M 159
TOXICOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS.
The list below gives the number and nature of work done under this head:-
Nature of poison. | No. of Cases. | 54 Cases.
------------------|--------------|-----------
No poison found | 21 |
Opium found | 3 |
Adalin found | 2 |
Alcohol found | ?? | 1
Potassium cyanide found | 1 |
Hydrochloric acid found | 2 |
Morphine found | 2 |
Lysol found | 2 |
Veronal found | 1 |
Formaldehyde found | 1 |
Barbituric acid found | ... |
Mercury found | 1 |
Total | | 91 Cases.
No outstanding cases occurred, the majority of the cases being suicide, opium again being the favourite means. In the case in which mercury was found, death was proved to be through natural causes. The deceased had taken calomel some time before death and mercury, equivalent to 1/3rd grain, was found in the walls of the stomach.
DANGEROUS GOODS.
154 samples coming under the heading of dangerous goods were submitted for examination during the year, the majority were samples of oil fuel, petrol and kerosene for use in H.M. Ships.
Samples of firecrackers were submitted by the police for presence of illegal constituents, and the usual bi-annual inspections were made of firecracker factories in Kowloon and New Territories and samples brought back for examination.
The holds and tanks of 72 steamers were examined for the presence of inflammable vapour by means of Clowes-Redwood apparatus.
FOOD AND DRUGS.
Two hundred and sixty-eight samples of food or drugs were examined during 1932. These comprised samples taken by Inspectors of the Sanitary Department under the Food and Drugs Ordinance, also commercial samples and samples from private persons.