Page
April 15, 1896.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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(The absence of any record of such fish acting injuriously.
soon after the beginning of his evening meal. commerce in the form of circular flat dises 7 police did not afford evidence of the glucoside. felt himself getting giddy, and shortly after- inches in diameter and weighing on an average With regard to the questions as to the use wards became unconscious. He was found by 25 oZS. It is known by the Chinaso as "chà as lauman food of fish destroyed by these means, the police next morning still stupid and talking tsai ping orch fn." Mr. McCall I could do no more than present for the con- a lot of nonsense. When brought to the Hos-states that its activity is dite to the glucoside sideration of the Magistrate the following pital at 11 a.m. his gait was unsteady; he saponin which exists in the seeds to the extent, points :-- trembled and looked very foolish. The pupils of about 10 per cent! The seeds also contain of both eyes were widely dilated, and he com- about 40 per cent. of a fixed oil, the better plained of a pain in his throat. Next day he qualities of which form an admirable substitute recovered; the pupils were, however, still dilated for olive oil in many operations in which the and he complained of feeling giddy." In his latter is employed. official report Mr. McCullum romaks that unfortunately it was impossible to prove what particular plant was used in either of those cases, but no doubt it was a Dobago, and most probably the variety known as D. ullar,
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Since 1882 there have been numerons enses of mydriatic poisoning. The particulars of the following case are interesting, as it was een- clusively proved that the flowers of Datura olba had been employed.
At about 5 a.m. on the 8th May, 1885, tro adult females (Chinese) and an adult mule (Chi- nese) were brught by the polien to thæ Civil Hospital suffering from a mydriatic poison. As the police version of the affair was su cen- fusing it was decided to defer making enquiries- until the patients had so far recovered as to be. able to remember the early details of the de- currence. On the morning of their diselurge from the Hospital. the elder of the women stated, that about ten o'clock on the night of the 7th she saw the third patient pf a small bundle into the utensil which contained the evening meal, When she enquired why he did this, he replied that it was good medicine.
Later on she saw him remove the barndle. and observed that he ihre
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The following are the partienlars of the case I was called upon to investigate in 1886. Ou the night of the 10th September of that year somme men were observed to put some Isai ping into a life fish tank in one of the city markets. The fish were killed almost immediately. The water was removed and thrown away and a fresh supply put into the tank. The only material available for analysis was the dead fish. The Police Magis trate, Mr. Wodshamnise, referred two questions to me for consideration and report :-
1-Can the active principle of "chu tsai¦
ping" be detipfed in the dead fish ?
.} -Aro fish so deștroyed fit for human con-
staption ?
In this enquiry I hall the benefit of the assis tance of Mr. Ford, the Superintendent of the Botanie:d Department, and also of Mr. Lock- hart, the Registrar-tieneral, who was good enough to obtain the opinion of the Chinese fish merchants as to the suitability or otherwise as an article of diet of fish killed by this poisen. Mr. Ford, who had recently returned on a botanical tour in the neighbouring proșince, whers he had seen, the whole process of ex- tracting the tea oil and the preparation of the rakų, pave me the following information. In
corner of the kitchen. The woman, who gave | her evidence in
મ very straightforward | my enquiry [ Ind specially alluded to. the and intelligent manner, was fequested to pro- possibility of more than one substance entering
into the composition of the cake.“
ceed at once to her home, make á carelal search for the supposed drug, and bring it at once to the Civil Hospital. In half an hour she re- tarned hearing in her hand a bundle of flowers, which, although somewhat manglen, were easily recognized as those of Datura alud,
Dr. Chevers states that persons who have been drugged by datura should have more than a week allowed them to recover their
memories."
In another case a pot ofe stow seized by the police contained a large number of sections of a flower which were indistinguishable from datura flowers. The chemical analysis continued the results of the previous physical examination of the food.
The symptoms, as displayed by the Chinese. Soon after the appear to vary but little. administration of the drug the victim suffers from dimness of sight and staggers as he attempts to walk; he chatters away in an unintelligible manner, and laughingly grasps at imaginary objects. This latter is perhaps to the ordinary observer the most striking feature in datura poisoning. The patient sits up in bed and picks at the bed clothes as though to catch some passing object, and will amuse himself by attempting to draw out imaginary threads from the ends of his fingers. If the case is a mild one the patient will, if left alone. fall asleep, and after several hours rest he
prac- tically well. In severe cases the patient acts inore like a maniac. He recoils with a shriek from any- one who comes near him, and offers the most
violent resistance to medical treatment. In all cases the pupils are dilated, and mydriasis will remain for some time after the other symptoms have subsided. The effects of datura are usually produced in about fifteen minutes after the administration of the poison, but the activity of the herb would have to be in a liquid form to act so rapidly as this.
There is no record at the Hongkong Civil Hospital of a single case of datura dragging terminating fatally.
The experience of last twelve years leads me to infer that the only motive for administration of datura is to produce stupefaction for the purpose of kidnapping and robbery gouerally.
FISH POISONING..
Two instances of malicious fish-poisoning are on record; the first occurred in 1882, the second in 1887. The former case was fully investigated by Mr. McCallum. The substance used by the Chinese for this purpose consists of the seeds of Camellia oleifera, minus the oil. It occurs in
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harmless naturo.
(6.) Tho opinion of the Chinese as to their
(.) The fact that birds are not affected by worus similarly destroyed.
the action of this substance would not render Personally I am juclined to the belief that
fish injurious as an article of diet.
able
MORPHINE INJECTING.
use by the Chinese would not be complete with. This brief survey of the poisons in unlawful
out a reference to the pernicious babit of inject. ing morphine hypodermically which developed a few years ago, and which it is to be feared will carry widespread ruin throughout China unless strong treasures for its suppression are adopted and strenuously maintained. A more lament- sequel to the opium smoking habit can scarcely be conceived. Since the passing of the Morphine Ordinance, No. 13 of 1893, the police have been very successful in their raids on the divans wherein this practice has been carried on. It would, however, be a Utopian idea to suppose for a moment that vigorous local action will in any way be re- flected on the neighbouring Empire. Dismal thongh the outlook may be, there is still one: satisfactory consideration, viz., that China through her foreign Customs, can effectually stop the importation of morphine-if she wills
it
Au interesting discussion ensued, the Chair- Iman, Colonel Faithfull, and Mr. Dennys asking questions. In reply, Mr. Crow said that he couhl only quote one case of any importance in - Camellia dvijera, Abel, extensively grown Great Britain in which aconite was used by a in South Chita, for the production of seeds murdere, although it was a plant growing in- which Nicht a valuable oil" known as toa oil. "clcà triping," is the refuse matter left, after
many gardéus. He then mentioned various tests which had buen applied to small fla oil has been extracted. The preparation is animals with a view of discovering the action very simple. The seeds are collected in October of the poison, and, in reference to a point raised or Novenber, dried and faken to a mill, whereby the Chairman, said it was quite true that the they are crushed in a cireular mortar or froigh | puncture of an injection needle in the case of a hy a pes: le driven through it, by water power. monse was equal to the fhrust of a spear in the The seeds after Laine crushed are stand fease of i, man, but; it was always preferable to and then the mass is placed in a powerful press, experim ut with small animals as then the which expresses the oil. The refuse, after the ex-netion of a very sumall quantity of poison could fraction of the oil, is the artick known as be ascer.ained. Another test which was some-
chàts i ping. It is produced in cakes weigh ing, when dry, about 3 ozs. and 34 lbs. resper tively. The quality of the two kinds of cake is the same,
aware that anything besides the seeds af Camellia oleifern enters iuto the composition of these cakes,
“Chrú tsai ping is used by the Chineso as a hair-wash and as soap for dehusing both the person and clothes. It is also used for the eradication of earth worms from the soil in which plants in pots are grown. In these gardens we also use it for cradienting earth worius from grass lawns. For this purpose the cake is crushed and boiled, | The decoction is then diluted and poured on the gruss when the Worms come to the surface of the ground. As a rule the small worms die, but the larger ones after a time recover. After being picked up from the grass the worms are often given to fowls and ducks, which devour them readily and apparently thrive on them, experiencing no inconvenience from the effects of the 'ch'a tsai ping' with which the worms were killed.**
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The fish merchants, furnished Mr. Lockhart
with a memorandum, from which the following
extract is taken :-
In pouds of great dimensions these drugs (more than one is mentioned) are often used for killing fish and shrimps and are so powerful that not a single fish can escape. The fish so caught are offered for sale, and the writer has never heard of a single instance in which any one has suffered from eating fish obtained in this way. Chrá fn is sometimes used for killing earth worms,
Mention should be made of the fact that the action of saponin on man has been but little studied. Wynter Flyth is, however, of opinion that it is an undoubted poison and capable of endangering the life of man:
The dead fish sent to the Laboratory by the
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times applied was that of tasting aconite. In regard to the administration of datura Mr. Crow ntioned that the flowers were some- times thrown intoja pot of boiling rice or into a pot of vegetable stew. Other cases had been recorded where the poison had been prepared in one of the Chinese wines, and from a criminal point of view this was the best way to administer it. He did not think that the puffing of poisi acus smoke into a person's face had such an effect as was generally thought. The offert was not immediate and incidents, such as seeing a river or flowing water, were imagined some time after the poison was taken.
A vot· of thanks to Mr. Crow concluded the proceedings. The Chairman performed the delicate duty" of announcing that next Friday he would lecture on the younger Pitt.
disturbance at Canton in connection with the It appears that the news of the anticipated
now abondoned scheme for the regulation of the boat traffic circulated far and wide through the surrounding country, with the result that all the bad characters for miles around were
flocking to the city to revel in riot and plunder. The shopkeepers, hotel-keopers, tea-house pro- prietors, etc., who were instigating the proposed disturbance, then awoke to the conciousness that they would be the victims of their own folly, for the rowdies realised that an attack on Shameen was only likely to bring them hard knocks and little coin and that the occasion could better be utilised for incendiary fires and a general looting of rich native stores and hongs, where little resistance could be met. Hence the sudden reversal of all incitement to attack foreigners. The agitators had, however, approached rather near the brink and only drew back in time. It is said that the changes proposed in connection with the better control of the harbour could now be easily carried out if effected judiciously,
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