.|S: M.C. Notification Criticized To the Editor of the "Nommi-Cunsa Dany News", Su—The suggestion to control the sale of poison crops up about every 10 oF 15 years in Shanghai.
'AS one with about 50 years experience in the drug and chemical trade (34 years in China), I might be permitted to say a few words regarding this subject, as T did on "armer The reason for bringing up this problem at present was the suicide of person with potassium cyanide.
To prevent suicides the control of poison regulations have as little value jas would have the fencing in of waterways to prevent people from drowning themselves. There are many more convenient ways than poison to fend voluntarily a life that seems not worth living. Jumping off a roof garden, cutting one's arteries with razor blades, hanging oneself, shooting oneself, poison oneself with the gas company's product, ete. all of which might logically justify the sales coatrol of razor-blades, "rope and gas. This of course is absurd, but. so Is poison control for one who knows Something about it. "Has the control of opium sales prevented ils use for suleldal purposes cal poison is used in fewer cases of suicide than most other methods. But poison is for laymen a mysterious word, while those in this business merchants or professionally know that hundreds of varieties of poison sold every. day. many of "these ton. fots.. without any accidents happening. "Professional law-makers unfortunately seldom consider the consequences of their interference with trade, The notification No, 5900 (ordered what authority and when begin ing? if carried out efficiently. will be complicated. expensive and nevertheless ineffective. A number of inspectors will have to be appointed, who 9s professional men should get a gold. salary, just ax the lawyers get.
will not go into details, but mention only the problem of" bottles uted vertically with ribs or grooves. Such bottles are little known educational campaign Wuired to make the pur-Bottles are a problem adays, with all material going ito bottle-making' about 10 times as expensive as afew years ago and coal at prohibitive prices.
The making of a bottle requires a special mould, which also is "expen: sive. It takes time fo make the bot les. and the seller of poison. will have to ask the buyer to. bring his own bottle, which perhaps the Coun: cil will provide free of charge as Part of accident prevention service and poison control. To provide the money taxes may be increased some more. It is obvious that otherwise the cost of poisons to the consumer will have to be increased considerably. as is the case with every inter ference with trade by perhaps well-meaning officials unfamiliar with the Fealities of life whose' salaries are paid in any ease by the taxpayers.
closing I cannot help wonder-why a fuss is made over one oF a few people who voluntarily shorten their period of life for reasons of their own, when millions of money are spent to do away with thousands people who would like to live in peace.
Shanghai. July 26, A Reply to Mr. Schloten Editor of the Nowri-Cinxa Datty News"
—Mr. H. Scmoren's letter, eri elling the SALE, regulations con. cerning the sale of poisons and dangerous drugs, contains certain statements which are at such yanan with actual facts that T'must refute them "in the interests "of public welfare, He says, "Real poison is used fewer cases of suicide than most other methods" "Let us look at the figure: {or attempted suicides treated in the Lester Hospital during 1939. Out of a total of 1,198 attempted suicides, 481 were due io opium and 479 were due to other poisons, that is 80 per cent. were due' to" poisons, and alt ing, ut throat, Jumping. from buildings, fete, composed just 20 per cent.
Tie maintains that the control of poisons has little value in the prevention of suicide. Again, this does well aware that the prevention 9f suicide is a. most difficult social and! psychologist problem and that the Control of poisons wilt not stop people attempting suicide, but it will Tot (o prevent. attempted suicides ing themselves, as the following stances will she few years ago one of the favour-methods of committing suicide Was by. the eating of match heads containing yellow phosphorus, and the percentage mortality from this poisoning was very high. When the regulation forbidding the sale matches containing the very deadly yellow phosphorus was made, people still went on attempting suicide by feating motel heads, but none of them ied. To this day we get quite a number of people attempting. suicide this method, but none of them) ever dic.
the last few months, the price of opium and the Barbitone grown fof poisons has gone up very consider ably, making it very dificult for 1 man' or woman conicmplating suicide be able to afford a poisonous dose of these drugs. The result has been That Wwe have noticed an increase in the pereentaxe of the cheaper, but fortunately less lethal ways of com: mitting suicide, such as jumping into the Whangpoo. showing quite clearly that if for any reason poisons are micro dificult to get, either because Jo civic regulations or because of cost, the number of attempted suicides making use of poisonous drugs is also The rest of Mr. Scutoren's letter:
[bemoans the fact that the regulations [are going to be inconvenient to follow and" that the "price of "proper uted "poison bottles Is now. very' high, T should like to point out two facts. Responsible "hospitals and chemists always dispensed poisons to do 50 by for the very nus feason that poisons are dangerous. "Only last month 1 saw woman who had swallowed stret Ihydroehtorie acid by mistake, because it was in a plain bottle, and she} thought it was drinking water, 'Point No. 2:—if th tions make' it dificult and expensive retail poisons and so reduce the sale of poisons in Shanghai, that precisely' what is wanted both by the EME. and also by' all responsible people interested in the public we are.
Facts are facts, and if Mr. Scmorex going to be inconvenienced by' the new poison regulations, we are' sorry. thal" ignorance, laziness and ested interest cannot stay the march' Jor progress even in Shanghai.
A. Coren, Shanghai, July 27.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.