TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 



THE SOLUBILITY OF CHROME YELLOW IN THE GASTRIC JUICE. 



BY PROF. I.. E. SAYKE. 



It has hitherto been advanced as an opinion among physiologists, that the chro- 

 mate of lead is non-toxic in property. This belief has been based almost wholly 

 upon the supposed insolubility of the salt in the gastric fluid and other fluids of the 

 intestinal tract. 



This subject has been recently revived, and much prominence given to it by sev- 

 eral cases of alleged lead-poisoning, from the use of chromate of lead, in Philadel- 

 phia. It appears that the bakers in that city have been using this salt quite freely 

 as a pigment. To give certain cakes a peculiar yellow color, they have used chromate 

 of lead instead of the yolk of eggs. Children, and others, who have indulged in the 

 use of these products of the bakery, have become victims of lead poisoning, and in 

 some cases death has been the final result of long-continued use of such adulterated 

 food. 



I need not speak of these cases in detail, but will briefly refer to a verdict of the 

 coroner's jury in the cases of four persons who died from supposed lead poison, on 

 various dates. 



This jury stated that the deaths, in their opinion, were due to chromate-of-lead 

 poisoning, and that this poisoning resulted from the use of chromate of lead " as a 

 coloring matter in buns and other breadstuffs." 



Investigators have again taken up the subject, and have arrived at somewhat 

 conflicting conclusions. One states that these cases were those of chronic lead- 

 poisoning, and not due to the presence of chromic radical in the least. It is stated 

 further that chrome dyes have been in general use since 1828 at least, thousands of 

 tons being consumed annually in America alone, and that it is important to note 

 that there is not known to exist among the workers in any of the forms of chrome 

 colors any chrome disease or chrome poisoning from contact, from inhalation, or 

 otherwise. Another, a physician, states that any of the modifications of chromium 

 may be poisonous, and cites four cases where poisoning occurred from the use of 

 insoluble salts of chromic acid. 



It is well known that the gastric fluid is an acidulated solution, and as a solvent 

 it has a comparatively wide range of action. It contains about two-tenths per cent, 

 of acid. The digestive principle contained in the gastric fluid is recognized as 

 pepsin. It is possible to make an artificial gastric juice by separating the digestive 

 principle from the inner lining of the stomach and making an acidulated solution 

 of it. 



My experiments with lead chromate consisted of making an artificial gastric fluid, 

 and macerating in this fluid at the temperature of 100° F. a certain quantity of 

 commercial chromate of lead and noting the efl'ect. 



It is known that any metallic substance, if it enters into solution, will very mark- 

 edly impair the digestive action of artificial gastric fluid. Lead salts will absolutely 

 destroy digestive action. If, therefore, after digesting chromate of lead in the gas- 

 tric fluid the action of the fluid is at all impaired, it is a positive evidence that the 

 salt has gone, to some extent at least, into solution. 



Thirty grains of chromate of lead were mixed with one fluid ounce of artificial 

 gastric fluid, the digestive strength of which had been carefully noted. It was found 

 that the digestive action had been slightly impaired, but not enough to account for 

 lead chromate entering into solution, for the slightest quantity of a lead salt will 

 produce a marked impairment. 



Subsequently I prepared a chemically pure chromate of lead, and experimented 



