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 oSLSj E IP O 12/ T>o 
 
 OF A 
 
 MEETING OF THE 
 
 MONTREAL NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
 
 P^ A P E R ON 
 
 ARSENICAL POISONING, 
 
 -DUE TO- 
 
 THE COMMERCIAL SND DOMESTIC USES OF 
 
 ARSENIC. 
 
 Re-Printed from the " Montreal Herald " of January 19TH, 1886. 
 
 • ••, ... 
 
 .1' ' • •* • . • • 
 
j^rn j^ is^^jETiitTa- 
 
 -OF THE- 
 
 Natural History Society of Montreal, 
 
 The President, Sir William Dawson, LL.D., F.R.S., in the Chair, 
 
 THE POTLf»WINa TAPER WAS READ BY 
 
 DR. J. BAKER EDWARDS, F.O.S., 
 
 Public Analyst for the Montreal District of Inland Eevenue. 
 
 Mr. PrepiHent and Gentlemen : 
 
 The recent outbreak of the epidenoic of 
 enal pox in our midst, and it-t viworouH 
 extinction, illuntrate mo^t forcibly, firstly, 
 that if tlie knowledge we poaseuM is prac- 
 tically applied dineasemay be euccesnfully 
 com batted and stamjed out; whereas, 
 secondly, it is equally clear that *' preven- 
 tion" would have been ''better than cure," 
 and that had we applied our knowledge at 
 the right time we should have escaped 
 this fatal and injurious calaa.ity. 'J'he 
 ecience of Lygiene is directed to the eradi- 
 cation of preventible disease, and should 
 also, I think, cover preventible loss of 
 life by accident or poihon ; moreover, loss 
 of health should be regarded as next in 
 importance to loi^s cf life. Recent eventti 
 have called my attennon to the careless 
 (if not crimina') use of arsenic sold for 
 domestic purposes as a rat poison, by 
 which eleven persons suffered severe 
 sickness and had their lives endanger- 
 ed in this citv, since whicn 
 a similar case has occurred in Ottawa 
 Five members of a family residing there 
 had an ^qnally narrow escape while eating 
 their Christmas dinner, from the same 
 dargerous weapon, " Kongh on Rats," a 
 poit-oii which contains some 90 per cent, of 
 white arsenic ; a box ofwiich is sold by 
 grocers and druggists for 15 cents, contain- 
 ing enough poison to cause the death of 
 200 jdersons. The law regulating the sale 
 of poisons for the Province of Quebec re- 
 quiren the registration of the sale of 
 ar^enic and arsenical preparations sold as 
 such, but this subt-tance sold under the 
 *' nom de plume" of "Rough on Rats," 
 being " registered trade mark," escapen 
 this restriction. So many accidents arise 
 from its use that some druggists refuse to 
 keep or to sell i:, and representations will 
 Ite made to the Goverumentin c nsequence 
 of these accidents, which will probably 
 restrict or prevent its sale in the future. 
 
 Now that the attention of the pnHlfc has 
 been calltd to this subject, I think it tuay 
 
 be useful to sound the alarm in respect of 
 the extensive and dangerously increasing 
 use of arsenic in manufactures, agriculture 
 and domestic clothing and furnishing, as I 
 believe the public generally is unaware of he 
 extent to which families are ulcousciouh- 
 ty brought into contact with this poison, 
 and thereby become liable to suffer pro- 
 tracted ill-health, or even fatal result. 
 For arsenic is said to have four distinct 
 forms of action, varying with the dose and 
 the mode of admin -itration, and with 
 the s usee ntibi lily or idiosyncrasy of the 
 patient. These tonus of action are known 
 as :— 
 
 1 The acute. 
 
 2. The sub-acute. 
 
 .S. The nervous. 
 
 4. The chronic. 
 
 As some of these eimu'ate forms of dis- 
 ease in inflammatory action, the real cause 
 is often unsuspected. I propose to bring 
 under your attention the danger arising 
 from the handling of arsenic in 
 
 MANUFACTURES, AGRICULTURE AND DOMESTIC 
 
 USES. 
 
 ARSENICAL MANUFACTURES. 
 
 In the smelting of arsenical ores, such 
 as cobalt, nickel, iron and copper, it is 
 well known that the arsenical fumes in- 
 juriously affect the health of the workmen 
 so employed ; and from the tall smoke 
 stacks or giant chimneys of Glasgow, 
 Lancashire and Cornwall, a prevailing 
 steady wind, or current of air will often 
 carry the t^moke contiuning these fumes 
 over a distance of a mile or two, destroying 
 vegetation by the vapor of oxidized sul- 
 phur, and covering hedges, herbage and 
 f>jliage with a fine white hoar fr st of 
 arsenic which proves fatal to sheep and 
 cattle so imprudent or so famished as to 
 pat-take of it. In the manufacture of shot 
 and of glas-J, arsenic is an essential ingre- 
 dient, and is used in large quantities, and 
 the .'^urroujiding air is contatuinated by the 
 fumes proceeding from these furnaces. 
 
 I 
 
 
 a. 
 
I 
 
 r 
 
 In the raanufact'i'i of oil of vitriol from 
 arsetiical pyrites, much danger arises, m- 
 afliiiuch as tlie a'senic remains disfolved in 
 the acid and may thus i»'i«h into the salts 
 made therefrom ; taus Epsom Salts has 
 b^en found to contain arnenic due to 
 impurity, and hydroclil iric or muriatic 
 acid frequently coatuins arsenic from the 
 eamp source. 
 
 A case of extensive poisoning occurred 
 in Lou'ion a few years since, arising from 
 the use of arsenical muriatic acid in the 
 manufacture of bread by Dr. Dagliesh's 
 process, for which rea«ou cream of tartar 
 is now generally substituted la baking 
 powder and in self raising flour. 
 
 In cases, however, where acid phos- 
 phates are substituted for cream of tartar, 
 a danger of the presence of arsenic from 
 the use of impure sulphuric acid still 
 exists. 
 
 I am gla<l, however, to be able to state 
 that after the examinatioi of a large num- 
 ber of samples of bread, baking powder, 
 flour and other bread-tuft-(, I have not 
 found any such contamination in the 
 Montreal district. 
 
 AGRICULTURAL USES. 
 
 Another source of dauijer arises, especi- 
 ally in country districts, from the free use 
 of arsenic and arsenical poisons, such as 
 '• Paris Green" and " London Purple" for 
 the prevention of smut in seed wheat and 
 for the destruction of the potato bug, sheep 
 tick, and other noxious insects. The 
 quantity sold throuiihout the country for 
 this purpose i-i enormous, and leads to its 
 careless han(Uing. This applies especially 
 to '• Paris Green," which is sold in bulk 
 by country stort-keepers to farmers and 
 their households. 
 
 Much loss of poultry and cattle has 
 ensued from this careles-^ness and smie 
 ]o«8 of life. Its free use in England has 
 led to much crime and accident, as the 
 published record for five years ending 1880 
 shows. 
 
 During this period sixty-seven deaths 
 were registered as due to arsenic; of these 
 28 were suicidal, 2 were cases of murder 
 and 37 due to accident or negligence, viz., 
 in fact preventible. 
 
 The unrestricted sa'e of arsenical poiS'.iJ 
 and its careless and superabundant use in 
 country districts has often atiected green 
 crops, such as cabbige, spinach and small 
 fruits, so as to cause illness to those usmg 
 these fruits and vegetables ; but the evil 
 extends b yond this, and will, if persevered 
 in, poison the streams, percolate into the 
 wells, and thus be a source of fatal loss 
 both of man and beast. This danger also 
 arises from the use of arsenical soap for 
 sheep wasaing (before shearing) in streams 
 and brooks, and I am of opiaioa that 
 
 these arsenical poisons shou'd only be sold 
 in sealed packages or boxes, fully labelled 
 with directions for use, and never supplied 
 in bulk to the farmer. 
 
 DOMESTIC USES 01-' ARSENIC. 
 
 I now piss I to the principal subject of 
 interest to vou, viz., the danger of arrieni- 
 cal Moisjn from its domestic usen -. — 
 
 1st. its use as a poison for vermin is at- 
 tended with d.. iger, especially in the dis- 
 guised form of" itough on Rats." Equally 
 HO in the form of " white arsenic," winch ia 
 is liable to be mistaken for cream of tartar 
 or any other white powder, and mixed 
 with fljur may enter into the family naeal 
 by oversight ;'or find its way into malicious 
 hands and tempt to crime, for there is 
 nothing so fatal as opportunity. 
 
 2nd. But even arsenical food is a re- 
 mote danger hs compared with the risks 
 we frequently i;nd unconsciously run of in- 
 haling or absorbing arsenic from arsenical 
 pigments in water tints and wall papers, 
 ulso from clothing but little suspected, 
 such as red fianneis, red maroon and brown 
 
 and glazed 
 cretonnes 
 
 stockings, etc., etc. 
 
 In the last report of the "Massachusetts 
 State Board of Health," the following are 
 enumerated as among tlie "principal 
 sources of domestic poisoning'': — 
 
 Wall papers, glazed papers for wrapping 
 confectionery, patterns and cards for chil- 
 dren in Kindergarten schoole, theatre and 
 concert tickets, playing cards, cover-i of 
 paper boxes, colored labels 
 uamphlet covers, cloiliing, and 
 for furniture, glazed calico curtains, paper 
 collars and cuffs, lini g of hats, artUicial 
 dowers and leaves, children's toys, colored 
 confectionery, aniline dyes, "German fly 
 paper," ''pipier moure," "carpet moth 
 poison," pile carpets, kamptulicon and oil 
 cloths. It is also frequently used in laun- 
 dry starch, paper hangers' paste, calen- 
 dered cotton and gbized linens. 
 
 DANGEt OF WALL PAPERS AND "TINTS." 
 
 Dr. Alfred Swain iaylor, the eminent 
 toxicologist, in his evidence befirethe 
 House of Lords in 1857, first directed the 
 attention of the medical profession to the 
 numerous ca^es of chronic poisoning by 
 arsenic from the use of wall papei-s, es- 
 pecially those flock papers of a green and 
 red cobr, from some of which he obtained 
 as much a^ 14 and 17 grains of arsenic per 
 square foot, and from some Leavy flock 
 papers even 59 per cent by weight of 
 arsenic. In a damp and drying couditioa 
 these papers generate and emit arsen- 
 iuretted hydrogen (Arsenide of Hydrogen) 
 gas, containing 1 grain of arsenic per cubic 
 inch. 
 
 At the time of Dr. Taylor's publication 
 
 some eminent medical men doubted the 
 
 possibi'ity of grave etlects proceeding, as 
 
 I suppoeed, from so minute s cause ; but. 
 
their own experience afterwarHs proved to 
 them the correctness of Dr. Taylor's »f- 
 eertions lAnd further experience disclosed 
 a far more extensive amourit of sutfering 
 fiom tLis cause than had been previouHly 
 supposed. Thus, Dr. Hinds, Dr. Hailey, 
 and Dr. 8au"ders Bruton experienced 
 these effects in their own persons or fami- 
 lies, and on removal of tiie obnoxious paper 
 soon recovered health, and then became 
 active supporters of Dr. Taylor's views. 
 
 In 18T9 Mr. Jabez Hogfr, author of a po- 
 pular work on the microHCope, presided over 
 acomaiittee of inquiry appointed by the 
 Medical Society of London He stales in 
 an interealing brochure on the subject 
 published in the " Journal of Science " 
 for last September [a reprint of which our 
 friend, Mr. E. Murphy, has presented to 
 the library], as follows : 
 
 " In a few weeks, no less than fifty-four 
 ** cai*es of poisoning from arsenical wall 
 •• papers were reported to the committee, 
 " twenty-four of these being from the 
 " families of medical men ! And the dif- 
 *' ference in the symptoms described, 
 ** showed how difficult is the diagnosis of 
 •• such cases where poison is not suspected, 
 " as dirterent individuals show different 
 " degrees of susceptibility and varying 
 "symptoms, one person complaining of 
 " chronic sore throat, another of intiaiiied 
 eyes, and a third of nervous proilration, 
 Some are immediately relieved on a 
 change of atmosphere, and the symptoms 
 only recur on returning to the vitiated 
 room. Others eutfer from na^al catarrh 
 chiefly and get cliillel in the open air. 
 
 ANECDOTE OF THE Ql'EEN AT OSBORNE. 
 
 Mr. Hogg relates the following anecdote 
 of the famous water color artist, Mr. E. H. 
 Corbould, as an illustration of the "highly 
 susceptible" class of patients : 
 
 Mr. Corbould was executing a special 
 work for the Queen at O.^borue, and took 
 rooms at an hotel near the palace. HIm 
 bedroom was damp and the green wall 
 paper much discolored, and he suffered, 
 after passing two nights there, from what 
 he thought a very severe cold in his head. 
 " Her Majesty, ou hearing of his Illness, 
 gave instructions to an attendant to see to 
 his removal to Victoria Cottage, close to 
 Osborne, and to see tuat there was a good 
 fire in his bedroom and plenty of wraps 
 He found, accordingly, on his arrival, a 
 warm room, a cheerful Are, and every 
 comfort." After partaking of a little hot 
 iurandy and water, he glad'y crept into bed, 
 but in a few minutes felt a chil and was 
 glad to pile on another blanket, but in 
 vain, his teeth fairly chattered, sleep was 
 out of the question. He then betiiought 
 himself of his well-lined Spanish cloak and 
 made an effort to reach it ; to his horror he 
 could not move either arms or legs, Le was 
 
 paralyzed 1 He tried to get out of 
 bed, which produced a painful cramp 
 of the b )wels, which was immediately fol- 
 lowed by sickness, soon after which he 
 lost cunscii)usness, and remembered no 
 more of what had occurred. At 8 pm. 
 nexi. morning, hf was awakened by a loud 
 knocking at the door, and was scarcely 
 able to -ay '' Come in," and ask for a cup 
 of tea. In a few minutes the servant rt- 
 (urried with the tea, and pulled ud the 
 blind, he then opened his eyes, and seeing 
 the brilliant green of the bedroom paper, 
 exclaimed, " I am poi-oned," to the great 
 con^^ternation at d surprise of the servant. 
 He explained that he did not refer to the 
 tea, but to the paper, and she left him, 
 wondering still more. On attempting to 
 get out of bed, his legs gave way under 
 him, but he staggered to the window and 
 inhaled the fresh «ir, whii.h soon restored 
 him, and he was able to walk up to the 
 Castle. By the time he arrived every 
 disagreeable symptom had vanished. 
 
 The Queen was waiting for him, and re- 
 marked that he was late, on which he ad- 
 mitted his illness, described his attack, 
 and stated that he had been poisoned by 
 the wallpaper in his bedroom. 
 
 Her Majesty expressed great sympathy, 
 and at once commanded an attendant to 
 have a piece of the pip)er stripped from the 
 wall and brought to her. This was ijub- 
 mitted to chemical analysis and found to 
 be " highly arsenical." 
 
 " This interesting case," says Mr. Hogg, 
 " shows the extraordinary susceptibility of 
 some persona to arsenical poisoning from 
 this source. Tne remarkable activity of 
 the toxic agent may have been g-eatly pro- 
 moted by the tempf^iatwre of the room i^nd 
 t)y the fact of its litiving been now occu- 
 pied fur the first time since repapering and 
 paiuting. 
 
 The poison doubtle.-s entered the circu- 
 lation through the lungs in a gaseous 
 form [hydrogen arsenide], thus producing 
 anasthsia, arrest of the Heart's action and 
 paralysis of the nervous centres. 
 
 In some cases coma and death has en- 
 sued from the same cause. 
 
 In the greater number of cases arsenical 
 poisoning takes place slowly and insidious- 
 ly ; it begins with headache, dry cough, 
 oppressed breaching, giddiness and sieep- 
 lesMiiess J the limbs are painful, feeble, 
 trembling and benumbed. 
 
 In other instances it attacks the surface 
 of the body, cau^iing chronic skin disease, 
 or the fingers and aims are covered with 
 painful sores. 
 
 In an establishment where a hundred 
 young girls were constantly employed 
 making artificial flowers and leave-, the 
 greater number of them suffered from 
 eruptions and painful cracking of tke skin 
 
 r 
 
 , I 
 
 111 
 
 i 
 %' 
 
[ 
 
 if 
 
 i 
 
 II 
 
 of the fingers, and flexures of the arms. 
 Twenty-six of them presented other 
 symptoms of chronic poiHonirji";, and one 
 died after raontlis of great surtering from 
 ulcerations attacking various parts of her 
 body. 
 
 Workmen, while engaged in stripping off 
 old wall papers, containing arsenic, from 
 roomy, are frequently attacked with diarr- 
 hcBJi, and other stomach derangements. 
 
 Hundreds of instances of dangerous iil- 
 nesses have been published from time to 
 time, which fully confirm the reck- 
 iesH use of arsenical pigments in 
 various manufactures and the dan- 
 gers arising therefrom. Scheele's 
 Green consists of one part arsenious 
 acid, two parts oxide of copper. Schwein- 
 furt, Brunswick and Vienna, or Emerald 
 gieen and Paris green are ac?to-ftrsenites 
 of copper. They are all equally ^s poison- 
 ous as white arsenic. 
 
 lu wall paper printing the ars.nical pig- 
 ment is mixed with zinc and some organic 
 matter, causing it to adh*re to the paper, 
 muslin or calico, and on becoming dry the 
 pigment falls about as arsenical dust. 
 Formerly the use of arsenic was confined 
 to green papers, but since the danger of 
 these bas been exposed, green papers are 
 made equally brilliant, contaming no 
 arsenic. These, however, often contam 
 Prussian blue and chronoate of lead, 
 which, though less poisonous tlian arsenic, 
 are apt also to faill off in dust and are un- 
 wholesome materials to be inhaled in this 
 form. 
 
 [a the binding of Dr. Draper's article on 
 green papers, published in the Slate report 
 of Massachusetts for 1872, with samples 
 pasted tlierein in small stripes, it was 
 found necessary todiscontiuae the issue of 
 these samples, as the papers injuriously 
 affected the binders of the volume during 
 the short period of handling them, 
 
 These contained 60, 70 and 264 grains 
 respectively of arsenical poison to the 
 square vard of paper. The papers exhibit- 
 ed in the 1884 report by Prof. E. T. Wood 
 contain few green pigments, but other colors 
 eucti as pink^ drab, red and grey, are found 
 to be arsenical, yielding from 1 or 2 grains 
 up to 60 or 60 grains per square yard of 
 arsenic. 
 
 Thus arsenic is found in glazed and wall 
 papers and cards of every tint, and may 
 also be found mingled with lead in while 
 enamel glaze on cardboard. 
 
 FABRICS. 
 
 Woollen goods are frequently dyed with 
 arsenical, fuc-thine or aniline dye. Glazed 
 calicoes frequently contiiin it in the facing. 
 Muslin and tarlatan used for mosquito 
 curtains and for covering provisions and 
 picture frames, both green and yellow, 
 frequently contain a considerable quantity 
 
 of this poi8)Q. These should be well 
 washed before use, as the dust is most 
 irrita'ing to the eyes, and will surely be 
 distributed about the room. 
 
 AIISKNICAI. CARDS. 
 
 A case is also recorded by Mr. Hogg of 
 a lady who suffered painful soreness of the 
 tips of her finger- extending to the roots of 
 the naila, the tenderness always increasing 
 after playing cards, an amusement of 
 which she was very fond, and she usually 
 preferred green backed cards. By shuffling 
 ihecirds, and holding them in the warm 
 moist fingers a considerable quantity of 
 the arsenical pigment may be detached 
 and absorbed in the course of an even- 
 ing. 
 
 The discontinuance of the use of cards 
 soon caused a disappearance of thoue 
 symptoms and the cause was discovered 
 and avoided . 
 
 In one case upon analysis it was found 
 that each card contained 0.126 grs arsenic, 
 equal to 6J grains to the pack. 
 
 In another case each card contained 
 1.6 grs. equal to 8.3 grs. of arsenic and 47 
 grs* of oxiiie of copper to the pack. 
 
 ARSKNICAL BOOK COVER. 
 
 A curious case la narrated by Dr. Wood, 
 of a child iu Troy, N. Y. State, who made 
 a paint palate of a pamphlet with a bright 
 green cuver, on which he mixed his colors, 
 using a camel's hair brush, which he na- 
 turally, frequently transferred to his lips. 
 The puints were non-arsenical, but un- 
 foitunately the brisrht green cover of the 
 book was highly so, and upjn being thus 
 moistened was washed ofFand ab-iorbed by 
 the lips and tongue. The quantity of 
 arsenic must have b'-en very minute, but 
 circumstances were favorable for absorp- 
 tion, and the child highly susceptible, for, 
 ere he had finished his amusement, he fell 
 into successive convulsion", aud, though 
 antidotes were at once administered (the 
 paints being suspected) he suffered severely 
 for three days, and, only by incessant la- 
 bor, did the physicians save his life. On 
 investigation of the source of the poison, 
 the offending pamphlet, strange to say, 
 was found to be the annual report of the 
 New York Society for the Prevention of 
 Cruelty to Children encased in this pretty 
 green poison-trap cover. 
 
 ARSENICAL GLOVES. 
 
 A gentleman, travelling, purchased in 
 HamtJurg a pair of marine blue gloves. 
 His hands, which became warm, absorbed 
 some of the arsenical pigment, and were 
 soon covered with a peculiar eruption, 
 and he suffered from general weakness. 
 The gloves contained a considerable quaa- 
 tity of arsenic. 
 
 ARSENIOAL RED STOCKINGS. 
 
 A gentleman purchased stockings dyed 
 with aniline red, in New Yorif, and 
 
 I 
 
p> 
 
 6 
 
 travelled to Chica«;o, wearing? these 
 throiiglj the nitjlit. He t'elt a tiiit;linK Hen- 
 Matiun in the bullo.v of the foot, which in- 
 creased, and Rore-4 opened ahoiit the ankle 
 and calf «jf the 1 ^. He applied to Dr. 
 Hurlhurt, of Chicago, who at once pro- 
 nounced it to be due to tlie poinonoun dvc, 
 and Hiuted that he had had Hfiy t^irnilur 
 cases within the previous three niontha. 
 
 The iientletiian was contined to bed for 
 ten dtt_v^, but it whh nix montliH before he 
 entirely recorered frou) the ill ttfct-'. 
 
 ABSENI04L OAMHItlC. 
 
 A lady who purchaHeci a dress, war- 
 ranted to wash and to be " Foulard cani- 
 b ic," with narrow strips of lij;ht and 
 '<ark blue, jiaviiig worn tlie drsHH daily for 
 a week in wiirui weather, cuff'ered from 
 Hicknews, debility, pain in the Htomach, au'l 
 iriH imiiiation of tbe eyes. The drefw, on 
 analysie, was found to contain oae-ualt 
 grain of arsenic to the f-quare foot. 
 
 ARSENICAL, FLY PAPERS. 
 
 Several fatal cases are recorded of chil- 
 dren wlio have tasted the paper or the 
 water set for flies. As this paper contains 
 a ve y soluble salt, viz , arseuite of soda, 
 it IS highly poisonous, causing convulsiuas 
 auQ dea.h in a few hours. 
 
 ARSENICAL TOYS. 
 
 The attraction of bright colors to the eye 
 of the child is well known to the toy maker, 
 Bnd ofli nes induces an excess of pigment, 
 of an '"jurious character, but when we 
 reti . !iow often these pretty things find 
 their w<»y into the teetliing baby's mouth, 
 we recogniz*' the importance of excluding 
 arsenic and chrome yellow from these pig- 
 lueuis. Ar-enic has been fouwd in toy 
 paints, building blocks, India rubber 
 dolls, covers of picture books, and toy 
 candles. 
 
 The latter, used for Christmas trees, are 
 especially dangerous, as the arsenic is dif- 
 fused into the room during burning in the 
 gaseous form, and is inhaled by tlie lungs. 
 A box containing 50 such candles has 
 been found to contain 35 grains of arsenic. 
 Arsenic is also an ingredient in the wicks 
 of telf~cou8um'ng patent candle.". 
 
 ARSENICAL SWEETMEATS. 
 
 I am glad to be uble to state that the u'-e 
 of mineral pigments in fancy sweets has 
 almost become a thing of the past. I have 
 examined a large number of every class 
 of sugar sweets and have met with no case 
 of arsenical or lead pigment in this die- 
 trict ; and the fact of an inspection being 
 regularly made, has had the effect of im- 
 proving the general quality of this class of 
 food. 
 
 I remember a sad case which CRine 
 under my notice in Liverpool. Five 
 childrea "were left by their parents 
 
 on Chridtraas Day with a large par- 
 cel of sweetmeats, of which they all 
 partook ; one child died in 12 hours, a sec- 
 ond, alout 3 years of age, in 114 houis j a 
 third, about 5 years old, in a week. The 
 two survivors were taken to the hospital 
 anil recovered, the lioy continuing to pass 
 arsenic.ll urine, at recurrent intervals, fjr 
 SIX weeks afier taking the sweettneats. 
 
 STUt't'fcl) HIKUS AND AXI.MALS. 
 
 It Should be burne in mini ; that arsenic 
 soap is la'gely uted in the preservation of 
 the skills of animals and birds, a.id that 
 mouuted specimens should be enclosed in 
 glass cases and not handled. Childrea 
 should not be allowed to play with them, 
 or servants to dust them, as much arsenic- 
 al dust may be bru-htd f'r.im them, which 
 might prove injurious to health. The art 
 of taxidermy is by no means a healthy 
 occupation, and although some men be- 
 come inured to the prison by use, still, in 
 dressing a large skin, such as a cariboo's 
 or a bear's skin, the operator ')sually suf- 
 fers more or less from arsenical symptoms. 
 
 ARSENIC EATING IN STYRIA. 
 
 The Workers in arsenic mines and some 
 of t.he Styrian peasants become inured to 
 habitual doses of arsenic, which would be 
 fatal to those unaccustomed to its use, four 
 to five giaiiis being a daily dose, but they 
 feel the usual irritating eymptoms if they 
 cease uning it, like the opium eater 
 and the coca chewer, they find it necessary 
 to continue the habit wheu once formed. 
 
 It is said that the corpses of these ar- 
 senic eaters are wonderfully preserved in 
 the g'ouud after interment, and that they 
 are found almost unchanged and recogniz- 
 able in feature some years after burial. 
 " Iq this part of the world," they c ay, 
 " when a graveyard is full it is shut up 
 '• for about 12 years, when all the graves 
 " wnich are not priva'.e property are dug 
 " up, the bones are colleced in thecharnet 
 " iiouse, the ground ploughed over, and 
 " burial bi^gins again." 
 
 EMBALMING THE DEAD. 
 
 This ,'eads me to the sibject of embalm- 
 ing, which has recently become a special 
 art of the undertaker. The process con- 
 sists of the injection into the veins of the 
 body a strmg arsenical solution. la one 
 Cise I know this led to an unjust suspicion 
 of poisoning, and an inquest being held, 
 and an analysis made, arsenic was found 
 injected into the coats of the stomach. In 
 this case the process was adopted wiihout 
 instruction and unknown to the relatives, 
 and might have involved serious complica- 
 tions, nad the source of the poison re- 
 mained undiscovered. 
 
 A disinterment lor th»j purpose of deter- 
 mining the presence of poison might 
 under euch circuiufetancee have led to very 
 erroneous conclusions. 
 
 t 
 
 r 
 
 ^ 
 
t 
 
 J^ 
 
 
 LEOISLATIOV REQUIRED. 
 
 Now, if I liftve in *he foregoing narration 
 made out a ntrong ';aHe ugainet tl.e un- 
 necPHsary and careiens une of arHcnic and 
 areenical poison, 1 dare say yon will ask 
 me, '• Well, what are you going to do 
 abi)ut it? " I reply that I thiiiK in many 
 of the 0tt«eH the use of arsenic should te 
 prohibited altogdther, and that in all casen 
 It Rhould be regulated. AIho that the 
 public Rhould be made fully aware uf the 
 rif-kn which they incur in it8 handling, 
 and take due precaution in so doing 
 
 On tlie continent of Europe strict lavvH 
 are enforced ; for example in Germany : — 
 
 1st. Poisonous colors are forbidden to 
 be used in food or drink. 
 
 2nd. Articles of food muwt not be Kept 
 or cooked in vensels covered or coated with 
 poirtonoiiH material. 
 
 3ri. Poisonous color is forbidden in the 
 manufacture of toys, paper-hangings and 
 articles (.f apparel. 
 
 4th. The tale of such articles is stricl'y 
 prohibited. 
 
 IN RU38IA. 
 
 Ttie impor ation trom abroad a^ well as 
 the sale and manufacture in Russia of wall 
 papers, light tisues, wrapping papers, 
 chil<iren 8 V<y-', articles of food and sweel- 
 me»ts ct>ntaining arsenical pigments, also 
 the paper known ;\s '* papier itacre " shall 
 be pruhibited. The list of prohibited 
 colors contains pigments of lead, mercury, 
 arsenic, cobalt, copper, chromium and 
 antiaiony. 
 
 IN SWEDEN. 
 
 The prohibitory law enumerates the 
 above an i " other articles in water colors : 
 — excepting such as shall contain a mere 
 trace of arsenic from 50 square inches." 
 
 The same protiibition applies to " stuffs 
 textiles yarn, lamp shades, sealintr wax, 
 wafers, ca.idlee, and other substances, with 
 the similar exception of minute traces only. 
 
 IN AUSTRIA. 
 
 A decree was issued in 1876, prohibiting 
 the U3e of aniline colors of every kind, in 
 food and in fabrics, to be worn in contact 
 with the human body, also of mineral 
 waters containing arsenic, copper, lead, 
 zinc and other poisonous metallic prepar- 
 ations. 
 
 In Baden, Bavaria, Denmark, Hesse 
 Darmstadt and Saxony, similar re£"la- 
 tioDS have been made. In France and 
 Biijiland and the United Slates these 
 regulations only apply to articles of food 
 and drink, but vigorous efforts are being 
 made by sanitary reformers to extend these 
 prohibitory reyulations to the class of 
 articles which experience has proved to be 
 dangerous to the health and lives of the 
 community at large, a course which I 
 venture to think Canada would do well to 
 adopt. 
 
 Dr. T. Sterry Hunt remarked that he 
 had been much interested in the variety of 
 information which waq embraced in Dr. 
 E<1 wards' valuable paper. 
 
 It occurred to him that when he had 
 visited guld m'nes in the west, where ar- 
 senical pyr'tes are worked, to enquire 
 what became of all the arsenic, and he 
 found that this was accummulated to the 
 extent of hundreds of tons, and efforts had 
 been made to get rid of it by mixing it 
 with buperpbosphate of lime iD 
 manure for the purpose of de- 
 stroying burrowing insects, t)ut even this 
 did ant make much demand on this large 
 accumulation. He also ei quired whether 
 it atft-cted the health of the workmen, and 
 this was admitted, but it was stated that 
 ihej became inured to it, or if much 
 affected ceased this employment, and the 
 local irritation produced was relieved by 
 p lultices of oxide of iron, which appeared 
 to be the best antidote to its effects. 
 
 Mr. R. W. McLachlan enquired if it 
 poisoned grubs in the ground would it 
 not also kill the earth worms which 
 were now reckoned the most important 
 subsoil fertilizers. Dr. Hunt said he was 
 »ir»id the earthworms had been left out of 
 the calculation, but as a geologist he would 
 not like to los" them and perhaps if they 
 were poisoned the birds who lived upon 
 them would also be destroyed and the face 
 of nature would be changed for the worse. 
 Large quantities of arse'' " th soil 
 
 would certainly be dan/r* water 
 
 sources. 
 
 Dr. Wan less expressed ■ of 
 
 the paper from which be i^ 
 
 great dea;. 
 
 Prof. Penhallow said soi; d 
 
 come under his notice which n. io 
 
 believe that skin eruptions from dyeu un- 
 derclothing were more common than us- 
 ually supposed. He also believed that 
 certain brands of cigarettes cal ed '* sweet " 
 contained either arsenical paner or some 
 other poison which caused a specific sore 
 throat or ulceration of the lips, and he 
 would direct Dr. Edwards' attention to 
 this source of poison. He hoped Dr. Ed- 
 wards would publish his paper in the 
 Record of Science. 
 
 Sir Wm. Dawsot<, in moving thanks 
 to Dr. Edwards for his contribu- 
 tion, said it was a practical and valu- 
 able paper, and he hoped it would 
 be published in the Record and have in- 
 fluence with ihe Government in adopting 
 proper restrictions on the sale and use of 
 sucti dangerous poisons. 
 
i 
 
 Printed at the Office of the "MONTREAL HERALD," 
 
I