III.—Statistics.
§ 20. The number of deaths from poison (whether accidental, suicidal, or homicidal), as compared with other forms of violent, as well as natural deaths, possesses no small interest; and this is more especially true when the statistics are studied in a comparative manner, and town be compared with town, country with country.
The greater the development of commercial industries (especially those necessitating the use or manufacture of powerful chemical agencies), the more likely are accidents from poisons to occur. It may also be stated, further, that the higher the mental development of a nation, the more likely are its homicides to be caused by subtle poison—its suicides by the euthanasia of chloral, morphine, or hemlock.
Other influences causing local diversity in the kind and frequency of poisoning, are those of race, of religion, of age and sex, and the mental stress concomitant with sudden political and social changes.
In the ten years from 1883-1892, there appear to have died from poison, in England and Wales, 6616 persons, as shown in the following tables:—
DEATHS FROM POISON IN ENGLAND AND WALES DURING THE TEN YEARS 1883-92.
| | Accident or
Negligence. | Suicide. | Murder. | Total. |
|---|
| | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. |
| Metals. | | | | | | | | |
| Arsenic, | 37 | 14 | 37 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 75 | 35 |
| Antimony, | 3 | ... | 1 | 2 | ... | ... | 4 | 2 |
| Copper, | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | 6 | 2 |
| Lead, | 831 | 209 | 1 | 2 | ... | ... | 832 | 211 |
| Silver Nitrate, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Zinc Chloride (or Sulphate), | 7 | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | 11 | ... |
| Mercury, | 22 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 20 |
| Chromic Acid, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Iron Perchloride, | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Alkaline Earths. | | | | | | | | |
| Lime, | 2 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 2 | 1 |
| Barium Chloride, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| The Alkalies and their Salts. | | | | | | | | |
| Ammonia, | 39 | 25 | 18 | 16 | ... | ... | 57 | 41 |
| Caustic Soda, | 3 | 4 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 3 | 5 |
| Cau„tic Potash, | 8 | 10 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 9 | 10 |
| Potassic Chlorate, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Pot„ssic Bichromate, | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | ... | ... | 9 | 5 |
| Pot„ssic Bromide, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Pot„ssic Binoxalate (Sorrel), | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ... | ... | 2 | 7 |
| Acids. | | | | | | | | |
| Sulphuric Acid, | 30 | 9 | 29 | 24 | 1 | ... | 60 | 33 |
| Nitric „ | 18 | 7 | 18 | 9 | ... | ... | 36 | 16 |
| Hydrochloric„ | 48 | 18 | 83 | 55 | ... | ... | 131 | 73 |
| Oxalic„ | 17 | 6 | 114 | 86 | ... | ... | 131 | 92 |
| Tartaric „ | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Acetic„ | 4 | 3 | ... | 2 | ... | ... | 4 | 5 |
| Carbolic „ | 169 | 101 | 219 | 271 | ... | 1 | 388 | 373 |
| Hydrofluoric„ | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Phosphorus (including Lucifer matches), | 24 | 47 | 28 | 56 | ... | ... | 52 | 103 |
| Iodine, | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | 7 | 8 |
| Volatile Liquids. | | | | | | | | |
| Paraffin (Petroleum), | 9 | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 10 | 2 |
| Benzoline, | 3 | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 3 | 3 |
| Naphtha, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Carbon Bisulphide, | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Turpentine, | 5 | 1 | ... | 3 | ... | ... | 5 | 4 |
| Methylated Spirit, | ... | 2 | 1 | 2 | ... | ... | 1 | 4 |
| Alcohol, | 81 | 24 | 1 | 2 | ... | ... | 82 | 26 |
| Chloroform, | 57 | 41 | 9 | 5 | 1 | ... | 67 | 46 |
| Ether, | 5 | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 5 | 2 |
| Spt. Etheris Nitrosi, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Anæsthetic (kind not stated), | 4 | 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 4 | 3 |
| Oil of Juniper, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Opiates and Narcotics. | | | | | | | | |
| Opium, Laudanum—Morphia, | 503 | 373 | 330 | 167 | 4 | 2 | 837 | 542 |
| Soothing Syrup, Paregoric, &c. | 18 | 22 | 2 | 3 | ... | ... | 20 | 25 |
| Chlorodyne, | 56 | 30 | 8 | 8 | ... | ... | 64 | 38 |
| Chloral, | 89 | 22 | 14 | 1 | 1 | ... | 104 | 23 |
| Cyanides. | | | | | | | | |
| Prussic Acid, and Oil of Almonds, | 17 | 11 | 203 | 19 | 2 | 8 | 222 | 38 |
| Potassium Cyanide, | 19 | 21 | 100 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 122 | 44 |
| Alkaloids. | | | | | | | | |
| Strychnine and Nux Vomica, | 22 | 21 | 65 | 85 | 4 | 4 | 91 | 110 |
| Vermin-Killer, | 2 | 6 | 49 | 69 | 1 | ... | 52 | 75 |
| Atropine, | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 3 | ... |
| Belladonna, | 36 | 20 | 11 | 9 | ... | ... | 47 | 29 |
| Aconite, | 19 | 21 | 9 | 10 | ... | ... | 28 | 31 |
| Ipecacuanha, | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 |
| Cocaine, | 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 3 | ... |
| Miscellaneous. | | | | | | | | |
| Antipyrine, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Cantharides, | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | 1 |
| Camphorated Oil, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Croton Oil, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Cayenne Pepper, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Syrup of Rhubarb, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Colchicum, | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... |
| Hemlock, | 3 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 3 | 1 |
| Water Hemlock, | 5 | 6 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 5 | 6 |
| Colocynth, | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
| Castor Oil Seeds, | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 |
| Laburnum Seeds, | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 | 1 |
| Thorn Apple, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Yew Leaves or Berries, | 3 | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 3 | 2 |
| Crow-foot, | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Whin-flower, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Pennyroyal, | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Meadow Crow-foot, | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Arum Seeds, | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Bitter Aloes, | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
| Cocculus Indicus, | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Horse Chestnut, | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Creosote, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Spirits of Tar (Oil of Tar), | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 | 1 |
| Nitro-Glycerine, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Camphor, | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Tobacco, | 4 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 5 | ... |
| Lobelia, | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Fungi, | 13 | 10 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 13 | 10 |
| Poisonous Weeds, | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... |
| Hellebores, | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | 1 |
| Kind not stated, | 216 | 158 | 256 | 167 | 3 | 1 | 475 | 326 |
| | 2498 | 1292 | 1644 | 1140 | 23 | 19 | 4165 | 2551 |
| | 3790 | 2784 | 42 | 6616 |
Although so large a number of substances destroy life by accident or design, yet there are in the list only about 21 which kill about 2 persons or above each year: the 21 substances arranged in the order of their fatality are as follows:—