# A Poison That Isn't



## Poison_Us (Jun 5, 2010)

I was waiting for something like this to come along to settle this confusion.  This was an article in our last newletter that I think everyone should see. 

 [align=center]A POISON THAT ISN'T
 by Philip Soehnlen

 [align=left]Back in August, 1979, I wrote and article on a bottle that was being sold as a poison when it was nothing of the sort.  now once again I find I must repeat that warning.  In the latest poison book to come out, "Kuhns's Poison Workbook" it identifies a Sharp & Dohme bottle (KH-26 & KH-27), as a poison.

 It would seem that poisons were not the only substance which required an odd shaped bottle to warn people.  This particular bottle contained LAPACTIC PILLS, which were first introduced by Sharp & Dohme in 1882 as a tonic laxative.  Whether or not the bottle was first made in 1882, I can't answer.  It was being produced in 1929 which is the year of the catalog from which this page was taken.  (I put our images at the bottle of this instead of scanning the page)  The unusual shape and color (Amber), warned men, women and children with regular bowel movements of the deadly dehydrating effects of its contents.

 No doubt, there will be some unhappy poison collectors out there when they read this article.  But look at the bright side of it, how many people in your club have a full set of tonic laxatives by Sharp & Dohme?

 I have become aware in the last few years as poisons have gained in popularity, that many novice collectors are picking up many bottles which are not poisons.  Most poisons have unusual shape, color and texture but because a bottle has these qualities does not make it a poison.  If you are not sure of an item, get advice from someone more experienced.

 KH-26







 KH-27






 I have seen the KH-26 in amber, cornflower and clear.  The clear one was of a pharmacy and not Sharp & Dohme. It sold for more that what you would normally find an S&D of this type for and I didn't have the funds to get it.  Wish I at least kept the image of it for our records.


 Another bottle shares this story to a point.  The KV-6.  It too is not a poison.  I posted it in another thread but I will repeat it here to keep this info all together.  Here is the image of an Off-The-Shelf mint example.





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## surfaceone (Jun 6, 2010)

Witching Hour Greetings Stephen,

 I know not what the ingrediants of "Ergotole" might have been, but I do see the root word Ergot, and with much aquinting can make out the term "guinea pig" on the label. I can't remember ever seeing the words "guinea pig" on a medicine.

 I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to poisons, but that Ergot is some spooky stuff.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 "Ergot is caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, which affects rye, wheat and other cereal grasses. When first infected, the flowering head of a grain will spew out sweet, yellow-colored mucus, called "honey dew," which contains fungal spores that can spread the disease. Eventually, the fungus invades the developing kernels of grain, taking them over with a network of filaments that turn the grains into purplish-black sclerotia. Sclerotia can be mistaken for large, discolored grains of rye. Within them are potent chemicals, ergot alkaloids, including lysergic acid (from which LSD is made) and ergotamine (now used to treat migraine headaches). The alkaloids affect the central nervous system and cause the contraction of smooth muscle â€” the muscles that make up the walls of veins and arteries, as well as the internal organs." From.

 Could Ergot poisoning have been the root cause behind the incidents at Salem, Massachusetts of 1691-1692? You can read all about it, even hear about it, back at that last link, but here's the punch line:

 "Toxicologists now know that eating ergot-contaminated food can lead to a convulsive disorder characterized by violent muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, and a host of other symptoms â€” all of which, Linnda Caporael noted, are present in the records of the Salem witchcraft trials. Ergot thrives in warm, damp, rainy springs and summers. When Caporael examined the diaries of Salem residents, she found that those exact conditions had been present in 1691. Nearly all of the accusers lived in the western section of Salem village, a region of swampy meadows that would have been prime breeding ground for the fungus. At that time, rye was the staple grain of Salem. The rye crop consumed in the winter of 1691-1692 â€” when the first usual symptoms began to be reported â€” could easily have been contaminated by large quantities of ergot. The summer of 1692, however, was dry, which could explain the abrupt end of the 'bewitchments.' These and other clues built up into a circumstantial case against ergot that Caporael found impossible to ignore." Also from.






 Meanwhile, I have the sense that there might be a very few poisons in the "book", that aren't. Great point, Stephen.


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## Poison_Us (Jun 6, 2010)

I will never look at my Cheerios the same again. [sm=lol.gif]

 That was also very informative.  Thank you.


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## donalddarneille (Jun 10, 2010)

Wow, that was a shortlived excitement for myself! After reading another post in the Poison forum, I was convinced my KH-27 was a poison due to a link that identified my bottle as a poison. Now humbled and deflated I realize it is just another common proprietary med as I had first assumed...... and we all know what "ASS_U_ME"ing will get you!


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## Poison_Us (Aug 26, 2010)

a bit late on this...

 Your not alone, Donald.  We all take what is written in books as fact, until proven otherwise.  Well, this is one of the "otherwise" moments.  I still show our examples still on our poison page, but they are noted that they aren't to inform anyone who takes time to read.


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