DOI issue:
May 3, 1862
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16869#0190
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
[May 3, 1862.
THE TOXICOLOGY OE SHAKSPEARE.
Op course nobody ever suspects Punch of joking, as gentlemen say
when Mr. Punch has been treading upon their corns, otherwise the
subjoined extract out of a Morning Paper, which it has been faithfully
copied from, would be set down at once as one of his facetious
inventions:—
[Advertisement. ]
CHAKSPEARE ON POISONS, anticipating the Hygeian system of
*0 James Morison, the Hygeist:—
“ ‘ The leperous distilment; whose effect
Holds such an enmity with the blood of man,
That, swift as quicksilver, it courses through
The natural gates and alleys of the body ;
And with a sudden vigour it doth posset,*
And curd, like eager f droppings into milk,
The thin and wholesome BLOOD.’—Hamlet, Act I. s. 5.
“ Issued by the British College of Health, Euston Bead, London, for the Society
of Hygeists. The above sublime passage deserves to be written in letters of gold in
every city of the world.
“* Thicken. t Sour—acid.”
There can be no difficulty whatever in agreeing with the British
| College of Health and the Society of Hygeists that “ the above sub-
lime passage deserves to be written in letters of gold in every city of
the world.” To be sure, most people are sufficiently well acquainted
with it to know that it occurs in the tragedy of Hamlet) and is the
Ghost’s description of poison. The particular poison to which it relates
they also know to be hebenon or henbane, but perhaps nobody before
reading it as quoted in the foregoing advertisement, had any idea that
it was likewise applicable to the medicine employed in the Hygeian
system of James Morison. It did not indeed, need a ghost come from
the grave to tell us that people were generally aware that Morison’s
medicine is professed to be of a vegetable nature, and also that there
[ is such a substance as the extract of henbane or hyoscyamus, which is
poisonous, but few. if any, ever heretofore supposed that extract from
j a noxious herb to be the vegetable matter out of which Morison’s
Universal Yegetable Pills are made. If “ Shakspeare on poisons”
wrote the lines “ issued by the British College of Health, for the Society
of Hygeists,” as we are told that he _ did, “ anticipating the Hygeian
system of James Morison the Hygeist,” it would seem that, accord-
ing to the Society of Hygeists and the British College of Health, the
“juice of cursed hebenon in a vial” and a box of Morison’s Pills
are virtually the same thing; perhaps that the pills are simply the
inspissated juice of the hebenon. If this is so, the authors of the
advertisement which is the subject of these remarks, deserve great
credit for their very disinterested candour, whereimto the public is
indebted for a salutary caution which will, we trust, be posted as it
ought to be in golden letters at least throughout every city in Her
Majesty’s dominions. Thus forewarned the British Public would be
in no danger of drugging themselves with a “leperous distilment ” cal-
culated to produce those frightful effects on the system, and especially
the circulating fluid, which are mentioned by “ Shakspeare on poisons,
anticipating the Hygeian system of James Morison, the Hygeist.”
A POLICEMAN WORTHY OP PROMOTION.
On Wednesday last, at the Westminster Police Court, a lad, eighteen
years of age, was brought up before Mr. Paynter, charged with
robbing his master of muffins. On being searched, no less than fourteen
muffins were found in different pieces in his pockets. “ What is this
boy ? ” inquired the Magistrate. “ A Ragamuffin ! ” was the instan -
taneous reply of a Policeman present. As a proof how very little
reporters in general understand their business, will it be believed that
in not one of the reports that appeared in the next morning’s papers
did the brilliant definition of that worthy functionary (Z. 451) appear ?
In the hope that it may lead to his speedy promotion, we beg to supply |
the omission. Commissioner Mayne, mind you look to it!
Q. and A.
Why is the Standard like Queen Anne ?
Because it is generally believed to be dead.
BRIGHTON, APRIL 21, 1862.
Adjutant (mounted). “ Don’t fall out, whatever you do. Don’t fall out, Mr. Duffles. Double up! double up/”
[May 3, 1862.
THE TOXICOLOGY OE SHAKSPEARE.
Op course nobody ever suspects Punch of joking, as gentlemen say
when Mr. Punch has been treading upon their corns, otherwise the
subjoined extract out of a Morning Paper, which it has been faithfully
copied from, would be set down at once as one of his facetious
inventions:—
[Advertisement. ]
CHAKSPEARE ON POISONS, anticipating the Hygeian system of
*0 James Morison, the Hygeist:—
“ ‘ The leperous distilment; whose effect
Holds such an enmity with the blood of man,
That, swift as quicksilver, it courses through
The natural gates and alleys of the body ;
And with a sudden vigour it doth posset,*
And curd, like eager f droppings into milk,
The thin and wholesome BLOOD.’—Hamlet, Act I. s. 5.
“ Issued by the British College of Health, Euston Bead, London, for the Society
of Hygeists. The above sublime passage deserves to be written in letters of gold in
every city of the world.
“* Thicken. t Sour—acid.”
There can be no difficulty whatever in agreeing with the British
| College of Health and the Society of Hygeists that “ the above sub-
lime passage deserves to be written in letters of gold in every city of
the world.” To be sure, most people are sufficiently well acquainted
with it to know that it occurs in the tragedy of Hamlet) and is the
Ghost’s description of poison. The particular poison to which it relates
they also know to be hebenon or henbane, but perhaps nobody before
reading it as quoted in the foregoing advertisement, had any idea that
it was likewise applicable to the medicine employed in the Hygeian
system of James Morison. It did not indeed, need a ghost come from
the grave to tell us that people were generally aware that Morison’s
medicine is professed to be of a vegetable nature, and also that there
[ is such a substance as the extract of henbane or hyoscyamus, which is
poisonous, but few. if any, ever heretofore supposed that extract from
j a noxious herb to be the vegetable matter out of which Morison’s
Universal Yegetable Pills are made. If “ Shakspeare on poisons”
wrote the lines “ issued by the British College of Health, for the Society
of Hygeists,” as we are told that he _ did, “ anticipating the Hygeian
system of James Morison the Hygeist,” it would seem that, accord-
ing to the Society of Hygeists and the British College of Health, the
“juice of cursed hebenon in a vial” and a box of Morison’s Pills
are virtually the same thing; perhaps that the pills are simply the
inspissated juice of the hebenon. If this is so, the authors of the
advertisement which is the subject of these remarks, deserve great
credit for their very disinterested candour, whereimto the public is
indebted for a salutary caution which will, we trust, be posted as it
ought to be in golden letters at least throughout every city in Her
Majesty’s dominions. Thus forewarned the British Public would be
in no danger of drugging themselves with a “leperous distilment ” cal-
culated to produce those frightful effects on the system, and especially
the circulating fluid, which are mentioned by “ Shakspeare on poisons,
anticipating the Hygeian system of James Morison, the Hygeist.”
A POLICEMAN WORTHY OP PROMOTION.
On Wednesday last, at the Westminster Police Court, a lad, eighteen
years of age, was brought up before Mr. Paynter, charged with
robbing his master of muffins. On being searched, no less than fourteen
muffins were found in different pieces in his pockets. “ What is this
boy ? ” inquired the Magistrate. “ A Ragamuffin ! ” was the instan -
taneous reply of a Policeman present. As a proof how very little
reporters in general understand their business, will it be believed that
in not one of the reports that appeared in the next morning’s papers
did the brilliant definition of that worthy functionary (Z. 451) appear ?
In the hope that it may lead to his speedy promotion, we beg to supply |
the omission. Commissioner Mayne, mind you look to it!
Q. and A.
Why is the Standard like Queen Anne ?
Because it is generally believed to be dead.
BRIGHTON, APRIL 21, 1862.
Adjutant (mounted). “ Don’t fall out, whatever you do. Don’t fall out, Mr. Duffles. Double up! double up/”