Untitled

Otago Daily Times, Issue 182, 16 June 1862, Page 5

A New Domestic Poison. Benzole is an organic product of distillation, which ranks high amongst the recent useful gifts of chemistry to our national industry. It has lately come into extensive use for a variety of purposes, and has not hitherto been considered poisonous. A recent death_has given occasion to investigations which prove that it is highly poisonous. At the inquest on George Gilbert, who died on the 3rd inst., it appeared that the deceased, after sucking at a.syphon which did not draw, inhaling the vapour of the benzole, and probably swallowing a portion of it, became sick and drowsy, his pulse feeble, and countenance livid. Dr. H. Barker was to him, and he was treated with stimulants, but died in a few hours. The symptoms were those arising from the inhalation or swallowing a noxious fluid. There was no trace of irritant substance in the stomach, nor had it any smell of bitter almonds. , The brain, lungs, and liver were congested, and there were some patches of congestion on the coat of the stomach. The head had a slight-smell of bitter almonds. The coroner very properly ordered an adjournment, so that the real character of an article in such general use might be ascertained. This purified benzole, nitrobenzole, or myrbane, was found to contain a large Sroportion of prussic acid, and hence to be a very angerous poison. This cannot be too widely known, since the substance is largely used as a flavoring agent.— Lancet. Payixg rou tiie Whistle.—On Saturday last a high oflicial of Smythesdale was on a shooting excursion at Burrumbeet, where, however, the sport did not meet his expectation. Tteturning with an empty bag, he descried some fine fat ducks disporting them-? selves in a lagoon, and thinking to make up for lost time, he blazed away among them, and with considerable success. But his amusement received a sudden and unpleasant check. An irate farmer, owner of the ducks under consideration, came down upon our sportsman and demanded instant reparation • for the damage he had done. We understand the difficulty was arrnnged on the basis of fifteen shillings a pair, ortherp probably would have been an application in lanco for a rule nisi calling upon the official in question to show cause why an information, in the form of a quo warranto, ahould^not beJJled_anainstL