96 Life and Health 



in small quantities or in dilute forms its deleterious effects 

 upon the bodily life may not for a time be obvious. 1 Arsenic 

 and lead are no less poisons because it may take many 

 days before their toxic effects upon the tissues are clearly 

 exhibited. 



ADDITIONAL EXPERIMENTS 



Experiment 31. As a type of the group of proteids we take the 

 white of egg, egg-white or egg albumin. Break an egg carefully, so 

 as not to mix the white with the yolk. Drop about half a teaspoon- 

 ful of the raw white of egg into half a pint of distilled water. Beat 

 the mixture vigorously with a glass rod until it froths freely. Filter 

 through several folds of muslin until a fairly clear solution is obtained. 



Experiment 32. To a small quantity of this solution in a test tube 

 add strong nitric acid, and boil. Note the formation of a white pre- 

 cipitate, which turns yellow. After cooling, add ammonia, and note 

 that the precipitate becomes orange. 



Experiment 33. Add to the solution of egg albumin excess of 

 strong solution of caustic soda (or potash), and then a drop or two 

 of very dilute solution (i per cent) of copper sulphate. A violet 

 color is obtained, which deepens on boiling. 



Experiment 34. Boil a small portion of the albumin solution in a 

 test tube, adding drop by drop dilute acetic acid (2 per cent) until 

 a flaky coagulum of insoluble albumin separates. 



1 Alcohol is a poison. So is strychnine ; so is arsenic ; so is opium. It 

 ranks with these agents. Health is always in some way or other injured 

 by it; benefited by it never. SIR ANDREW CLARK, M.D., one of the 

 most eminent physicians of our day. 



Alcohol, even when diluted, as in wine, beer, and cider, is a poison which 

 changes pathologically the tissues of the body and leads to fatty degenera- 

 tion. DR. AUGUST FOREL, formerly Professor of Psychiatry in the 

 University of Zurich. 



A very large number of people are dying day by day, poisoned by 

 alcohol, but not supposed to be poisoned by it. SIR WILLIAM GULL, 

 M.D., F.R.S., Consulting Physician to Guy's Hospital, London. 



