A maid-servant, 31 years of age, after a quarrel with her lover, ate a quantity of bitter almonds. In a few minutes she sighed, complained of being unwell and faint; she vomited twice, and, after about ten minutes more had elapsed, fell senseless and was convulsed. An hour afterwards, a physician found her insensible, the eyes rolled upwards, the thumb clenched within the shut fists, and the breathing rattling, the pulse very slow. She died within an hour-and-a-half from the first symptoms. The autopsy showed the organs generally healthy, but all, save the liver, exhaling a faint smell of bitter almonds. The right side of the heart was full of fluid dark blood, the left was empty. Both lungs were rich in blood, which smelt of prussic acid. The stomach was not inflamed--it held 250 grms. of a yellow fluid, containing white flocks smelling of bitter almond oil. In the most dependent portion of the stomach there was a swollen patch of mucous membrane, partially denuded of epithelium. The mucous membrane of the duodenum was also swollen and slightly red. The contents of the stomach were acid, and yielded, on distillation, hydride of benzole and hydric cyanide. Residues of the almonds themselves were also found, and the whole quantity taken by the woman from various data was calculated to be 1200 grains of bitter almonds, equal to 43 grains of amygdalin, or 2·5 grains of pure hydric cyanide. Poisonous Cyanides other than Hydric and Potassic Cyanides. § 270. The action of both _sodic and ammonic cyanides_ is precisely similar to that of potassic cyanide. With regard to ammonic cyanide, there are several experiments by Eulenberg,[263] showing that its vapour is intensely poisonous. [263] _Gewerbe Hygiene_, p. 385. A weak stream of ammonic cyanide vapour was passed into glass shades, under which pigeons were confined. After a minute, symptoms of distress commenced, then followed convulsions and speedy death. The _post-mortem_ signs were similar to those produced by prussic acid, and this substance was separated from the liver and lungs. § 271. With regard to the _double cyanides_, all those are poisonous from which hydric cyanide can be separated through dilute acids, while those which, like potassic ferro-cyanide, do not admit of this decomposition, may be often taken with impunity, and are only poisonous under certain conditions.