The Inebriates Acts
It is somewhat difficult to define an inebriate, but for the moment the
following will suffice, and will ultimately, in all probability, be
officially adopted:
An inebriate is a person who habitually takes or uses any intoxicating
thing or things, and while under the influence of such thing or things,
or in consequence of the effects thereof, is--(a) dangerous to himself
or others; or (b) a cause of harm
others; or (c) incapable of managing himself or his affairs, or of
ordinary proper conduct.
Under the provisions of the Habitual Drunkards Acts (42 and 43 Vict., c.
19, and 51 and 52 Vict., c. 19), any habitual drunkard may voluntarily
place himself under restraint. He must make an application to the owner
of a licensed retreat, stating the time during which he undertakes to
remain. His application must be accompanied by a statutory declaration
of two persons stating that they knew the applicant to be a confirmed
drunkard. Without this testimony as to moral character his application
cannot be entertained. His signature must also be attested by two
justices, who must state that he understands the effect of his
application, and that it has been explained to him. The limit to the
term of restraint is twelve months, after which he must resume his
former habits if he wishes to qualify for another period. The Act works
automatically, and, when it has been set for a certain time, the patient
cannot release himself until the period has expired. The Inebriates'
Retreat must be duly licensed, and the licensee incurs distinct
obligation in return for the powers entrusted to him. It is an offence
against the Act to assist any habitual drunkard to escape from his
retreat, and should he succeed in effecting his escape he may be
arrested on a warrant. A drunkard who does not obey orders and conform
to the rules of the establishment may be sent to prison for seven days.
It may be as well to mention that it is an offence to supply any
drunkard under the Act with any intoxicating drink or sedative or
stimulant drug without authority, and that the penalty is a fine of £20
or three months' imprisonment. The Act is a good one, but might be
carried farther with advantage. It has been ruled that a crime committed
during drunkenness is as much a crime as if committed during sobriety. A
person is supposed to know the effect of drink, and if he takes away his
senses by drink it is no excuse. He is held answerable both for being
under the influence of alcohol or of any other drug, and for the acts
such influence induces.
=Inebriates Act= (1898-1900).--If an habitual drunkard be sentenced to
imprisonment or penal servitude for an offence committed during
drunkenness, or if he has been convicted four times in one year, the
court may order him to be detained for a term not exceeding three years
in an inebriate reformatory.
More
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=Prussic Acid= is the most active of poisons. The diluted hydrocyanic acid of the Pharmacopoeia contains 2 per cent. of hydrocyanic acid, Scheele's 4 per cent. It is a colourless liquid, feebly acid, with odour of bitter almonds. =Cyanide of Po... Idiocy Imbecility Cretinism
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In the male, impotence may arise from physical or mental causes. The physical causes may be--too great or too tender an age; malformation of the genital organs; crypsorchides, defect or disease in the testicles; constitutional disease (diabetes, n... Incised Wounds And Those Accompanied By Solution Of Continuity
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Infanticide, or the murder of a new-born child, is not treated as a specific crime, but is tried by the same rules as in cases of felonious homicide. The term is applied technically to those cases in which the mother kills her child at, or soon af... Inheritance
In order to inherit, the child must be born alive, must be born during the lifetime of the mother, and must be born capable of inheriting--that is to say, monsters are incapable of inheriting. There is a mode of inheritance called 'tenancy by cour... Inorganic Irritants
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A child born in wedlock is presumed to have the mother's husband for its father. This may, however, be open to question upon the following grounds: Absence or death of the reputed father; impotence or disease in the husband preventing matrimonial ... Mania
Under the term 'mania' are included all those forms of mental unsoundness in which there is undue excitement. It is divided into general, intellectual, and moral, and each of the two latter classes again into general and partial. =General Mania... Marriage And Divorce
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On being called, the medical witness enters the witness-box and takes the oath. This is very generally done by uplifting the right hand and repeating the oath (Scottish form), or by kissing the Bible, or by making a solemn affirmation. 1. He ma... Mental Unsoundness
The presumption in law is in favour of a person's sanity, even though he may be deaf, dumb, or blind. The terms 'insanity,' 'lunacy,' 'unsoundness of mind,' 'mental derangement,' 'madness,' and 'mental alienation or aberration,' are indifferent... Mercury And Its Preparations
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Every medical man, before presenting himself to give evidence in a case of suspected poisoning, should make himself thoroughly acquainted with recent researches on the subject. Ptomaines are, for the most part, alkaloids generated during the proce... Rape
Rape is the carnal knowledge of a woman by force and against her will. The resistance of the woman must be to the utmost of her power, but if she yield through fear or duress it is still rape. The woman is a competent witness, but her statements m... Sale Of Poisons; Scheduled Poisons
The sale of poisons is regulated by various Acts, but chiefly by the Pharmacy Act, 1868, and by the Poisons and Pharmacy Act, 1908. Only registered medical practitioners and legally qualified druggists are permitted to dispense and sell scheduled ... Signs Of Death
(1) Cadaveric appearance; ashy white colour. (2) Cessation of the circulation and respiration, no sound being heard by the stethoscope. Cessation of the circulation may be determined by (a) placing a ligature round the base of a finger (Magnus' te... Sulphonal Trional Tetronal Veronal Paraldehyde
These are dangerous drugs. The ordinary symptoms of the group are noises in the ears, headache, vertigo, inability to stand or to walk properly, insensibility, and cyanosis. The most interesting point is the condition of the urine. In cases of ... Sulphuric Acid
=Sulphuric Acid=, or oil of vitriol, may be concentrated or diluted. It is frequently thrown over the person to disfigure the features or destroy the clothes. Parts of the body touched by it are stained, first white, and then dark brown or black. ... Superfoetation
By superfoetation is meant the conception, by a woman already pregnant, of a second embryo, resulting in the birth of two children at the same time, differing much in their degree of maturity, or in two separate births, with a considerable interva... Symptoms And Post-mortem Appearances Of Different Classes Of Poisons
Whilst recognizing the fact that toxic agents cannot be accurately classified, the following grouping may for descriptive purposes be admitted with the view of saving needless repetition: 1. =Corrosives.=--Characterized by their destructive acti... Tetrachlorethane Etc
=Tetrachlorethane= ('Cellon').--Acetylene tetrachloride; vapour has caused poisoning in aeroplane ('dope') and cinema film works. Symptoms.--Gastric symptoms and marked jaundice. This may be followed in days or weeks by stupor, coma, death. P... The Inebriates Acts
It is somewhat difficult to define an inebriate, but for the moment the following will suffice, and will ultimately, in all probability, be officially adopted: An inebriate is a person who habitually takes or uses any intoxicating thing or thin... The Mineral Acids
These are sulphuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids. Symptoms of Poisoning by the Mineral Acids.--Acid taste in the mouth, with violent burning pain extending into the oesophagus and stomach, and commencing immediately on the poison being swallo... Tobacco And Lobelia
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The modes of treatment may be ranged under three heads: (1) To eliminate the poison; (2) to antagonize its action; (3) to avert the tendency to death. 1. The first indication is met by the administration of emetics, to produce vomiting, or by t... Unnatural Offences
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A wound may be defined as a 'breach of continuity in the structures of the body, whether external or internal, suddenly occasioned by mechanical violence.' The law does not define 'a wound,' but the true skin must be broken. Wounds are dangerous f... Wounds Of Various Parts Of The Body
1. =Of the Head.=--Wounds of the scalp are likely to be followed by (1) erysipelatous inflammation; (2) inflammation of the tendinous structures, with or without suppuration. A severe blow on the vertex may cause fracture of the base of the skull.... Zinc Silver Bismuth And Chromium
The salts of zinc requiring notice are the sulphate and chloride. =Sulphate of Zinc= has been taken in mistake for Epsom salts. In large doses it causes dryness of throat, thirst, vomiting, purging, and abdominal pain. Post-Mortem Appearances...