Species of Blood, | 62, 63 |
|
| PART III.—POISONOUS GASES: CARBON MONOXIDE—CHLORINE—HYDRIC SULPHIDE. | |
| I. CARBON MONOXIDE. | |
37. | Properties of Carbon Monoxide, | 64 |
38. | Symptoms—Acute Form—Chronic Form, | 64-66 |
39. | Poisonous Action on the Blood—Action on the Nervous System, | 66, 67 |
40. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 67 |
41. | Mass Poisonings by Carbon Monoxide—The Leeds Case—The Darlaston Cases, | 67-70 |
42. | Detection of Carbon Monoxide—The Cuprous Chloride Method—Wanklyn’s Method—Hempel’s Method, | 70, 71 |
| II. CHLORINE. | |
43. | Chlorine; its Properties—The Weldon Process of manufacturing “Bleaching Powder,” | 71, 72 |
44. | Effects of Chlorine, | 72 |
45. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 72 |
46. | Detection of Free Chlorine, | 72 |
| III. HYDRIC SULPHIDE (SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN). | |
47. | Properties of Hydric Sulphide, | 72, 73 |
48. | Effects of breathing Hydric Sulphide—Action on the Blood—The Cleator Moor Case, | 73, 74 |
49. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 74 |
50. | Detection, | 74 |
|
| PART IV.—ACIDS AND ALKALIES. | |
| Sulphuric Acid—Hydrochloric Acid—Nitric Acid—Acetic Acid—Ammonia—Potash—Soda—Neutral Sodium, Potassium, and Ammonium Salts. | |
| I. SULPHURIC ACID. | |
51. | Varieties and Strength of the Sulphuric Acids of Commerce—Properties of the Acid—Nordhausen Sulphuric Acid, | 75, 76 |
52. | Properties of Sulphuric Anhydride, | 76 |
53. | Occurrence of Free Sulphuric Acid in Nature, | 76 |
54. | Statistics—Comparative Statistics of different Countries, | 76, 77 |
55. | Accidental, Suicidal, and Criminal Poisoning—Sulphuric Acid in Clysters and Injections, | 77, 78 |
56. | Fatal Dose, | 78, 79 |
57. | Local Action of Sulphuric Acid—Effects on Mucous Membrane, on the Skin, on Blood, | 79, 80 |
58. | Action of Sulphuric Acid on Earth, Grass, Wood, Paper, Carpet, Clothing, Iron—Caution necessary in judging of Spots—Illustrative Case, | 80, 81 |
59. | Symptoms—(1) External Effects—(2) Internal Effects in the Gullet and Stomach—Intercostal Neuralgia, | 81-83 |
60. | Treatment of Acute Poisoning by the Mineral Acids, | 83 |
61. | Post-mortem Appearances—Rapid and Slow Poisoning—Illustrative Cases, | 83-85 |
62. | Pathological Preparations in the different London Hospital Museums, | 85, 86 |
63. | Chronic Poisoning, | 86 |
| Detection and Estimation of Free Sulphuric Acid. | |
64. | General Method of Separating the Free Mineral Acids—The Quinine Process—The Old Process of Extraction by Alcohol—Hilger’s Test for Mineral Acid, | 87, 88 |
65. | The Urine—Excretion of Sulphates in Health and Disease—The Characters of the Urine after taking Sulphuric Acid, | 88-90 |
66. | The Blood in Sulphuric Acid Poisoning, | 90 |
67. | The Question of the Introduction of Sulphates by the Food—Largest possible Amount of Sulphates introduced by this Means—Sulphur of the Bile—Medicinal Sulphates, | 90, 91 |
| II. HYDROCHLORIC ACID. | |
68. | General Properties of Hydrochloric Acid—Discovery—Uses—Tests, | 91, 92 |
69. | Statistics, | 92, 93 |
70. | Fatal Dose, | 93 |
71. | Amount of Free Acid in the Gastric Juice, | 93, 94 |
72. | Influence of Hydrochloric Acid on Vegetation—Present Law on the Subject of Acid Emanations from Works—The Resistant Powers of various Plants, | 94 |
73. | Action on Cloth and Manufactured Articles, | 95 |
74. | Poisonous Effects of Hydrochloric Acid Gas—Eulenberg’s Experiments on Rabbits and Pigeons, | 95, 96 |
75. | Effects of the Liquid Acid—Absence of Corrosion of the Skin—Pathological Appearances—Illustrative Cases, | 96, 97 |
76. | Post-mortem Appearances—Preparations in the different London Museums, | 97, 98 |
77. | (1) Detection of Free Hydrochloric Acid—Günzburg’s Test—A. Villiers’s and M. Favolle’s Test—(2) Quantitative Estimation, Sjokvist’s Method—Braun’s Method, | 98-101 |
78. | Method of Investigating Hydrochloric Acid Stains on Cloth, &c., | 101, 102 |
| III. NITRIC ACID. | |
79. | Properties of Nitric Acid, | 102, 103 |
80. | Use in the Arts, | 103 |
81. | Statistics, | 103 |
82. | Fatal Dose, | 104 |
83. | Action on Vegetation, | 104 |
84. | Effects of Nitric Acid Vapour—Experiments of Eulenberg and O. Lassar—Fatal Effect on Man, | 104, 105 |
85. | Effects of Liquid Nitric Acid—Suicidal, Homicidal, and Accidental Deaths from the Acid, | 105, 106 |
86. | Local Action, | 106 |
87. | Symptoms—The Constant Development of Gas—Illustrative Cases, | 106, 107 |
88. | Post-mortem Appearances—Preparations in various Anatomical Museums, | 107-109 |
89. | Detection and Estimation of Nitric Acid, | 109, 110 |
| IV. ACETIC ACID. | |
90. | Symptoms and Detection, | 110 |
| V. AMMONIA. | |
91. | Properties of Ammonia, | 111 |
92. | Uses—Officinal and other Preparations, | 111, 112 |
93. | Statistics of Poisoning by Ammonia, | 112 |
94. | Poisoning by Ammonia Vapour, | 112 |
95. | Symptoms—Illustrative Case, | 112, 113 |
96. | Chronic Effects of the Gas, | 113 |
97. | Ammonia in Solution—Action on Plants, | 113 |
98. | Action on Human Beings and Animal Life—Local Action on Skin—Action on the Blood—Time of Death, | 113-115 |
99. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 115 |
100. | Separation of Ammonia—Tests, | 115, 116 |
101. | Estimation of Ammonia, | 116 |
| VI. CAUSTIC POTASH AND SODA. | |
102. | Properties of Potassium Hydrate, | 116, 117 |
103. | Pharmaceutical Preparations, | 117 |
104. | Carbonate of Potash, | 117 |
105. | Bicarbonate of Potash, | 117 |
106. | Caustic Soda—Sodium Hydrate, | 117, 118 |
107. | Carbonate of Soda, | 118 |
108. | Bicarbonate of Soda, | 118 |
109. | Statistics, | 118 |
110. | Effects on Animal and Vegetable Life, | 118, 119 |
111. | Local Effects, | 119 |
112. | Symptoms, | 119 |
113. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 119-121 |
114. | Chemical Analysis, | 121 |
115. | Estimation of the Fixed Alkalies, | 121, 122 |
| VII. NEUTRAL SODIUM, POTASSIUM, AND AMMONIUM SALTS. | |
116. | Relative Toxicity of Sodium, Potassium, and Ammonium Salts, | 122 |
117. | Sodium Salts, | 122 |
118. | Potassium Salts—Potassic Sulphate—Hydropotassic Tartrate—Statistics, | 122 |
119. | Action on the Frog’s Heart, | 122 |
120. | Action on Warm-Blooded Animals, | 122, 123 |
121. | Elimination, | 123 |
122. | Nitrate of Potash, | 123 |
123. | Statistics, | 123 |
124. | Uses in the Arts, | 123 |
125. | Action of Nitrates of Sodium and Potassium—Sodic Nitrite, | 123, 124 |
126. | Post-mortem Appearances from Poisoning by Potassic Nitrate, | 124 |
127. | Potassic Chlorate, | 124 |
128. | Uses, | 124 |
129. | Poisonous Properties, | 124 |
130. | Experiments on Animals, | 124, 125 |
131. | Effects on Man—Illustrative Cases of the Poisoning of Children by Potassic Chlorate, | 125 |
132. | Effects on Adults—Least Fatal Dose, | 126 |
133. | Elimination, | 126 |
134. | Essential Action of Potassic Chlorate on the Blood and Tissues, | 126 |
135. | Detection and Estimation of Potassic Chlorate, | 126, 127 |
| Toxicological Detection of Alkali Salts. | |
136. | Natural occurrence of Potassium and Sodium Salts in the Blood and Tissues—Tests for Potassic and Sodic Salts—Tests for Potassic Nitrate—Tests for Chlorates—Ammonium Salts, | 127, 128 |
|
| PART V.—MORE OR LESS VOLATILE POISONOUS SUBSTANCES CAPABLE OF BEING SEPARATED BY DISTILLATION FROM NEUTRAL OR ACID LIQUIDS. | |
| Hydrocarbons—Camphor—Alcohol—Amyl Nitrite—Ether—Chloroform and other Anæsthetics—Chloral—Carbon Bisulphide—Carbolic Acid—Nitro-Benzene—Prussic Acid—Phosphorus. | |
| I. HYDROCARBONS. | |
| 1. Petroleum. | |
137. | Petroleum, | 129 |
138. | Cymogene, | 129 |
139. | Rhigolene, | 129 |
140. | Gasolene, | 129 |
141. | Benzoline—Distinction between Petroleum-Naphtha, Shale-Naphtha, and Coal-Tar Naphtha, | 129, 130 |
142. | Paraffin Oil, | 130 |
143. | Effects of Petroleum—Experiments on Rabbits, &c., | 130, 131 |
144. | Poisoning by Petroleum—Illustrative Cases, | 131 |
145. | Separation and Tests for Petroleum, | 131 |
| 2. Coal-Tar Naphtha—Benzene. | |
146. | Composition of Commercial Coal-Tar Naphtha, | 131 |
147. | Symptoms observed after Swallowing Coal-Tar Naphtha, | 132 |
148. | Effects of the Vapour of Benzene, | 132 |
| Detection and Separation of Benzene. | |
149. | Separation of Benzene—(1) Purification; (2) Conversion into Nitro-Benzene; (3) Conversion into Aniline, | 132, 133 |
3. | Terpenes—Essential Oils—Oil of Turpentine. |
150. | Properties of the Terpenes, Cedrenes, and Colophenes, | 133 |
| 4. Oil of Turpentine—Spirits of Turpentine. | |
151. | Terebenthene—Distinction between French and English Turpentine, | 133, 134 |
152. | Effects of the Administration of Turpentine, | 134 |
| II. CAMPHOR. | |
153. | Properties of Camphor, | 135 |
154. | Pharmaceutical Preparations, | 135 |
155. | Symptoms of Poisoning by Camphor, | 135 |
156. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 136 |
157. | Separation from the Contents of the Stomach, | 136 |
| III. ALCOHOLS. | |
| 1. Ethylic Alcohol. | |
158. | Chemical Properties of Alcohol—Statistics of Poisoning by Alcohol, | 136 |
159. | Criminal or Accidental Alcoholic Poisoning, | 137 |
160. | Fatal Dose, | 137 |
161. | Symptoms of Acute Poisoning by Alcohol, | 137, 138 |
162. | Post-mortem Appearances, | 138, 139 |
163. | Excretion of Alcohol, | 139, 140 |