6so 



THE FATE OF ARSENIC IN THE BODY. 



Fortunately, although the intestines showed marked 

 hypersemia, and the contents of the colon were unusually tiuid. 

 there had been no diarrhoea and no loss of arsenic. Deductinj^-. 

 therefore, the amount of arsenic still found in the alimentary tract 

 from the amount administered, we get 1.12 gm. ASoO, absorbed. 

 Of this, .121 gm. is found in the liver; concentration 3.25 parts 

 per hundred thousand. The quantity per unit mass of tissue is 

 notably lower in the case of the kidneys and spleen. 



Toxic Dose. 



The toxic doses given in the text-books for arsenic usually 

 refer to arsenic trioxide powder, the generally accepted fatal, 

 doses being those of Kaufmann : — 



Pigs, dogs, and human subjects, being regarded as mure sus- 

 ceptible when dosage is expressed per kilo body-weight. 



The big differences between oral dosing and wound admis- 

 sion, are accounted for b}- the fact that arsenious oxide, although 

 fairly soluble in water, dissolves so slotvly that the greater part 

 of the dose is eliminated in the faeces unabsorbed. For the 

 dissolved oxide, Kaufmann's figure is 3 — 4 grams for the horse. 



A few animals which have had to be destroyed from time to 

 time, have been used for testing the toxicity of sodium arsenite. 

 i.e.^ dissolved oxide. According tO' the results obtained i gram 

 AS2O3 as sodium arsenite, rapidly absorbed intO' the blood-stream, 

 may easily prove fatal fur the horse, although occasional horses 

 can Stand considerably higher amounts. 



When administration is oral the results are uncertain. For 

 horses of medium weight, one gram may kill, two grams is very 

 likely to kill, and three grams is generalh' certain. We have one 

 case on record, however, in which a drench containing 6 grams 

 AS2O3 as arsenite was given l)y the mouth with no apparent ill 

 effect. When intravenous injection is adopted there is no 

 ambiguity about the absorption and i gram As^O, as arsenite 

 (about 2.5 mgs. per kilo) usually proves fatal on the day of 

 administration — sometimes within a few hours. One horse 

 indeed showed marked symptoms of intoxication ( non- fatal i 

 after so small an injection as 0.3 gm., while another showed less 

 marked symptoms and recovered after an injection of 2 gm. 

 Individual idiosyncrasy can therefore ])lay a considerable role. 



In regard to arsenious oxide it is interesting to note that ou^ 



