LABORATORY,
GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL,
HONGKONG, 15th February, 1883.
SIR,-I have the honour to submit the following report of the work done in the Laboratory during 1882
2 Seventy-one Analyses were made Of these, four were researches for poison in cases of suspected poisoning, two were researches for poison in cases of suspected drugging, and one was a research for poison in a case of malicious poisoning of fish The remainder were quantitative and qualitative analyses of water, milk, bread, wine, porter, lime-juice, milk, sugar and opium.
3 Water received most attention. A number of well-waters in the city were examined at the instance of Mr CHADWICK, and a report on the same furnished to him Well-waters from Stanley, Aberdeen and Kau-lung have also been examined and reported upon The accompanying table gives the result of the monthly analyses of the Pok-fu-lum water. The samples were drawn from a tap in direct connection with a main in which the supply of water is continuous. In the same way as last year the organic impurity increases in the hot rainy season and decreases again in the cold and dry season The increase of organic impurity is contemporaneous with an increase of turbidity, and is mainly if not altogether due to matter in suspension. This is in a great measure proved by comparing the June analysis with an analysis made, in the same month, on a highly filtered sample, the result of which is given at the bottom of the table These two analyses clearly demonstrate how much the water would be improved by an efficient filtration, and the necessity for constructing filter-beds for effecting that purpose Another noticeable feature in the table is the faint odour recorded in February, March, April, May and December The cause of this may be due to the turbid state in which the water enters the pipes, the deposition of some of the suspended matters therein, and the subsequent decay of the organic portions thereof, or it may be that the intermittent system of supply has something to do with it In any case it is a thing deserving attention, and the cause should be removed. The increase in the amount of Chlorine recorded after the typhoon in October 1881 continued until the rainy season, when a decided decrease occurred
4. Taking the samples of milk submitted for analysis as representing the average condition in which this valuable food is sold, adulteration with water still largely prevails
5. In the three samples of bread examined, no foreign substances were detected All the samples contained a slight excess of moisture, and two of them had a faint musty taste.
6 The two cases of drugging which came under notice are of considerable importance So far as is known, they are the first instances in which it has been clearly shown that of the frequent cases of alleged drugging which come before the Police Court, some have a solid foundation
The first case happened in Aberdeen. Some men from another village visited an acquaintance there, and he invited them to join him in his evening meal They consented, and themselves procured some samshu apparently drank from the same brew, but the host was the only one affected. The remains of the rice of which he partook, and a small pot containing some Chinese wine which was found in the room were brought for analysis The pot of wine was not that from which all appeared to have drunk and did not belong to the occupant of the room Nothing foreign was found in the rice In the wine an Alkaloidal substance, producing physiological effects peculiar to those caused by certain plants belonging to the solanaceous order, was detected The second case occurred in the city A few persons after eating congee became more or less stupefied. The remains of the congee were brought for analysis In this an Alkaloidal substance, producing the same physiological effects as the substance detected in the wine in the first case, was found Unfortunately it was impossible to prove what particular plant was used in either of these cases, but no doubt it was a Datura, and most probably the variety known as Datura Alba The Chemical tests for the mydriatic alkaloids, derived from plants belonging to the solanaceous order, are not so distinctive as is desirable The Physiological tests are extremely delicate and certain, but they do not afford any means of distinguishing from which plant the alkaloid has been derived. Whether in these cases the wine and rice were drugged to facilitate the commission of other crimes, or whether the cases were merely trumped up for revenge, the fact remains that the lower classes of Chinese are cognisant of and use for producing stupefaction one or more of the poisonous solanaceous plants.
7 The case of malicious poisoning of fish which occurred in the Central market is worthy of some attention It was a cunningly devised plan for attaining the object in view, with a minimum amount of risk to the operator The substance used kills fish with certainty, although it takes some little time to act In this case it was so prepared that on being dropped into water it readily sank to the bottom, and took some time to diffuse through it. At least half an hour would elapse from the time it was added before the fish would show manifest signs of poisoning. Even then, to those unacquainted with it, the water would have no marked indications of its presence. Fortunately in this case a lump of the material was found and forwarded for analysis. A research for mineral poison and for alkaloids resulted in failure The substance appeared to be some vegetable...