TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8485, 17 May 1893, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Aust-aua- papers to A Strange hand by last night's .mail "Cure" for contain some interesting Drunkenness, disclosures regarding the

"Tyson Cure for Drunkenness," which seems to have been making a mint of money for its proprietors bourne. The Tyson Sanatorium Company, who own the precious "specific, were charged, through their Secretary, with a breach oi the Sale of Poisons Act in having sold drugs which were poisonous without tho " poison'»' label. It appears that two bottles of the; medicine were bought for ten guineas and given to a patient named Stranghair, whoafterwards died—not, however, as a result of taking the medicines, but as the Coroner's! jury found from heart disease. The police, however, seized the bottles of medicine and had it analysed, whereupon, it was found that it contained 1.1 per cent, of nux vomica and brucine, so that a table* spoonful in one dose would lull an adult.

The commercial value of the two bottles for which ten guineas was paid, was stated to be a couple of shillings. The Secretary to the Company was put iv the box, and asked if this was not a fact, but be declined to answer the question. All he knew about the " cure " was that he " brought it from America," bu> hle|f-*nkjy Jrimftted that he had no ideV there ''was auy poison in the medicine uutil he heard of the analysis. * -

A brace of letters from the Before and Tyson Sanatorium Company After. to a relative of the deceased

man Stranghair were highly suggestive. When they first heard pi the death of the unfortunate man they wrote the following: —

" Melbourne, March 6.

"Dear sir,—Yours oi the sth inst. to hand. We are indeed deeply grieved to learn of the sudden decease of Mr Stranghair, and beg to offer our condolences to you and other members of his family in your terribly sudden bereavement. W© would advise that under the circumstanoe it would be well for you to return the two bottles of medicine to us intact. Your request that the money be repaid will be duly considered by our Directors at their meeting on Thursday next, and there is very little doubt, considering the pitiable position of the wife aud children, that our Directors will gladly refund the amount paid. Again offering our sympathy for the aad circumstances.

" We remain, &c,

"The Tyson Sanatorium Co." After the inquest was held, the bottles were seized, and the jury had returned a verdict of " Death from heart disease," the Company's sudden fit of generosity quickly evaporated and motives of cold, calculating economy took its place., They then sent the following letter :—

•"' March 20.

" Replying to your communication of the 28th iust., we beg to inform you that our Board of Directors have carefully considered same, and regret they cannot make any exception in this case or refund the amount Said. Whilst deeply sympathising with Irs Stranghair iv her bereavement, our Directors feel they would be doing an injustice to our Compauy by incurriug a loss, as we have to pay to Dr. Tyson a considerable sum for the medicine."

Tho Secretary was asked who were the Directors who were so willing to return the the money before the inquest, and so stonyhearted after it, but he again declined to to answer the question. In the result he was fined _"5, with ten guineas costs. Nobody can say that the sentence was a whit too severe. We say nothing about the fraudulent aspect of the case. Here is a medicine, put into the tremulous hands of confirmed drunkards, and not the slightest hint given that it is poisonous, when in reality a table-spoonful is sufficient to destroy - life. The officials of the "Sanatorium" Company m»y thank their good fortune that they have not been confronted with a far more serious" charge than that of not affixing poison labels to their precious decoction.

Tub cable has been silent Bullet-Proof lately regarding the bullet Coats. proof coat. When we

last heard of it it was used to encase an unfortunate pig, but with.the exasperating penchant for withholding tho most interesting information, which is so dharacteristic of cable messages, we never heard what became of the pig. "The English papers, however, supply us with some information regarding the nature of the invention. To begin with, it is altogether a mistake to suppose that it can be used as a coat. The stuff is about half an inch thick, and is not flexible, so tha*- it cannot be used as a garment.- The inventor, a Berlin tailor ns.med Dowe, thinks that the stuff, which is really a wire netting encased in "a cement-like mass, should be made into plates of which every soldier would carry one in his knapsack, and at the commencement of a fight fasten it on that part of his body which most requires. protection. There were all sorts of "• rumours about; one to the effect that thexinventor. had offered his secret to Count, yon Caprivi for .three million marks, and another that he had been summoned by. telegVapfi before the Emperor. The German, papers have refused to take the matter yery seriously; even the claim of originality is not allowed to the poor man. '"One Herr Scarneo claims to have been the original jinventor of the bullet proof material, whioh he says he first brought out after witnessing the murderous effect of the Prusaian fire in the Austro-Prussian war. Herr Scarneo, it appears, used hemp, hydraulically pressed, over which he laid a sort of ruiiiug of flattened English steel wire, against which the bullet must strike. According to the inventor it is broken up into bits, by the concussion and the hemp apron serves merely as a receptacle for the remnants of broken bullets. An ane.doto which is told of the Dnke of Wellington seems appropriate! "|t "IF _ little odd* that it has been left to 4 German, paper to remind us of it. It runs as follows :—£ '> : " A strangerjwas one morning roceived by the Duke of *Vfellington. He submitted a bullet proof jatjket to the great Warrior, and requested him |o introduce it into the army. «All right/ s|-id Wellington, «pnt the jacket oft***Th% sb: - ThCfDuko rang a bell, and an officer appeared. ' Tell Captain So and So to send two soldiers here with loaded r^n^S!' the inventor heard tliaf c ominQus words he quickly made himself scarce."