Sessional_Paper_1894 — Page 409

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Enclosure 3.

Report of the Government Analyst.

GOVERNMENT LABORATORY,

HONGKONG, 17th July, 1894. SIR,-I have the honour to submit a statement of the work done in the temporary laboratory of this Hospital during the year 1893.

TOXICOLOGICAL, &c.

2. Under this head 3 investigations embracing the analysis of 6 articles (post mortem material &c.) were conducted. In one case, that of a German male adult, sulphonal and blood were detected on the singlet on which the deceased had vomited. The enquiry as to cause of death in this case was prolonged over a considerable period. Neither the vomit on the singlet or the stomach yielded evidence of the presence of any poisonous principle. No foreign substance was detected in a box of sulphonal lozenges found in the room of the deceased. It was suggested that in the admittedly weak state of the stomach the introduction of a salt only slightly soluble at ordinary temperatures like sulphonal, might have acted as an irritant and produced violent vomiting and hemorrhage to an extent sufficient to account for death. Only one lozenge containing 16 grains of sulphonal had apparently been taken. An open verdict was returned in this case.

3. In the second and third cases the active principle of Datura was detected in the material sent for analysis. These cases of mydriatic poisoning do not call for any special remarks,

4. In the case in which a Chinese male adult was hanged for the murder of a little girl I was unable to detect any blood stains on the two swords and razor forwarded by the Captain Superintendent of Police. The weapons were much rusted and the razor appeared to have been subjected to considerable heat.

MILK.

5. Seven analyses of milk were made during the year-4 for the Superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital, 2 for the Sanitary Board and 1 for the Deputy Inspector-General, R. N. Hospital. The Sanitary Board samples were found in both instances to be skim milk. The milk forwarded by Doctor TURNBULL, R.N. was very rich in fat: the analysis seemed to indicate that the cream had been allowed to rise before collecting the sample. Samples of milk from both the morning and evening deliveries of the Government contractor are tested daily by Mr. R. CHAPMAN, the steward of the Civil Hospital. On only one occasion was the milk observed to have a low specific gravity. The results of the analysis fully confirmed the suspicions of the steward. The attention of the contractor was duly called to the matter and as the possibility of the milk being tampered with during transport from the Dairy to the Hospital was admitted directions were issued for the tins to be duly sealed. These precautions have been followed by highly satisfactory results.

WATER.

6. Fifteen analyses of water were made during the year-12 for the Director of the Public Works Department, 2 for the Commodore H.M.S. Vietor Emanuel and 1 for the Gas Company.

7. During the year, owing to the short handed state of this section of the Medical Department, it was only possible to make analyses of the Public Water supplies at irregular intervals. I have nothing to add to the remarks made in former annual reports as to the excellent quality of the water from the Pokfulam and Taitam services.

THE MORPHINE ORDINANCE 1893.

8. In appendix A to this report will be found the results of the investigations made by your directions concerning the practice of injecting morphine hypodermically which had been introduced by the Chinese ostensibly as an antidote for the opium smoking habit.

9. As soon as the new Ordinance had received the assent of the Governor on the 23rd of September a large number of the victims of the injection habit applied to the Police Stations for the medicine which had been issued from this Department for free distribution. The following is the composition of each dose of the mixture;-

Sulphate of Copper,

Tincture of Cinchona,

•4 grain.

Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia,

Syrup of Orange,

}

Water to,

1 drachm.

.....of eachdrachm.

1 fluid ounce.

10. The Chinese did not take this mixture for any length of time. From the reports which have reached me I am inclined to the belief that the majority of those addicted to the injection habit had finally recourse either to the opium pipe or to doses of morphine internally by the mouth.

11. In five prosecutions under this Ordinance a large number of exhibits were forwarded to this Laboratory for examination. Hydrochlorate of morphine was detected in several instances. Only qualitative determinations were required by the Magistrate.