Tobacco is an equally deadly poison when swallowed in large quantity. M. Caillard has related the particulars of the case of a lunatic, who, having swallowed half an ounce of snuff during a lucid interval, was seized with vomiting, and afterwards with oppression, incoherence, cold sweats, a slow full pulse, and dilated pupils; but he slowly recovered.[[2211]] The French poet Santeuil was killed in this way by a practical joker at the Prince of Condé’s table. When the bottle had circulated rather freely, a boxful of Spanish snuff was emptied into a large glass of wine, and thus administered to the unlucky victim, who was in consequence “attacked with vomiting and fever, and expired in two days amidst the tortures of the damned.”[[2212]] The following important case has been communicated to me by Dr. Ogston of Aberdeen, who was employed in the judicial investigations connected with it. An elderly man, a pensioner, was seen to enter a brothel, while in perfect health; and in an hour he was carried out insensible and put down in a passage, where he was found by the police unable to speak or move. While carrying him to the watch-house hard by, the officers observed him attempt to vomit; but he was scarcely laid down before the fire, when he expired. It was ascertained, that he had drunk both rum and whisky in the brothel, and that something had been given him “to stupefy him or set him asleep.” On dissection the blood was found every where very fluid, and four ounces of serosity were collected from the lateral ventricles and base of the skull. But there was no other unusual appearance, except that the stomach contained about four ounces of a thick brownish pulp, in which were seen several pellets of a powder resembling snuff. In these contents Dr. Ogston could not detect any opium; but he detected tobacco by the process mentioned above. No doubt could exist that the man died of poisoning with tobacco; but as no evidence could be obtained to inculpate any one in particular of many individuals who were in the brothel with him, the case was not made the subject of trial.
Evidence is not wanting, therefore, to prove that this plant is a very active poison; yet every one knows that under the influence of habit it is used in immense quantities over the whole world as an article of luxury, without any bad effect having ever been clearly traced to it. Its poisonous qualities were known in Europe as soon as it was brought from America; and the belief that such properties could not fail to be attended, as in the case of spirits and opium, with evil consequences from its habitual use, led to much opposition on the part of various governments to its introduction. Soon after it was brought to England by Sir W. Raleigh, King James wrote a philippic against it, entitled “The Counter-blaste to Tobacco.” Some countries even prohibited it by severe edicts. Amurath the 4th in particular made the smoking of tobacco capital; several of the Popes excommunicated those who smoked in the church of St. Peter’s; in Russia it was punished with amputation of the nose; and in the Canton of Bern it ranked in the tables next to adultery, and even so lately as the middle of last century a particular court was held there for trying delinquents.[[2213]] Like every other persecuted novelty, however, smoking and snuff-taking passed from place to place with rapidity; and now there appear to be only two luxuries which yield to it in prevalence, spirituous liquors and tea.
The only accounts I have seen of the morbid appearances after poisoning with tobacco are contained in the cases of Dr. Grahl and Dr. Ogston. In the former there was great lividity of the back, paleness of the lips, flexibility of the joints (two days after death), diffuse redness of the omentum without gorging of vessels, similar redness with gorging of vessels both on the outer and inner coats of the intestines, in some parts of the mucous coat patches of extravasation, unusual emptiness of the vessels of the abdomen; while the stomach was natural, the lungs pale, the heart empty in all its cavities, and the brain natural. The appearances in Dr. Ogston’s case have been already stated.
Writers on the diseases of artisans have made many vague statements on the supposed baneful effects of the manufacture of snuff on the workmen.[[2214]] It is said they are liable to bronchitis, dysentery, ophthalmia, carbuncles and furuncles. At a meeting of the Royal Medical Society of Paris, however, before which a memoir to this purport was read, the facts were contradicted by reference to the state of the workmen at the Royal Snuff Manufactory of Gros-Caillou, where 1000 people are constantly employed without detriment to their health.[[2215]] This subject was afterwards investigated with care by MM. Parent-Duchatelet and D’Arcet, who inquired minutely into the state of the workmen employed at all the great tobacco-manufactories of France, comprising a population of above 4000 persons; and the results at which they arrived are,—that the workmen very easily become habituated to the atmosphere of the manufactory,—that they are not particularly subject either to special diseases, or to disease generally,—and that they live on an average quite as long as other tradesmen.[[2216]] These facts are derived from accurate statistical returns, showing the number of days each person was annually off work from sickness, the ages at which superannuated allowances were granted, the period of death, and the prevalent diseases.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
OF POISONS OF THE UMBELLIFEROUS ORDER OF PLANTS.
The Natural Order Umbelliferæ contains a variety of plants, to which narcotico-acrid properties have been at different times ascribed. But these properties have been satisfactorily traced in the instance of four species only, the Conium maculatum, Œnanthe crocata, Cicuta virosa, and Æthusa cynapium. It is supposed that others may be poisonous. But the facts on the subject are equivocal; for the several species of the family are very apt to be confounded with one another, and there is reason to think that other species have repeatedly been mistaken for one of the four already mentioned.
The symptoms caused by the umbelliferous narcotics comprehend chiefly coma, convulsions, paralysis, and delirium. But the knowledge possessed on this head is rather vague, and the phenomena are not unfrequently complex and difficult to observe with accuracy; so that their nature has been sometimes misunderstood. The irritant properties of the poisons of this tribe of narcotico-acrids are seldom well defined.
Of Poisoning with Hemlock.
The first to be mentioned is the common hemlock, or Conium maculatum, one of the most abundantly diffused of umbelliferous vegetables. It is distinguished from all those which it resembles by its tall, smooth, spotted stem,—its smooth leaves,—the rugged edge of the five ribs of its fruit,—its singular mousy odour,—and the very peculiar odour of conia, emitted when the pulp or juice of the leaves is mixed with caustic potash. The only other umbelliferous native which has a spotted stem, the Myrrhis temulenta, is easily distinguished from hemlock by the whole plant being very hairy.
Cases of poisoning with hemlock are not infrequent on the continent, the root having been mistaken for fennel, asparagus, parsley, but particularly parsnep.[[2217]] It is generally believed to have furnished the poison which was used in ancient times, and especially among the Greeks, for despatching criminals; but we have not any precise information on the subject.