May 13. 1833
Food — Medicine — Poison — Obstruction
1. That which is digested wholly, and part of which is assimilated, and part rejected, is—Food.
2. That which is digested wholly, and the whole of which is partly assimilated, and partly not, is—Medicine.
3. That which is digested, but not assimilated, is—Poison.
4. That which is neither digested nor assimilated is—Mere Obstruction.
As to the stories of slow poisons, I cannot say whether there was any, or what, truth in them; but I certainly believe a man may be poisoned by arsenic a year after he has taken it. In fact, I think that is known to have happened.