EXPERIMENT STATION. 75 



Nine or ten had fever attacks a few days after the ointment 

 was used, with incessant panting and loss of appetite, from which 

 they mostly recovered in two or three days. Nearly all the sick 

 animals had chronic itching sores and eruptions, which, in most 

 cases, appeared where the ointment was applied, and generally 

 also elsewhere. In five or six cases, th.e inside of the hind legs 

 were extensively excoriated. In several instances there was great 

 swellino- of the fore legs above the knee, with copious secretion at 

 first of serum, and afterwai'ds of purulent matter. In four cases 

 the poisoning reached a fatal termination. Two of the animals 

 that died had no eruption. One of them lived until May, and two 

 others until July, 1881. The others have mostly recovered, but 

 at least one of them still shows, after a twelve-month, traces of 

 the efiects of the mercurial poison. 



Three questions were put to the Station respecting the ointment 

 used : — 



1. Is the sample blue ointment ? 



2. As compared with samples procured from other druggists, is 

 this ointment of the usual strength and made in the usual way? 



3. Has the ointment undergone any chemical change by age or 

 otherwise ? 



To answer these questions, the sample (1) was compared with 

 two others (2) and (3), obtained respectively at Klock's drug store 

 and at Apothecaries' Hall, New Haven. 



As is well known, blue ointment is usually prepared by rubbing- 

 together lard, a little suet, and metallic mercury (quicksilver), 

 until the latter is no longer distinguishable by its silvery luster. 

 Thus made, blue ointment is grease intimately mixed with metallic 

 mercury in a state of extreme subdivision. 



The results of the examinations are as follows: — 



(1) 

 Mercury soluble in ether, 1.80 



Mercury soluble in liydroeliloric acid. .74 



-Mercury insoluble both in ether and liydrochloric acid, 29.03 



Total mercury, 31.57 



Water (?) loss at 212=, 1.67 



Fat by difference, — 66.76 



100.00 100.00 100.00 



