ARSENITE OF POTASSIUM.

139

though much changed in appearance by exposure, it yielded a perfect sublimate of octahedral crystals.

It need hardly be observed that the quantity of arsenic found in the stomach or other organs can convey no accurate idea of the quantity actually taken by the deceased, since more or less of the poison may have been removed by violent vomiting and purging as well as by absorption and elimination. A large quantity found in the stomach or bowels indicates a large dose; but the finding of a small quantity does not prove that the dose was small. The value of chemical evidence does not depend on the discovery of any particular quantity of poison in the stomach-it is merely necessary that the evidence of its presence in the body should be clear, distinct, conclusive, and satisfactory. At the same time, a reasonable objection may be taken to a dogmatic reliance upon the alleged discovery in a dead body of minute fractional portions of a grain; and, considering the great liability to fallacy from the accidental presence at that date of arsenic in the articles used for its detection, the chemical evidence in the French case of Madame Laffarge (1840), in which the whole quantity discovered in the dead body was stated to be the 1-130th part of a grain, was of a most unsatisfactory kind, and should have been rejected. No man ought to base evidence on such a minute quantity of poison in a case of life and death.

The condition of the arsenic found in a stomach should be specially noticed. A witness should be prepared to say whether it is in fine powder or in coarse fragments; whether it is mixed with soot or indigo, or whether it is in the ordinary state of white arsenic. These points may be material as evidence in reference to proof of possession, of purchase, or administration. Arsenic is not a normal constituent of the human body. Under no circumstances is it found in the tissues after death, except in cases in which it has been taken or administered during life.

ARSENITE OF POTASSIUM. LIQUOR ARSENICALIS. (FOWLER'S SOLUTION.)-Symptoms and Appearances.-There is a case recorded in which this medicinal solution destroyed life. A woman took half an ounce (= two grains of white arsenic) in divided doses, during a period of five days, and died from the effects. There was no vomiting or purging, but after death the stomach and intestines were found inflamed. (Prov. Jour., 1848, p. 347.) A mixture of arsenic, soft-soap, and tar-water is largely used in agricultural districts for killing the fly in sheep. This has caused death, under the usual symptoms of arsenical poisoning, in at least two In 1874 the Coombs family, consisting of eight persons-the father, mother, and six children-were all poisoned by drinking water from a bucket which had contained an arsenical sheep-dipping composition. The mother and three of the children died. The symptoms produced were unusual-diarrhoea being a less prominent symptom than vomiting. The poison appeared to exercise a profound impression upon the nervous system, producing tetanic spasms and convulsions. An arsenical rash was a characteristic of the severest and fatal cases. bodies of the mother and one child the editor detected arsenic. The bodies of the other two children were not examined for poison. Analysis. The solution has the odor of tincture of lavender, is of a reddish color, and has an alkaline reaction. One fluidounce of it contains 4 grains of arsenious oxide. It gives a green precipitate (arsenite of copper) with sulphate of copper and a yellow precipitate with nitrate of silver. Acidulated with hydrochloric acid, and treated with a current of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, it yields a yellow sulphide; and, when boiled

In the

140

FLY-WATER-ARSENITE OF COPPER.

with that acid and pure copper a deposit is obtained which readily furnishes, by heat, octahedral crystals of arsenious oxide.

FLY-WATER is a name applied to solutions of various arsenical compounds in water. Mixtures of this kind are formed by dissolving one part of the arsenite of sodium or potassium and two parts of sugar in twenty parts of water. Paper soaked in this solution, and dried, is used for killing flies under the name of Papier moure; and perhaps this is the safest form in which arsenic can be used for such a purpose. The editor has found the fly-papers of commerce to contain from 7 to 10 grains each of arsenious acid in a soluble form. In 1884 two women were convicted (Reg. v. Flannagan and Higgins, Liverpool Winter Ass., 1884) of the murder of four persons by means of infusions of such paper. (Brit. Med. Jour., 1884, i. pp. 419, 469.)

ARSENITE OF COPPER. SCHEELE'S GREEN.

EMERALD GREEN. This

It is also

is a metallic arsenite, met with in commerce and the arts; and it constitutes, wholly or in part, a great variety of green pigments employed for paper-hangings, known as emerald green (aceto-arsenite of copper), mineral green, Brunswick, Schweinfurt, Vienna, or Paris green. found in the form of oil-paint, forming cakes in boxes of water-colors, spread over confectionery, in wafers, on adhesive envelopes, in wrappers for chocolate, isinglass, etc., and lastly, and most abundantly, in various kinds of green decorative papers used for covering the walls of sitting and bedrooms

Although this compound is insoluble in water, it is sufficently soluble in the acid mucous fluids of the stomach to be taken up by the absorbents and carried as a poison into the blood. Roussin has traced the means by which the insoluble poison finds it way through the skin, and the circumstances under which it may be absorbed by the unbroken skin. In two cases which proved fatal in 1865, the workmen suffered chiefly from vomiting and colicky pains. The skin was tinged of a green color and arsenic was detected in the soft organs. He found that all poisons were liable to be absorbed by the unbroken skin when, as a result of evaporation, a solid film was left on the surface. Alcohol and other solvents of fat, when used as solvents for the poisonous solid, would favor its absorption into the body. (Ann. d'Hyg., 1867, pp. 179, 182.)

In a case which was the subject of a criminal trial, the substance was proved to have caused the death of a gentleman by reason of its having been employed to give a rich green color to some blanc-mange served at a public dinner-the person who employed it considering that emerald or mineral green was nothing more than an extract of spinach, which is commonly employed for coloring confectionery and ices. It led to death under the usual symptoms, and the parties were convicted of manslaughter. (Reg. v. Franklin and Randall, Northampton Sum. Ass., 1848.)

The symptoms of poisoning that have been observed in persons who have inhabited rooms of which the walls were covered with this arsenical compound are as follows: dryness and irritation of the throat, bronchial cough, irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes and nostrils, languor, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, colicky pains, numbness, cramp, irritability of the bowels attended with mucous discharges, great prostration of strength, a feverish condition, and wasting of the body. These symptoms may not all present themselves in any one case; they are derived from the examination of numerous cases. No suspicion of the cause has in many instances been entertained until ordinary treatment had failed to impart relief and an analysis of the paper had been made. The connection of the symptoms with this cause appears to have been in some instances

SULPHIDES OF ARSENIC.

141 elearly established by the fact that, after the removal of the paper, especially from bedrooms, the symptoms have disappeared. (Brit. Med. Jour., 1876, ii. p. 653; also, 1877, i. p. 8.) Yet comparatively few of those who are exposed suffer from symptoms of poisoning. Various deaths, chiefly among children, from the use of this paper are now recorded; and it is probable that to the noxious practice of covering the walls of our sitting and bedrooms with large quantities of arsenic in loose powder many insidious cases of illness and chronic disease may be referred. Men and women employed in the manufacture of these poisonous pigments suffer severely. Girls employed in making artificial green leaves, in which this substance is used in fine powder, may suffer from inflammation of the conjunctivæ, with thickening and swelling of the eyelids. (Lancet, 1873, i. p. 174.) The precautions now adopted render such cases rare. Children's toys are often colored with this poisonous compound. In one case a child, æt. 5 years, was seized with sickness, diarrhoea, and great depression. The cause of these symptoms was traced to a box of counters colored bright green. The child had imbibed the poison, either by handling or putting the counters into its mouth.

Analysis. For the chemical characters of SCHEELE'S GREEN, see p. 128. The wall-paper pigment called EMERALD GREEN is a mixture of arsenite and acetate of copper. The green color is very intense, even by candle-light. The presence of arsenic in this compound may be easily detected by the test for solid arsenic (p. 130); but the following is a simple method which admits of speedy application: A slip of the suspected paper should be soaked in a moderately strong solution of ammonia. The green color is removed, and a blue compound of copper is formed and dissolved in a few minutes. This result establishes only the presence of a compound of copper soluble in ammonia. If the ammonia does not become blue, there is no compound of copper present; if it does become blue, a large crystal of nitrate of silver should be placed in a white saucer and a small portion of the blue liquid poured over it. The presence of arsenic in the blue liquid is revealed by the production of yellow arsenite of silver over the surface of the crystal.

ARSENIC ACID. ALKALINE ARSENATES.-Arsenic acid is an artificial product almost entirely confined to the chemical laboratory and to the manufactory. Some authors state that it is a more powerful poison than arsenious acid; others, that it is less poisonous. No fatal case of poisoning by it in the human subject has been recorded. The arsenates of potassium and sodium must be regarded as active poisons, although there are but few instances on record in which life has been destroyed by them. Analysis. Arsenic acid is a white, non-crystalline, deliquescent solid. 1. It is very soluble in water, forming a highly acid solution. 2. It is precipitated of a brick-red color by ammonio-nitrate of silver.

SULPHIDES OF ARSENIC.-ORPIMENT, or YELLOW ARSENIC, owes its poisonous properties to the presence of a variable proportion of arsenious acid, sometimes amounting to as much as thirty per cent. of its weight. Orpiment is much employed in the arts, in painting, dyeing, paper-staining, the coloring of toys, and formerly for the coloring of sweetmeats; but it is not often used as a poison. In the exhumation of the bodies of persons who have died from arsenic it is common to find the yellow sulphide in the stomach. White may be converted into yellow arsenic in the dead body, but yellow cannot be changed into white arsenic during putrefaction.

Orpiment produces symptoms and appearances similar to those caused by arsenious acid; but the dose required to destroy life varies according

142

CHLORIDE OF ARSENIC ARSENETTED HYDROGEN.

to the proportion of arsenious acid with which it happens to be mixed. This is not a common form of poisoning; the yellow color of the poison would lead to suspicion; but by reason of this color, orpiment may be given or taken by mistake for mustard or turmeric. The editor has met in his practice with one fatal case. The symptoms differed in no respect from those of a typical case of poisoning by white arsenic. Orpiment is largely used in tanning.

Analysis. The commercial sulphide yields a solution of arsenious acid. on boiling it in water acidulated with hydrochloric acid. It readily gives the well-known sublimates of metallic arsenic, either with soda-flux or cyanide of potassium (see p. 131).

CHLORIDE OF ARSENIC. This is a solution of arsenic in diluted hydrochloric acid, used in pharmacy. It contains 44 grains of arsenious acid in one fluidounce. It is a highly poisonous preparation. In 1857 a woman took, in three doses, thirty minims over a period of twenty-four hours. The quantity of arsenic taken was not more than the tenth part of a grain, and yet the symptoms which followed were of a severe kind, resembling those of chronic poisoning. These were constriction of the throat, pain and irritation of the stomach and bowels, tingling and numbness of the hands and feet, loss of muscular power, and a feeling of extreme depression. The medicine was withdrawn, and the patient slowly recovered. It seems that she had not taken arsenic previously, and there was no evidence of the existence of a peculiar susceptibility to the effects of arsenic. The quantity taken was very small to produce such alarming symptoms. The usual medicinal dose of this solution is from two to eight minims.

Analysis. This compound is the product obtained in the separation of arsenic from organic solids by distillation with hydrochloric acid (see p. 135). It may be tested by the processes of Marsh and Reinsch, as there described. When boiled with fuming stannous chloride, it is decomposed and metallic arsenic of a brown-black color is deposited.

ARSENETTED HYDROGEN. This is a gaseous poison of arsenic, producing when respired, even in small quantity, very serious effects upon the system. It has caused death in several instances among chemists who have incautiously breathed the deadly vapor while performing scientific experiments. Trost has reported three other fatal cases with a full account of the symptoms and appearances. These cases occurred accidentally among workmen engaged in separating silver from lead by means of zinc and hydrochloric acid. The latter was found to contain much arsenic, which escaped with the hydrogen. (Vierteljahrsschr. f. Gerichtl. Med., 1873, 1, p. 269. See ON POISONS. Chem. News, 1863, ii. p. 307.)

MERCURY-CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE.

143

CHAPTER XII.

POISONING BY MERCURY.-CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE.-SYMPTOMS.-CHRONIC POISONING.-APPEARANCES AFTER DEATH.-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.-PROCESS FOR MERCURY IN ORGANIC LIQUIDS.-CALOMEL.-WHITE AND RED PRECIPITATES.-OTHER COMPOUNDS OF MERCUry.

METALLIC mercury is not commonly regarded as a poison. It is usually stated that a large quantity of it may be swallowed without affecting health, or without causing more uneasiness than that which may arise from its great weight. It rapidly passes through the bowels. A case which occurred to Gibb shows that this is not strictly true. For the purpose of causing abortion a girl swallowed four and a half ounces by weight of mercury. It had no effect on the womb, but in a few days the girl suffered from a trembling and shaking of the body (mercurial tremors) and loss of muscular power. These symptoms continued for months, but there was no salivation and no blue mark on the gums. (Lancet, 1873, i. p. 339.) If mercury is breathed or swallowed in a state of vapor, or if applied to the skin or mucous membrane in a state of extreme mechanical division, in which state it appears to be easily susceptible of oxidation, it is liable to be absorbed, and to produce a poisonous action on the body. The effects are principally manifested by salivation, trembling, and involuntary motions of the limbs, loss of appetite, and emaciation. These symptoms are occasionally seen in workmen engaged in trades in which they are exposed to the inhalation of mercurial vapors.

CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE.-This substance has received a variety of chemical names. It has been at various times called Oxymuriate, Chloride, Bichloride, Mercuric Chloride, and Perchloride of Mercury. To prevent any confusion from scientific chemical nomenclature, the old and popular name of Corrosive Sublimate, expressing the principal properties of the substance, is here retained. It is commonly seen under the form of heavy crystalline masses, or of a white crystalline powder. Its taste is powerfully austere and metallic, so that no poisonous quantity of it could be easily swallowed without the person becoming immediately aware of it. Its solutions, even when very highly diluted-1 in 20,000— have an intensely metallic (coppery) taste. It is very soluble in water, hot or cold, and speedily sinks in it, in which properties it differs strikingly from arsenic. At the ordinary temperature it dissolves in about fifteen parts of water; but the poison is more freely soluble in alcoholic liquids and ether. It is largely used as an antiseptic.

Symptoms. The symptoms produced by corrosive sublimate generally come on immediately, or within a few minutes after the poison has been swallowed. In the first place, a strong metallic taste in the mouth, often described as a coppery taste, is perceived; and there is, during the act of swallowing, a sense of constriction almost amounting to suffocation, with burning heat in the throat, extending downwards to the stomach. In a few minutes violent pain is felt in the abdomen, increased by pressure, especially in the region of the stomach. There is nausea, with frequent vomiting of long, stringy masses of white mucus, mixed with blood, attended with severe pain in the abdomen and profuse purging. The countenance is sometimes swollen and flushed; in other cases it has been