Sulphate of Zinc. White Vitriol.-Symptoms and Appearances.— The symptoms produced by an overdose of sulphate of zinc are a styptic taste, pain in the abdomen, and violent vomiting, coming on almost immediately, followed by purging. After death the stomach has been found izdamed. The sulphate appears to act as a pure irritant, and has no corrosive properties. This salt may cause death indirectly as the result of exhaustion from violent vomiting, when an ordinary dose has been given to a person already debilitated by disease. It does not appear to be a very energetic poison. In one case a lady recovered after taking ty-seven grains. (Lancet, 1856, i. p. 540.) In another, which occurred in 1872, a man, æt. 20, recovered in a few days after taking an ounce of alphate of zinc by mistake for Epsom salts. There was early vomiting and purging of a most violent kind, with great prostration of strength. The greater part of this large dose was no doubt thus quickly carried out of the body. Chloride of Zinc.-Symptoms and Appearances.-This, which is commonly sold under the name of "Sir W. Burnett's fluid," is a corrosive and irritant poison, and is much used as a deodorizer. The patient experiences Aseuse of heat and burning in the mouth and throat, in the act of swalbowing the liquid, which has been frequently fatally mistaken for fluid znesia. There is a burning and griping pain in the stomach and Lausea, followed usually by violent retching and vomiting--the vomited matters being streaked with blood and mixed with much flaky mucus and shreds of mucous membrane. This has produced an appearance of frothiness about the mouth. Violent purging has been observed among the ymptoms. A stage of collapse supervenes, and the skin becomes cold and livid. A man, æt. 62, took two fluidounces of soldering fluid, made by dissolvz zine in hydrochloric acid-and hence a solution of chloride of zinc. An emetic was given without effect, and he speedily became collapsed. There was profuse purging. A little scanty urine was drawn off by a catheter. He retained his intellect until death, four hours and a half after aking the poison. Crosse found after death the tongue white and shrivelled, and the mucous membrane of the mouth as if charred. The allet was contracted, with the mucous membrane white, silky, and easily Setached. The stomach was contracted and rugose, the mucous membrane ng of an ashy-gray color, with black patches. The stomach contained hloride of zinc and free hydrochloric acid. The whole of the bowels were hardened and contracted, the mucous membrane thickened and gray in lor-the duodenum and upper part of the jejunum especially so. (Brit. Mi Journ., 1883, ii. p. 820.) After death from this poison, the lining membrane of the mouth and throat has been found white and opaque-that of the stomach has somethes been hard and leathery, at others corrugated, opaque, and of a dark den color. The lungs and kidneys are congested. The chloride is th a corrosive and irritant poison, exerting also a peculiar action on the nervous system. If a person survives the acute stage, he may die in the chronic stage from stricture of the gullet or pylorus, or from emaiation and exhaustion as a result of the local action of the poison on this Analysis. In these two compounds, the zine is detected by their aqueous solutions giving white precipitates with a current of sulphuretted Lydrogen gas, while the sulphuric acid or the chlorine may be recognized 160 PREPARATIONS OF IRON AND CHROMIUM. by their respective tests. Metallic zinc may be obtained by plung a weak solution of the salt a slip of magnesium. PREPARATIONS OF IRON. Ferrous Sulphate. Sulphate of Iron. Copperas. Green V This compound has been administered with malicious intention death from it took place in 1837 or 1838. It cannot, howeve active preparation; for a girl who swallowed an ounce of it re although she suffered for some hours from violent pain, vomit purging. (Christison.) Green vitriol, or copperas, is sometim as an abortive. A woman of the name of Riley was indicted ( ham Aut. Ass., 1859) for administering copperas to two childre put the substance into gruel. It gave to the gruel a greeni and a peculiar taste, which led to the discovery. It caused sick no other serious symptoms. As there was no evidence of an i murder, and as it was then not unlawful to administer poison v other intent, the prisoner was acquitted. This salt has been mu for criminal purposes in France. (See Med. Gaz., vol. 47, p. 30 Ann. d'Hyg., 1850, vol. 1, pp. 180, 516; and 1851, vol. 1, p. 155 p. 337.) Ferric Chloride. Muriate of Iron. Perchloride of Iron usually met with as an acid solution in water or in rectified spirit. solutions are of a red-brown color, and are much employed as n They are sometimes made with wood-spirit or methylated spirit gives to them a peculiar odor. Christison relates an instance in man, by mistake, swallowed an ounce and a half of such a liqui symptoms are somewhat like those produced by hydrochloric acid. first rallied, but died in about five weeks. The stomach was fou tially inflamed, and thickened toward the intestinal end. The s solution of the British Pharmacopoeia is very potent when swallo patient in Guy's Hospital swallowed in mistake a fluid drachm of t tion, and was strongly purged by it in a few minutes. Comparatively small doses of these solutions may seriously affe nant women; and among the criminal uses to which they have b may be mentioned that of procuring abortion. A druggist was co (Reg. v. Rumble, Lincoln Lent Assizes, 1863) of having supplied chloride to a woman with the intent to procure her miscarriage health of the woman was greatly injured by the administration liquid. The editor has met with several instances of the administr ferric chloride to pregnant women with the view of procuring ab and for this purpose it is commonly combined with aloes. PREPARATIONS OF CHROMIUM. Bichromate of Potassium, or Bichromate of Potash.-Well-o instances of poisoning by thic compound, which is now extensive in the arts, are rare; and therefore the details of the followin (Med. Gaz., vol. 33, p. 734) are of interest. A man, æt. 64, was dead in his bed twelve hours after he had gone to rest; he had beer to snore loudly, but this had occasioned no alarm to his relatives. discovered, he was lying on his left side, his lower limbs being drawn up to his body; his countenance was pale, placid, and com the eyes and mouth were closed and the pupils dilated; there was charge from any of the outlets of the body; and there were no s PREPARATIONS OF CHROMIUM-ANALYSIS. 161 comiting or purging, nor any stain upon the hands or person, nor upon the bed-linen or furniture. The surface was moderately warm. Some dye-tuff, in the form of a black powder, was found in his pocket. On inspecthon, the brain and its membranes were healthy and natural; there was either congestion nor effusion in any part. The thoracic viscera were ealthy, as well as those of the abdomen, with the exception of the liver, saich contained several hydatids. A pint of turbid, inky-looking fluid was Sound in the stomach. The mucous membrane was red and vascular, particularly at the union of the greater end with the gullet; this was ascribed to the known intemperate habits of the deceased. In the absence of any bvious cause for death, poison was suspected; and on analyzing the contents of the stomach they were found to contain bichromate of potasSum. The dye-powder taken from the man's pocket consisted of this salt mixed with cream of tartar and sand. The salt does not appear to have arted so much by its irritant properties, as by its effects on the nervous system. This, however, is by no means an unusual occurrence, even with Tritants far more powerful than bichromate of potassium. A boy recovered from the effects of a dose of this salt, but only after the lapse of four months. The first symptoms were pain, vomiting, dilated and fixed pupils, cramps in the legs, and insensibility. His recovery was due to early and active treatment. (Guy's Hosp. Rep., 1850, p. 216.) Another case in which, owing to timely treatment, a man, æt. 37, recovered from a large e of the salt, was communicated to the author. It seems that with saicidal intent the man swallowed about two ounces of the bichromate in solution, mixed with pearl-ash. In about two hours he was seen by Andrews, and he was then apparently in a dying state. He was suffering hiefly from severe cramps, the pupils were dilated, the pulse was scarcely perceptible, and there was vomiting and purging, with greenish-colored evacuations. The stomach-pump was used, and olive oil and diluents were given. In about nine hours the urgent symptoms abated, and the han complained only of great pain in the shoulders and legs. There was o gastric irritation nor tenderness of the abdomen. He was discharged, red, at the end of a week. A woman, æt. 24, died from the effects of is poison taken for the purpose of procuring abortion. The symptoms Were those of an irritant-severe pain, vomiting, and purging. (Horn's Vierteljahrsschr., 1886, 2, s. 113.) This salt, in a state of fine powder, or in a saturated solution, has a al irritant action on the skin and on parts from which the skin has en removed. (Ann. d'Hyg., 1864, 1, 83.) It produces what are called chronic sores," affecting the hands and exposed parts of the face. According to recent observations, workers in chrome factories of which there are only six in the world-suffer from a peculiar irritation of the ptum of the nose, apparently due to the action of bichromate of potasum, which leads to a perforation of the nasal septum (Lancet, 1882, i. P169.) Chromic acid is a powerful corrosive poison, destroying all organic textures. (Pharm Jour., Jan. 1872, p. 568.) Chromate of Lead (Chrome Yellow) is a powerful irritant poison. A de of a few grains of this pigment has proved fatal. (See case of two Boys N. Syd. Soc. Bien. Retrospect, 1873-4, p. 452.) Analysis. The bichromate may be recognized by its orange-red color, well as by the intense yellow color which it gives to water when desolved. Its solution gives a deep red precipitate with nitrate of silver, pale yellow with nitrate of barium, and a bright yellow with salts of bad. The compounds of this metal are now largely used in the arts, & of poisoning by it have occurred. Indeed it has recently been to place it in the official list of poisons in Russia. Uranium sa severe inflammation of the gastro-intestinal mucous membrane the kidneys, and are distinguished from the metallic poisons directly on the walls of the blood vessels, and rendering also t reducible with difficulty. In this respect they resemble prussic ac an abstract of the researches of Woroschilsky in Pharm. Jour., 1 206.) These are the principal metallic irritants; but the compound silver, gold, and osmium have also an irritant action. Cases of ing by these substances are, however, rare. (See ON POISONS, 1875.) VEGETABLE IRRITANTS-ALOES. 163 VEGETABLE AND OTHER IRRITANTS. CHAPTER XV. TEGETABLE IRRITANTS.-ALOES.-GELSEMIUM.-SAVIN.-CROTON-OIL.-CASTOR OIL.-COL CHICUM.-HELLEBORE.-VERATRINE.-CARBOLIC ACID.-RESORCIN.-PETROLEUM.-ANI- General Remarks -The poisonous substances of an irritant nature which belong to the vegetable kingdom are very numerous as a class; but it will here be necessary to notice only those which have either caused death or have given rise to accidental poisoning. Aloes. Colocynth. Gamboge. Jalap. Scammony. These different substances, which are used in small doses as medicines, are liable, when taken frequently or in large quantities, to excite severe vomiting, purging, and other symptoms of irritation. In one case a dose of colocynth (three anyworth) proved fatal to a woman, æt. 22. She was pregnant, and had taken the drug for procuring abortion, for which purpose it is often ed. It operates as a violent irritant. (Pharm. Jour., June 22, 1878, p. 1035.) Christison recorded the death of a young woman from a teaspoonful and a half of the powdered pulp. Roques states that less than sixty grains of the powder, in decoction, has proved fatal; whilst recovery has taken place after three times that amount. (Husemann, Hand. d. Toxicol., p. 625.) Herapiera (Holy Bitter) was formerly a popular aloetic compound, and one death is recorded to have been produced by it in 1837-8. There reason to believe that it is occasionally used for the purpose of proaring criminal abortion. A man was tried and convicted of this offence Rez. v. White, Aylesbury Lent Ass., 1857), and the noxious properties. this compound then became a subject of legal inquiry. The dose, and the condition of the woman to whom it is administered, will of course affect the answer to this question. At the trial above mentioned, it was properly considered to be a noxious substance within the meaning of the atute. The fact that, under the name of Pulvis Aloes cum Canellâ, it was formerly admitted into the British Pharmacopoeia, cannot justify the ischievous uses to which it may be put. Hierapicra is a snuff-colored Powder, of an intensely bitter taste. It consists of four parts by weight of aloes and one part by weight of powdered Canella bark. The proper dicinal dose was formerly fixed at from five to fifteen grains. Its 16arious effects on pregnant women are chiefly due to the aloes. This u specially affects the rectum, and by contiguity, under violent ritation or purging, may affect the uterus. From the taste and color which it imparts to liquids, it is not probable that it could be taken by a Woman unknowingly. |