Poison Peril.

Manawatu Herald, 4 August 1900, Page 3

Poison Peril.

GREAT CHEMICAL FIRM'S DANGEROUS MISTAKE. One of the great chemical firms hag made a mistake that may imperal the health and even cause the death of many people. All over the country, for a period of six months, a harmless purgative has been sold broadcast by chemists, who have all the time been unaware that there lurked in this otherwise innocent medicine the deadly drug of arsenic. I The danger was not discovered until the second week of this month, and from November of last year this dangerous drug has been taken by hundreds, and probably by thousands. No one can tell how widespread has been the consequence of the error. The manufacturers admit their mistake, and they have issued circulars to almost all chemists, calling their attention to the fact " that the phosphate of soda lately supplied by them contains a dangerous percentage of an arsenical preparation." " This applies," the circular continues, "to all phosphate of soda supplied from Nov. 15, 1899, until the end of April, 1900." Chemists are asked to return any of the preparation that they may have, and, if they have sold or otherwise disposed of any of it, they are directed to trace and return it with the utmost despatch. Granulated phosphate of soda is a mild effervescent purgative that in many parts of the country is extensively used. It is also employed by chemists as the foundation for the concoction of their own form of purgative salts. A well-known chemist, who was interviewed by a " People " reporter yesterday, stated that the grave peril of this preparation was to infants. "Many mothers," he went on, "give it to iheir babies to prevent constipation. This would, no doubt, produce an effect that would often be fatal to life, aad yet imperceptible to medical diagnosis. The doctor, in all pro-

bability, would return the cause of death as inflammation of the bowels, and there would be nothing to show anything to the contrary. The " People " feels it to be a duty to the public to warn them against the poison peril that lurks in what is otherwise $m innocent medicinal preparation. — The " People " of 17th June last.