Arsenic Act 1851

Arsenic Act 1851 ^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to regulate the Sale of Arsenic.
Citation	14 & 15 Vict. c. 13
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	5 June 1851
Commencement	5 June 1851 [b]
Other legislation
Repealed by	Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1933
Relates to	Pharmacy Act 1868
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Arsenic Act 1851 ^[a] or the Sale of Arsenic Regulation Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. 13) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed in 1851, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Arsenic was at the time widely used as a pigment and in agricultural products such as sheep dressings; the Act was introduced to address increasing public concern over accidental and deliberate arsenic poisonings. ^[1]

The definition of arsenic for the purposes of the act included "Arsenious Acid and the Arsenites, Arsenic Acid and the Arseniates, and all other colourless poisonous Preparations of Arsenic". The act required those selling such products to maintain a written and signed record of those to whom they had sold arsenic, including the quantity and its stated purpose. It also required that unless the arsenic was to be used for a purpose that would make such treatment unsuitable, for example in medical or agricultural applications, it had to be coloured with either soot or indigo. ^[2] The maximum penalty for breaching the terms of the Act, or providing false information, was £20, ^[3] equivalent to about £13,000 as of 2014. ^[c]

The act did not restrict who was allowed to sell arsenic, as until the Pharmacy Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 121) there was no legal definition of a pharmacist. ^[4] Section 17 of that act provided that "nothing in this Act contained shall repeal or affect any of the provisions" of the Arsenic Act 1851. ^[5]

Subsequent developments

The whole act was repealed by section 31(3) of, and the third schedule to, the Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1933 (23 & 24 Geo. 5. c. 25). ^[6]

The whole act was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by the Poisons Act, 1961. ^[7]

See also

• 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning

Notes

1. The citation of this act by this short title was authorised by section 1 of, and the first schedule to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
2. The Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793.
3. Comparing relative average earnings of £20 in 1851 with 2014. ^[8]

References

1. Crellin & Worthen (2004), p. 116
2. Sale of Arsenic Regulation Act 1851, The National Archives, retrieved 1 May 2012
3. Foxcroft (2006), p. 103
4. Bell (2003), p. 23
5. The Pharmacy Act 1868, section 17
6. Glyn-Jones (1933), p. 106
7. The Poisons Act, 1961, section 21 and Schedule

Bibliography

• Arnold, Thomas James. "Arsenic". Summary of the Duties of a Justice of the Peace Out of Sessions: Summary Convictions. Henry Sweet. V and R Stevens and G S Norton. William Maxwell. London. 1860. Pages 31 to 33.
• Bell, Suzanne (2003), Encyclopedia of Forensic Science , Facts on File, ISBN   978-0-8160-4811-3
• Crellin, John; Worthen, Dennis B. (2004), A Social History of Medicines in the Twentieth Century, Informa Healthcare, ISBN   978-0-7890-1845-8
• Foxcroft, Louise (2006), The Making of Addiction: The 'Use and Abuse' of Opium in Nineteenth-Century Britain, Ashgate Publishing, ISBN   978-0-7546-5633-3
• Glyn-Jones, Hugh N. (1933), The Pharmacy and Poisons Act Explained, Eyre & Spottiswoode
• "The Arsenic Act, 1851". Halsbury's Statutes of England. (The Complete Statutes of England). First Edition. Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd. Bell Yard, Temple Bar, London. 1930. Volume 11. Page 662.
• Lely, John Mounteney. "The Arsenic Act, 1851". The Statutes of Practical Utility. (Chitty's Statutes). Fifth Edition. Sweet and Maxwell. Stevens and Sons. London. 1895. Volume 9. Title "Poison". Pages 1 and 2.