Call Number:

Ms. Codex 2248

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1 volume(s)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Belfast poison register, 1898-1936, Ms. Codex 2248, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1898-1936 (inclusive)

Form:

Registers (Lists) and Codices (bound manuscripts)

Abstract:

This volume records the purchase of poisonous substances at an unidentified pharmacy in Belfast, Ireland between 1898 and 1936, as required by the Sale of Poisons (Ireland) Act of 1870.

The Sale of Poisons (Ireland), Acts 33 & 34 VICT. Cap. 26, 1870 was passed by Parliament on July 14, 1870 to regulate the sale of poisonous substances by the creation and maintenance of a formal register of sales. This legislation closely followed the Pharmacy Act of 1868, which limited the sale of poisons and dangerous drugs to qualified or registered pharmacists and druggists.

The most commonly registered substances in this volume are SV meth and meth spirits. Meth spirits, also known as methylated spirits or methylated ether, became popular in some northern Irish counties as a cheap alternative to alcohol. In 1838, Father Theobold Matthew established the Total Abstinence Society in Ireland and, by 1844, about three million Irish took the society's temperance pledge. At the time, ether was considered a nonalcoholic drink and was therefore used as an alternative for those who wished to keep the pledge but still feel the effects of alcohol. The practice was widespread in Ireland until around 1890 and 1891 when the British government re-classified the substance as a poison, formally including it in the schedule of poisons listed under the Sale of Poisons (Ireland) Act.

Nurse Lizzie McCann of 96 Butler Street Belfast is listed several times in this register for the purchase of ergot for the purpose of midwifery. Ergot was used widely in 19th century midwifery and its applications included controlling excessive uterine bleeding and irregular spasms, treatment of fibrous tumors of the uterus, and preventing miscarriage, abortion, and amenorrhea. In 1872, the Academy of Medicine in Paris formally allowed midwives to prescribe ergot, but its use was limited to cases in which the lives of the mother and child were at stake.

Sources:

Hopkins, Frank. "Drink! The Rise and Fall of Ether." Irish Independent, Irish Independent, 30 Oct. 2008, www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/drink-the-rise-and-fall-of-ether/27890549.html.

Linden, David J. "The Irish Ether Drinking Craze Of The 19th Century." David J. Linden, 2013, davidlinden.org/blog/the-irish-ether-drinking.html.

MOIR, J C. "The history and present-day use of ergot." Canadian Medical Association journal vol. 72,10 (1955): 727-34.

Smakosz, Aleksander et al. "The Usage of Ergot (Claviceps purpurea (fr.) Tul.) in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Historical Perspective." Toxins vol. 13,7 492. 15 Jul. 2021, doi:10.3390/toxins13070492

This volume records the purchase of poisonous substances at an unidentified pharmacy in Belfast, Ireland between 1898 and 1936, as required by the Sale of Poisons (Ireland) Act of 1870.

The beginning of the volume contains printed versions of the full text of the act (p. 2) and a schedule of poisons registered (p. 2-4). It has seven columns, including ones to record the date, name and address of purchaser, name of poison sold, quantity of poison sold, purpose for which it is stated to be required, signature of purchaser, and signature of introducer, who appear to have been pharmacists or workers at the pharmacy.

The volume itself was printed by James F. Wilkinson of The Gutenberg Printing Works in Pendleton, Manchester, England for the expressed purpose of serving as a sale of poisons register.

Purchasers' addresses indicate that this volume likely came from northern Belfast, Ireland.

Common poisons sold include vermin destroyer, tartar emetic, arsenic, strychnine, corrosive solvent, SV meth, and meth spirits. Common uses listed include destroying various pests and animals, horses [possibly veterinary medicine], ointments, skin diseases, medical uses, mixing paint, silver polish, and rubbing.

The vast majority of the latter entries in this volume record the sales of SV meth and meth spirits (p. 46-92) and meth spirits is the only recorded poison sold for a large portion of those entries (p. 52-92).

Examples of entries include 1906 and 1908, Nurse Lizzie McCann, 96 Butler Street, extract of ergot, midwifery (p. 18, 24); 1909, Alex Esler, 69 Albert Bridge Road, yellow prysials of potash, tempering steel (p. 26); and 1923, Mr. William Morrison, 24 O'Hara Street, meth spirit, for spirit lamp (p. 44).