o'ler matches of common phosphorus, took a decoction of them in coffee, ad died from the effects.

Amorphous phosphorus is easily recognized by its red color and inibility at the temperature of boiling water. When a mixture containing it is heated to about 500° F., it burns like common phosphorus, and Veld similar products. It is insoluble in all liquids, and by its inability in disulphide of carbon it is distinguished and separated from common phosphorus. It has neither color nor taste, and is not luminous in the dark.

[IODINE.

Simptoms. From experiments on animals, as well as from observations of its effects on man, iodine has a strong local action as an irritant on the mach and bowels.

In large doses, it occasions a burning heat in the throat, severe pain in the abdomen, with vomiting and purging, the vomited matters having Le peculiar odor of iodine, and being of a yellow color, except when any farinaceous food has been taken, in which case they are blue, or even Mack.

The fecal matters may also contain free iodine if the poison has been taken in the solid state. Besides these symptoms, there is a great thirst, with anxiety, headache, giddiness, trembling, and convulsive movements of the limbs, and fainting, these last symptoms indicating that the poison Las become absorbed. When taken for some time in small doses, it gives fise to salivation, vomiting, purging, pain in the stomach, and cramps; the pal-e becomes small and frequent; there is a general wasting of the bdy, and it has been observed that, in this form of chronic poisoning, ertain glands are liable to become affected and diminished by absorption -the breasts in the female, and the testicles in the male. Iodine produces these secondary effects (iodism), whether it is taken internally or applied externally. A woman swallowed by mistake one drachm of iodine disved in an ounce of alcohol. When seen soon afterwards, she complained of a violent pain in the throat or stomach, followed by retching and slight vomiting; the pulse was rapid and full, the eyes prominent and suffused. Vomiting, promoted by diluents, brought no relief to the ymptoms.

She became much depressed, and died on the following day. There was Lo examination of the body. (Prov. Jour., June 30, 1847, p. 356.) For ease of recovery after half a drachm had been taken, see Med. Times and Gaz., 1861, II., p. 669.

Iodine is rarely used as poison. In 1864 an attempt was made by a woman to poison a fellow-servant by mixing tincture of iodine with food a plate. The remarkable discoloration of the farinaceous food which it duced led to suspicion and prevented any ill effects from following. Idiae gives a blue, green, or dark color to the most organic liquids, and aparts to them a peculiar odor. It stains the skin and other organic bstances yellow, the color being removed by an alkali. When in rong solution, it is corrosive, and destroys the parts which it touches; in this state it has been maliciously employed for throwing on the person. Appearances. As this is an irritant as well as a corrosive poison, the ing membrane of the gullet, stomach, and intestines is found inflamed and excoriated. In one instance the mucous membrane near the pylorus Was corroded, and detached in a space of two or three inches.

Analysis. The odor is in general sufficient to identify it. This may be concealed by alkalies or alkaline substances. When heated, it sublimes

as a purple vapor. The addition of a cold solution of starch pr blue color, but many substances prevent this reaction. It is ver in disulphide of carbon, forming a rich pink solution.

The sulphide has the property of removing it from water o liquids in which it is dissolved.

It may thus be separated for chemical examination, by deca watery liquid from the sulphide, which, on evaporation, leaves t in crystals. Chloroform, a good solvent of iodine, may be substi the sulphide.]

DEATH.-FATAL DOSE.-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.-ARSENITES.—ARSENIC ACID.-ORPIMENT AND OTHER COMPOUNDS.

White Arsenic.-Arsenious Acid.-This substance, when freshly prepared by sublimation, exists in the form of vitreous or glassy arsenic in mi-transparent white masses, which gradually become opaque on exposure to air and light. More commonly it is met with in commerce as the white arsenic or arsenic of shops, in the form of a white powder, not nlike flour in appearance, but visibly crystalline when examined with a as. It is almost tasteless, and hence may be readily introduced unpereived, and in large quantites, into most ordinary articles of food and drink It is sparingly soluble in cold water, a wineglassful of which will dissolve a fatal dose; but it is much more soluble in many other liquids. Arsenic, as it is sold to the public in small quantities, is required to be mixed either with 1-16th part of its weight of soot, which gives to it a grayish color, or with 1-32d part of its weight of indigo, and then it is blue. Sometimes, in place of indigo, ultramarine is improperly employed as a coloring. When ultramarine is used, the article is decolorized by all acid liquids, and by the gastric juice.

their

Symptoms of Acute Poisoning. The symptoms produced by this poison vary according to the form and dose in which it has been administered. The time at which they usually come on is generally in from half an hour to an hour after the poison has been swallowed; but they may appear arlier or much later. In a case in which sixty grains of white arsenic Lai been taken on an empty stomach, no symptoms appeared for two Lours; in another, that occurred to Lachèse, in which a large dose was asen, there were no symptoms for seven hours. (Ann. d'Hyg., 1837, T. 1. p. 344. See also Med. Chir. Rev., 1854, p. 294.) And in a third appearance was protracted for ten hours. [Dr. Wood cites a case where a drachm had been swallowed, and the symptoms of poisoning ere delayed for sixteen hours. (U. S. Dispensatory, 1865, p. 26.)] The maximum period yet known is eighteen hours. (Seidel.) In all es in which arsenic enters the system from without, as by its applicaon to the skin, or to ulcerated or diseased surfaces, the symptoms are rarely manifested until after the lapse of some hours or even days. The person first experiences a feeling of sinking or faintness, depression, sea followed by sickness, with an intense burning pain in the region of the stomach, usually but not invariably increased by pressure. The pain in the abdomen becomes more and more severe; and there is violent Vomiting of a brown turbid matter, mixed with mucus, and sometimes reaked with blood. These symptoms are followed by purging, which is

122

ARSENIC CHRONIC POISONING.

more or less violent, and this generally accompained by severe c the calves of the legs. At the trial of Mrs. Maybrick (Reg. v. Maybrick, Liverpool Sum. Ass., 1889) the absence of cramps in t and tenderness at the pit of the stomach was asserted to negative clusion that the deceased died from arsenic; but the prisoner was [which, however, should have no weight upon the question, as th has been generally criticised. The Home Secretary commuted tence, in response to an almost overwhelming popular demand an more remarkable, over the protest of the trial judge, a very unusu rence in England]. The matters discharged from the stomach an have had in some instances a yellowish color, as it was supposed partial conversion of the poison into sulphide, but more probably admixture of bile. The vomited matters are in some cases colo blood, and the mixture of blood with bile has often given to them yellow, or brown color. In other cases they may consist of a large of mucus ejected in a flaky state and having a milky-white appear if from admixture with the poison. The color of the vomited mat be blue or black when colored arsenic has been taken; or the ad of bile may render them of a deep-green color. The vomiting is in violent and incessant, and is excited by any liquid or solid taken stomach. There is tenesmus (straining), and the discharges bowels are frequently tinged with blood. There is a sense of cons with a feeling of burning heat in the throat, commonly accompa the most intense thirst. The pulse is small, very frequent, irregu sometimes wholly imperceptible. The skin is cold and clammy stage of collapse; at other times it is very hot. The respiration is from the tender state of the stomach. There is great restlessn before death stupor sometimes supervenes, with paralysis, tetanic sions, or spasms in the muscles of the extremities. In one instance (lockjaw) appeared in three-quarters of an hour. (Orfila.) In severe and prolonged nervous symptoms, among the most promi which were epileptoid fits. (Marshall) Although pain is in among the early and well-marked symptoms, arsenic appears i cases to destroy sensibility. In a case in which the stomach was intensely inflamed after death, the patient complained of no pain the time which she survived. In some cases purging is absent. the patient live for a few days, paralysis is a not uncommon sympto to neuritis like that met with in chronic alcoholism. Melanosis h rarely observed. (Correspondenzbl f. Schweizer Aertze, 1890, N [Prof. Reese, a very high authority, has said that cases of poison arsenic present the greatest possible variety in the character, combi and severity of the symptoms, most frequently being those just de

In a second class they present those of collapse, with extreme tion of strength, a cold, clammy skin, a frequent, almost imper pulse, or one as low as thirty to forty beats per minute.

A third class, marked by the patient falling into a profound sleep terminates in a fatal coma.]

Chronic Poisoning.-Should the person recover from the first and the case be protracted, or should the dose have been small a ministered at intervals, there will be tarsal irritation, inflammation conjunctivæ, with suffusion of the eyes and intolerance of lighttions which are, however, often present among the early symptoms described. There is also irritation of the skin, accompanied by a ve eruption which has been called eczema arsenicale. Sometimes th

POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES.

123

assumed the form of nettle-rash or of the eruption attending scarlet fever. Tese conditions may, however, not all be present. Local paralysis, celed by numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes, and other simptoms of nervous disorder, are also common consequences. Exfoli

on of the cuticle and skin of the tongue, and falling off of the hair, Lave likewise been witnessed. Salivation has been observed to follow, especially when small doses of the poison have been given for a length of e. (Med. Gaz., vol. xvi., p. 790.) Strangury and jaundice have been ticed among the secondary symptoms. (Marshall on Arsenic, pp. 44, III.) At Hyères, in 1888, an alarming outbreak of arsenical poisoning urred, the poison having been accidentally introduced into wine, which was drunk by many persons for a considerable time. The symptoms at The outset were those of dyspepsia, with nausea, vomiting, and purging; Fut nausea and vomiting were not invariable. The gastro-intestinal symps generally disappeared in a few days. There was dryness of the Leith, loss of appetite, a sense of constriction at the pit of the stomach, L1 wasting. Bronchial irritation was marked, with scanty secretion of us. There were pains in the limbs and oedema of the joints. The lar reflexes were weakened or abolished.. Wandering pains were felt a various regions, and headache, and the sense of touch was diminished. A garlicky taste was felt in the mouth, but the sense of taste was not mini-bed. The vision was disturbed, and the conjunctiva of the eye as inflamed. There were scaly eruptions on both surfaces of the hands and feet. Of 63 reported cases, 30 were slight, 18 serious, and 15

tal. Arsenic is not an accumulative poison; it is temporarily deposited in e organs after absorption, but is rapidly eliminated by the urine; and in two to three weeks, if the person survives, the whole of that which 5 been absorbed may be removed from the body. Occasionally arsenic ay be detected in the organs, especially the bones, after a longer period. R C. Maclagan states that he has found it passing out of the body by the be as early as three-quarters of an hour after it had been taken. (Ed. Vet Jour., 1864, II. p. 200.)

Appearances after Death -The principal changes produced by arsenic. generally confined to the stomach and bowels. They are commonly marked in proportion to the largeness of the dose, and the length of The that the person has survived after taking the poison. Attention must rst directed to the stomach. Arsenic seems to have a specific effect on organ; for, by whatever channel the poison may have entered into system, whether through a wounded, diseased, or ulcerated surface, by the act of swallowing, or when introduced into the rectum or vagina, Le stomach has been found inflamed. The mucous membrane of the mach is sometimes partly detached, and is covered with a layer of eas, mixed with blood or bile, and with a thick, white, pasty-looking >bstance containing arsenic. It is commonly found red and inflamed in "ed or striated patches, extending between the two apertures: the sor, which is of a dull or brownish red, becomes brighter on exposure the air; at other times it is of a deep crimson hue, interspersed with k-looking lines or patches of altered blood. The redness is usually strongly marked at the greater end of the stomach; in one case it be found spread over the whole mucous surface, giving to it the earance of red velvet; in another it will be chiefly seen on the promiPres or folds of the membrane. In one instance the coats were kened and of a gelatinous consistency, without any marked inflammaty redness. The stomach has been found highly inflamed in a case