li)Oy.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 195 



falls and struggles violently. In fatal cases purgation continues, 

 tlu' pain becomes intense, the ex^iression of the face more anx- 

 ious, pulse faster and weaker, paralysis more marked and the 

 convulsions more frequent and severe. Partial coma precedes 

 death. In this stage the symptoms are less urgent, and there 

 may be involuntary passage of urine and regurgitation of mate- 

 rial from the stomach. 



A comparison of the symptoms of acute and chronic poisoning 

 with arsenate of lead with those of arsenic and lead, as given 

 for cattle in Nunn's " Veterinary Toxicology," indicates that 

 when the arsenate of lead is given the symptoms are a combina- 

 tion of those enumerated under both arsenic and lead poisoning. 

 The lesions found upon post-mortem examination are perhaps 

 to be attributed more to the action of the arsenic than the lead, 

 particularly so in chronic cases, in which no indications of the 

 fatty degenerations of chronic lead poisoning were observed. 



Diagnosis. — The symptoms of arsenate of lead poisoning 

 are not sufficiently unlike those of poisoning with other similar 

 compounds, such as the salts of copper, antimony, zinc, etc., to 

 render a diagnosis probable without a previous history of the 

 animals having had access to the arsenate of lead in some form. 

 With this previous history to assist and suggest the clew, in 

 conjunction with the symptoms, a correct diagnosis should be 

 made without difficulty. 



The post-mortem findings are not sufficiently characteristic 

 to insure a positive diagnosis without recourse to a chemical 

 examination to prove the presence of the arsenic and lead. 



Prognosis. — A careful study of the details of the experi- 

 ments with the five cows, already given, shows that one should 

 be exceedingly careful in giving a prognosis. Even in those 

 cases in which the drug was administered in large quantities, 

 and the symptoms became very urgent and pronounced, there 

 was a recession of them, and a return to a condition of health 

 after a period of convalescence of variable duration. In the 

 cases in which there was an administration of small quantities 

 of the compound for a long period of time, and a full develop- 

 ment of symptoms of a serious character, there was not a fatal 

 termination. If on account of a partial nonsusceptibility, or a 

 rapid elimination of the lead and arsenic from the system, death 



