150 R. n. Chittenden and C. JSTorris — 77ie Relative 



It is thus seen that neither the cobalt or nickel salt can be called a 

 violent poison, since comparatively large amounts are required to 

 produce a toxic eiFect, and even then the action is somewhat slow. 

 This is still more clearly seen in the next experiment. 



Mxperiment II, with cobalt. 



A vigorous black doe, weighing 2 kilos., was dosed as follows : 



Oct. 8, --- 0-200 gram cobalt nitrate. 



9, 0-400 " 



" 10, 0-600 " 



" 11, 0-700 " 



" 12, 0-250 " 



" 13, 0-250 " 



" 14, 0-250 " " " • 



" 15, ...0-550 " 



" 16,. .1-000 " 



" 17, 1-500 " 



" 18, ...2-000 " 



7-700 grams. 



The animal died on the 19th, of heart failure. On the 11th, when 

 7 decigrams of the salt were given, the animal appeared sickly, with 

 loss of appetite, high rectal temperature, etc., but by diminishing 

 the dose of cobalt the animal rapidly recovered. On the 1 7th, how- 

 ever, with increase in the dose of salt there was diarrhoea, with a 

 slight indication of paralysis of the extremities. At no time did the 

 urine contain either sugar or albumin. There was a decided loss of 

 body weight, nearly one-third. On post-mortem, the stomach and 

 small intestines were found somewhat inflamed, and the liver showed 

 signs of a slight fatty degeneration. 



Immediately on the death of the animal the internal organs were 

 removed 'and the absorbed cobalt determined. 



The method of analysis, both for cobalt and nickel, was as follows : 

 The finely divided tissue was oxidized with dilute hydrochloric acid 

 and potassium chlorate, after the usual method. From the solution 

 so obtained, chlorine was removed by evaporation, the fluid made 

 alkaline with ammonia and the cobalt or nickel precipitated by a 

 stream of hydrogen sulphide gas. The washed sulphide, after igni- 

 tion, was then dissolved in nitro-hydrochloric acid, the free acid en- 

 tirely removed by heat and the chloride converted into sulphate by 

 addition of concentrated sulphuric acid. Ultimately, the sulphuric 

 acid solution of sulphate was diluted somewhat with water, made 

 strongly alkaline with ammonia and the metal separated by elec- 

 trolysis. 



