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Abstract
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Historic consumer product safety article and poisoning outbreak investigation
On Monday, November 1, the town of Bradford was in a state of great excitement in consequence of a report that a great many persons had been poisoned by eating lozenges in which arsnic hd been accidenrtally mixed, and which had been sold in ghe Green Market o the Saturday night. On Sunday irnig, a report was brought to th police office that Elijah Wright, agd nine years, and Joseph Scott aged 14,had died suddenly on Saturday night at about 11 o'clock. It was first supposed that they had died of cholera, but during the day many other persons were attacked with illness, and on inquiry it was found that all had partaken of of lozenges purchased on the Saturday night.
This led to the fact that the lozenges had been sold by a man named Hardaker, who keeps a stall in the market, and who had bought them of Mr. Neale, a wholesale confectioner, residing in Stone Street, Manor Row. Further investigation confirmed the suspicion that the lozenges were the source of the mischief, and, upon a cursory examination, they were found to contain arsenic. Prompt measures were immediately adopted by Mr. Leveratt, the chief constable, and Mr. Copeland, superintendent of police, to prevent the spread of the calamity. All the officers were sent round their beats to warn the public, bellmen were sent out for the same purpose, and placards were posted in every part of the town and neighbourhood, requesting any persons who had purchased lozenges to bring them to the police-office. About 36 lbs. were recovered from Hardaker, and a considerable quantity were brought in by people who had purchased them on Saturday night. During the day, reports were received from all parts of the town and neighbourhood of the fatal effects from the use of the lozenges and it was impossible at that time to estimate the extent of the evil. The number of fatal cases reported was fifteen, and the number who suffered severely from the effects of the poison was reported as above 100.
From the evidence given before the magistrates on Tuesday, November 2nd, it appears that James Archer was sent by his master, Mr. Neale, the confectioner, to Mr. Hodgson, druggist, at Shipley, for what is technically called "daff," which is sulphate of lime. Mr. Hodgson being ill in bed, the young man, William Goddard, aged eighteen years, went up-stairs to ask where it was kept. Mr. Hodgson told him that the man had better wait till he could attend to it himself; however, as he particularly wished to take it with him, Goddard went again to his master, and was told the "daff" was in a cask in the corner of the attic. He found a cask containing something white, which he concluded was the article required, and accordingly weighed 12 lbs. of what he thought was "daff," but which, in reality, was arsenic, and which he delivered to Archer, who took it to Mr. Neale's workman, James Appleton, by whom it was mixed with " 4 lbs. of gum and water, one and one-half oz. of essence of peppermint, and about 40 lbs. of sugar," and made into lozenges, and delivered in four parcels to Hardaker. While making the lozenges, Appleton had suffered severely with sickness from one o'clock till nine at night, without any suspicion of the cause. The lozenges were brought to Hardaker by Neale....
Neale stated in his evidence that when lozenges were required at less than 10d. per lb., he used "daff," [because of the high cost of sugar] and that these were ordered by Hardaker at 8 d. per lb., and could not be made at that price without "daff." "Daff" was not sulphate of lime, but a preparation from burnt spar. Costs about 7s. 6 d. a bag of 2 cwt. Sugar costs 6 ^d. or 6 \d. per lb. He did not wish to use it, but others used it in much larger quantity than he did. In Glasgow there was a union among the confectioners to prevent the use of it, and he had also agitated to get others to discontinue its use. He did not consider it cheating....
....He also made several analyses of some of the lozenges, from which it appears that the weight of each lozenge was 43.5 grains, and that the quantity of arsenic in each varied from 11 to 16 grains. The proportion of arsenic, on the average, was about one-third of the lozenge. Mr. Rimmington also examined some coloured portions of the Scotch mixture, from one of which, a yellow lozenge, he scraped a considerable quantity of chromate of lead, also a poisonous substance. He considered sulphate of lime comparatively inert, but if taken repeatedly in the quantity in which it was used in the adulterated lozenges, it might produce serious consequences to the health....
Available in full:
https://archive.org/details/s1317id1378031/page/342/mode/2up
Keywords: Consumer product safety; Outbreak investigations
Language: en |