SANGER. — CHRONIC ARSENICAL POISONING. 171 



discovered by Hainberg,* is now assured beyond question by tbe 

 results of Gosio,t which I have confirmed, as shown in the foregoing 

 paper. We have, then, either or both of these sources from which 

 the arsenic can enter the system. Let us now consider the first of 

 these. 



As the amouut of arsenic eliminated is so small, the amount 

 ingested must be also small. As far as I can discover, no experiments 

 have been made to investigate the action of minute quantities of 

 arsenic when taken into the stomach, nor do I know of any work on 

 the effect of inhaling air charged with minute particles of an arsenic 

 compound. Furthermore, I have found no information on the ac- 

 tion of minute quantities absorbed through the skin and mucous 

 memhranes. Thus we have no data to guide us to any conclusion 

 as to the effect of minute quantities, however ingested. Yet, as in 

 the case of larger quantities, the toxic effect is better known when 

 taken into the stomach, we may use this channel as a basis of 

 comparison while considering the reason for the action of minute 

 quantities. 



But little thought has been given to the compound, or to the state 

 of oxidation in which the arsenic exists in the paper. We may divide 

 the compounds into the trioxide and its derivatives, the pentoxide 

 and derivatives, and the sulphides. Of the former the basic arsenite 

 (Scheele's green) and the aceto-arsenite of copper (Schweiufurth, 

 Paris, Mitis green) were formerly very common, but are now rare in 

 wall paper, though they may appear in domestic fabrics. We may 

 have also the trioxide itself, and possibly a few other arsenites. The 

 sulphides may occur occasionally. But in a very large number of 

 the papers of to-day which contain arsenic the higher oxidation state 

 is found. The use of arsenic acid in the manufacture of rosauiline is 

 liable to leave arsenic in the color as an arseniate, as well as arsenite, 

 while the use of the arseniates as mordants is very common, especially 

 in fabrics. 



The effect of arsenious oxide and its derivatives may be inferred to 

 a certain extent from the well known action of larger amounts, but 

 in the case of the action of minute amounts of the sulphides and 

 arseniates we have little to guide us. I have found a few cases 

 of poisoning from arseniates, but, with one exception, a case of 



* Pliarm. Journ. and Transactions, [3], V. 81 ; Pharm. Zeitschr. f. Russland, 

 XXV. 779. 



t Azione di Alcune Muffe sui Composti Fissi d' Arsenico, Roma, 1892. 



