Читать книгу Treatise on Poisons - Robert Sir Christison - Страница 43

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The last poison of this order is oxalic acid. It is a substance of very great interest; for it is a poison of great energy, and in this country is in common use for committing suicide, and has been often taken by accident for Epsom salt.

It is certainly ill adapted for the purposes of the murderer; for although it might be easily given to a sick person instead of a laxative salt, yet its real nature would betray itself too soon and too unequivocally for the chief object of the prisoner,—secrecy. Nevertheless, attempts of the kind have been made. At the trial of James Brown for assaulting his wife, held at the Middlesex Autumn Assizes 1827, it was brought out in evidence that he had previously tried to poison her by giving her oxalic acid in gin;^[386] and Mr. Alfred Taylor says he is acquainted with two similar cases, where an attempt was made to administer it in tea.^[387]

It was first made known as a poison by Mr. Royston in 1814.^[388] Its properties have been examined by Dr. A. T. Thomson of London,^[389] and Dr. Perey of Lausanne;^[390] in 1823, the whole subject of poisoning with oxalic acid in its medico-legal relations was examined by Dr. Coindet of Geneva and myself;^[391] and in 1828, another experimental inquiry, which confirms most of the results we obtained, was published by Dr. Pommer of Heilbronn.^[392]