Treatise on Poisons by Sir Robert Christison

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Treatise on Poisons This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Treatise on Poisons Author: Sir Robert Christison Release date: May 14, 2021 [eBook #65341] Most recently updated: October 18, 2024 Language: English Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65341 Credits: Richard Tonsing, MWS, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TREATISE ON POISONS *** A TREATISE ON POISONS IN RELATION TO MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE, PHYSIOLOGY, AND THE PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. BY ROBERT CHRISTISON, M.D., F.R.S.E., Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Edinburgh, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, &c., Member of the American Philosophical Society,—of the Royal Acad. of Med. of Paris,—of the Imp. Soc. of Physicians of Vienna,—of the Imp. Med. Chir. Acad. of St. Petersburg,—of the Med. Chir. Soc. of Berlin,—of the Med. Chir. Assoc, of Hamburg,—of the Soc. of Nat. and Phys. of Heidelberg,—of the Philadelphia Coll. of Pharm. FIRST AMERICAN, FROM THE FOURTH EDINBURGH EDITION. PHILADELPHIA: ED. BARRINGTON & GEO. D. HASWELL. 1845. PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION. [Illustration] The author regrets that circumstances beyond his control have delayed the re-appearance of the present work beyond the period at which it was called for by the favourable reception of the last edition. He has endeavoured to take advantage of the numerous investigations which have been carried on during the interval into the several departments of Toxicology in the leading countries of Europe; and has in consequence been led to enlarge the work materially. He trusts it may be allowed him to express his satisfaction at finding, that the rapid progress made by Toxicological science during the last eight years, while it has been productive of many important additions to our knowledge, has nevertheless not rendered any important alterations necessary either in the general principles formerly laid down in this work, or in what had been there stated as well ascertained general facts. EDINBURGH COLLEGE, _November, 1844_. CONTENTS. PART FIRST.—OF GENERAL POISONING. PAGE CHAP. I. Of the Physiological Action of Poisons 9 SECTION 1. Of their Mode of Action 9 Of the Discovery of Poisons in the Blood 21 SECTION 2. Of the Causes which modify their Action 27 Application of the preceding observations to the Treatment of Poisoning 36 CHAP. II. Of the Evidence of General Poisoning 39 SECTION 1. Of the Evidence from Symptoms 42 Characters of the Symptoms of Poisoning 42 Characters of the Symptoms of Natural Disease 46 SECTION 2. Of the Evidence from Morbid Appearances 51 SECTION 3. Of the Evidence from Chemical Analysis 54 Causes which remove Poisons beyond the reach of analysis 55 Chemical Evidence not always indispensable to the proof of Poisoning 59 SECTION 4. Evidence from Experiments on Animals 62 With suspected articles of food or drink 63 With vomited matter or contents of the stomach 67 With the flesh of poisoned animals 69 SECTION 5. Moral Evidence 71 Suspicious conduct of prisoner, 73 and 78.—Proof of administration of poison, 73.—Proof of intent, 78.—Proof from simultaneous illness of several people, 80.—Proof from death-bed declaration 83 CHAP. III. Of Imaginary, Pretended, and Imputed Poisoning 85