Sessional_Paper_1887-1888 — Page 243

ship Alice D. Cooper then lying in the harbour of Hongkong. The officer, at the request of Dr. LOCKHEAD, presented himself at the Government Laboratory and furnished me with the following information:

"About 5 o'clock one morning while I was on watch-the ship being then in the China Sea within a few days sail of this port I received at the hands of a negro cabin-boy a cup of Coffee which had been prepared by the ship's Cook. I drank about a mouthful and fancying from the taste that there was something wrong I carelessly threw overboard the greater part of the beverage. I soon felt very violent pains about the region of the stomach and about five minutes after drinking the Coffee I vomited. On hearing of the occurrence the Captain gave me an emetic and something to drink. None of the vomits were preserved, what remained of the Coffee was placed in a small bottle and handed over to the Doctor soon after our arrival in Hongkong. For several days I felt very weak and had a nasty taste in the mouth. I complained of a bad stomach. These symptoms continued unti. I placed myself under Dr. LOCKHEAD's treatment after the ship came into port.'

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The bottle contained about half an ounce of Coffee. There was a considerable sediment of a greyish brown colour which at first could not be very easily diffused throughout the supernatant decoc- tion. A microscopical examination of the deposit revealed the presence of a number of fat globules (milk fat) and an amorphous body which was in due course identified with Calomel, the Sub-chloride or mild chloride of mercury of the British and United States Pharmacopoeias.

A special report on the result of this analysis was forwarded to the American Consulate at the request of Colonel WITHERS, the United States Consul.

Most persons will agree with me in condemning in the strongest terms the practice-revealed in the course of my enquiry into this case of leaving a ship's medicine chest open to persons other than the senior officers of the vessel.

2. Fish Poisoning.-On the night of the 16th of September some men were observed to put into a live fish tank in one of the City markets a substance known as

Ch'á tsai ping. The fish were killed almost immediately. The water containing the poison was removed and a supply of fresh water put into the tank. The only material available for analysis was the dead fish.

The above data-derived from the depositions of the witnesses who gave evidence at the Magistracy -was obligingly placed at my disposal by Mr. H. E. WODEHOUSE, C.M.G., the senior Police Magis-

trate.

In this case two questions were referred to me by the Court for consideration and report :--

1. Can the active principle of Ch'á tsai ping be detected in the dead fish?

2. Are fish destroyed as above fit for human consumption ?

Before giving an opinion on these two points I wrote to Mr. CHAS. FORD, F.L.S., the Superin- tendent of the Botanical and Afforestation Department enquiring if he could give me information con- cerning the preparation and uses of this poison, special reference being made to the possibility of more than one plant entering into its composition.

I append as an Appendix to this report, an extract from Mr. FORD's letter and also an extract from a memorandum sent to me by Mr. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, the Registrar-General, of whom I requested assistance in obtaining the opinion of the Chinese fish merchants as to the suitability or otherwise as an article of diet, of fish destroyed by Chi'á tsai ping or Ch'á fu as it is sometimes

termed.

It will be seen from Mr. FORD's account (Appendix A) of its preparation that the seeds of Camellia oleifera, Abel, of the Natural Order Ternstroemiaceae, minus the oil, are the sole consti- tuent; and the practical observations he makes as to the uses of the substance for the destruction of low forms of animal life without doubt prove that it is a poison although only a mild one. Confirma- tory evidence on this latter point will be found in Mr. LOCKHART's memo. (Appendix B).

The only recorded description of this fish-poison accessible to me is that given by Mr. HUGH MCCALLUM in his annual report for 1882 and in a paper by the same author in the Pharmaceutical Journal (3) Vol. XIV, p. 21. Mr. MCCALLUM refers to its use as a fish-poison, and states that its activity is doubtless due to the glucoside saponin which exists in the seeds to the extent of about 10 per cent. The seeds also contain about 44 per cent of a fixed oil.

The action of saponin on man has been but little studied but Mr. WYNTER BLYTH' is of opinion that it is an undoubted poison and capable of endangering the life of man.

The attempt made by me to discover the glucoside in one of the fishes sent to the Laboratory by the Police proved a failure.

With regard to the question as to the use as human food, of fish destroyed by Ch'á tsai ping, I would invite attention to the following consideration :—

1. The absence of any record of such fish acting injuriously.

2. The opinion of the Chinese as to their harmless nature.

3. The fact that birds are not affected by worms similarly destroyed.

(1.) Camellia Sasanqua, Thunb. Index Flora Sinensis p. 82,

(2.) Poisons (1884), p. 421,