Hyoscine Hydro-bromide is highly poisonous if administered in an excessive dose, but it is also a powerful anaphrodisiac, as well as a cure for alcoholism and a sedative. If Crippen did indeed kill Cora, it was probably because of an accidental overdose, as Crippen probably used the drug to get her to leave him alone, to stop her drinking and to end her constant affairs with her male friends from the theatre. A short while before Cora vanished; Crippen purchased five grains (300mg) of Hyoscine from a pharmacy in oxford St, such a large amount that it had to be acquired directly from the wholesalers. When the body was found under the house there was approx. 217 grains of hyoscine found in the remains. Since it was the first known murder to use hyoscine, it is highly unlikely that he knew what a fatal dose constituted.
