POISONING AS A FINE ART.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4439, 20 August 1901, Page 7

POISONING AS A FINE ART.

Professor Easterficld delivered an interesting and in-struettive public lecture on “ Poisons ” at the Kent terrace Pres, byteriau schoolroom last night. The lecturer traced the history of poisons from tlio earliest of Egyptian and Greek records, first premising that prehistoric man obtained his inkling of the action and nature of poisons by observing tbo deadly effects which followed snakebites. Poisons in some form or other were known to man from the time ot earliest records at least. Arsenic, cop. nor and lead were known as poisons to tho Egyptians long before the Christian era, and the ancient Greeks—especially embalmers- know much of the action, of poisons, which (arsenic particularly) were used in their business.* The lecturer wont on to describe how iu ancient Romo professional poisoning rose to b 0 a fine art. and, in addition, a lucrative calling. Fie traced the develpximont of the later Venetian and Italian schools of poisoners for fixed fees, showing how in an ago when women’s rights were scanty two ladies rose to the top of that hazardous profession. A Venetian female named Stefano made it her boast that she had “professionally removed ” 600 people in return for value received. Another expert in this calling gained her knowledge by moans of ex_ Xioriiiients on hospital patients, as a result of which she was ablo to produce any effect required by a patron on a victim. Another poisoner had left .cn record a soaie of juices under which a Sultan was scaled at five hundred ducats and a duke as low as twenty-five. In England the poisoner’s life was never a liapjiy ono. A woman merely suspected of poisoning was once boiled alive at Smithiickl. King John was the only English monarch r.gainst whom a suspicion of poisoning rested, but of Continental kings in such jiliglit there were many. The scientific knowledge of poison, however, only dated in a wide sense from early in the eighteenth century, when tho Swedes began to make a special study of the subject. The father of the science of toxicology was one OrJila, and the value of his system was testified to by the fact that many of his tests are in use at the present day. 'The lecturer gave his audience many curious ascertained fads regarding poisons, and the methods adopted to determine their jiresenco in food, or in the bodily organs after death. Practical illustrations were given of these tests, and the jires. once of arsenic and phosphorus in food substances were clearly demonstrated and explained. The lecture was one of great interest, and it was followed throughout with marked attention.