ON POISONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1825, 11 August 1913, Page 10

ON POISONS.

AN INTERESTING LECTURE. An interesting lc-cture on tho subject of "Poisons" was delivered on Saturday night to an audieneo comprised mostly of ladies, by Professor Easteriield, of Victoria College. The Iccturo was delivered ir. tho Y.M.C.A. gymnasium, and tho proceeds weie devoted to the Y.W.C.A. Professor Easterlield said that poisonous substances had played a great part in history. A number of Asiatic customs had arisen from the fact that the poison lore of the Chinese and Hindus was considerable. Uno of these was tho burning of widows in India, which tho lecturer described as a masterpiece on the part of tho man who devised it. A man's wifo was not likely to administer a fatal substance to her husband when she knew that she would certainly be placed alive I upon his funeral pyre. The knowledge of poisons was very common ! mongst the ancient Egyptians, just os their practico i of embalming tho dead led to a considerable knowledge of anatomy. A book, dealing with poisons, had been published a couplo of centuries before tho Christian era, and although it contained much that was merely legendary, tliero was a good deal in it which could still bo recognised as sound. Poisoning, however, did not become a fine art until tho 13th'or Hth century, when kings wero put to death in a really artistic fashion. In Great Ilrtain, poisoning had always been regarded with great horror, and had been visited with condign punishment. Tho dagger was a more British weapon than tho poison cup. It was only recently that scientists liad had really precise knowledge of poisons, the science of chemistry being only about 150 years old; The ancients could not ascertain by means of post-mortem examinations whether or not poisonous substances woro present; in the body. The science was so exact nowadays that an analyst could detect tho presence of poison, even if it constituted only one part in a million of the substance examined—a very much smaller doso than would be necessary to cause death. Poisoning was therefore a very urLsafo practico for a person to indulge in in country where thero were analytical chemists. Tho lecturer illustrated his remarks by reference to several well-known <sases — such as that of Mrs. Maybrick—and bv a weries of interesting experiments. These were carried out on a bottle of ten. to which had previously been added several poisons, such as phosphorus, 6tryclinino, prussic acid, carlxilic acid, etc.' The lecturer carried out the tests which detected minute quantities of tlicso poisons in the tea. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Professor Easterfield at tho conclusion of his lecture.