Klosowski and poison

[protohistorian]

On page 66 of Adam's Trial of George Chapman in a section relating to a search of Chapman's abode, the witness ( George Godley ) relates the following, "I arrested the accused at the Crown public house. I found a number of documents, amongst them being a book of prescriptions which I found in a box room. On the front and back of that book is written S. Klosowski. " I cannot find this book in the records. If this was a book of prescriptions for George the point is mute, if however this was a book of prescriptions from George we have 2 issues to contend with. The first, of course, is that Chapman was not "authorized" to write prescriptions. The second, and perhaps more telling, is that George was "moonlighting" as a de facto physician. Does anyone know or can anyone locate this book? I have looked in the PRO, but I may have been doing it wrong. This object has the capability to transform our understanding of this man and I would be very grateful for the help. Respectfully Dave

[Sam Flynn]

The meaning of "prescriptions" in this sense was almost certainly "recipes/formulas for making medicines", Dave. My great-grandfather (the "quasi-feldscher") had one such book - in his own copperplate handwriting - which showed how to mix chemicals and herbs into potions, tonics and ointments.

[protohistorian]

The meaning of "prescriptions" in this sense was almost certainly "recipes/formulas for making medicines", Dave. My great-grandfather (the "quasi-feldscher") had one such book - in his own copperplate handwriting - which showed how to mix chemicals and herbs into potions, tonics and ointments.

ThanksAgain Sam, but why would Godley say that it went back several years? Recipies would not be time sensitive. Could it be that he had been aquiring recipies for several years?

[Sam Flynn]

Recipies would not be time sensitive. Could it be that he had been aquiring recipies for several years?

My great-grandfather did, Dave.

[protohistorian]

help

My great-grandfather did, Dave.

I can find no record of this object. It is mentioned in Adam's and the old bailey logs, but not as I far as I can tell, at the PRO. It would be very interesting to see those recipes. I suspect something that could be proven or disproven with more data. could/would you once again provide some assistance. Very Thankfully, Dave

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Dave,

The book's contents have not published anywhere to my knowledge - but I imagine it was a fairly standard one, if Godley's later identification of a Pharmacopoeia is anything to go by. To give a dictionary definition, a pharmacopoeia is "a book containing an official list of medicinal drugs together with articles on their preparation and use".

I shouldn't be surprised if this "recipe book" was one of two medical books sold to Klosowski by William Davidson, the chemist in Hastings who had also sold Klosowski the tartar-emetic. The books were still in Klosowski's possession at his arrest, and Davidson identified them at the trial.

[protohistorian]

Hi Dave,

The book's contents have not published anywhere to my knowledge - but I imagine it was a fairly standard one, if Godley's later identification of a Pharmacopoeia is anything to go by. To give a dictionary definition, a pharmacopoeia is "a book containing an official list of medicinal drugs together with articles on their preparation and use".

I shouldn't be surprised if this "recipe book" was one of two medical books sold to Klosowski by William Davidson, the chemist in Hastings who had also sold Klosowski the tartar-emetic. The books were still in Klosowski's possession at his arrest, and Davidson identified them at the trial.

I had read about those. Still picking details out of Adams. K had the reciept for tartar emetic, do we have any idea what other goodies he purchased?

[Sam Flynn]

Just the tartar-emetic, at least as far as is documented - and all that is relevant as far as poisoning his "wife" was concerned. Davidson, as I'm sure you know, recorded the purchase in his "poisons book", as the law required.

[protohistorian]

Just the tartar-emetic, at least as far as is documented - and all that is relevant as far as poisoning his "wife" was concerned. Davidson, as I'm sure you know, recorded the purchase in his "poisons book", as the law required.

I have a better chance of winning the lottery than I do of finding that!

[protohistorian]

I have a better chance of winning the lottery than I do of finding that!

chloroform was first sythesied in 1831, by 1888 it was a relatively common anesthetizing agent. Do we have a grasp on how hard it would have been to get? I know, as far as my thoughts go this is one of the more ridiculous, but it seems a viable avenue to flesh out. Live Strong Dave