276 EXAMINATION FOR ARSENIC 



tinguish or separate individual organs, and the analyst 

 is then necessitated to examine the whole mass of putre- 

 fied organs, or the whole of the soft parts which dry 

 up under some particular local circumstances, and even 

 the bones. When this is the case, the body should 

 not be laid in a bath of chlorine- water or solution of 

 chloride of lime, in order to destroy the offensive odor, 

 since arsenic may thereby be extracted and lost. If 

 chlorine-gas be employed to disinfect the body, it must 

 be evolved by means of distilled sulphuric acid free 

 from arsenic. All the soft parts, especially those which 

 may have formed parts of the abdominal viscera, are 

 carefully separated from the bones, and treated as in 

 the second case. 



The following is another convenient process to be 

 especially preferred for the treatment of bodies which 

 have been exhumed entire after some months' interment. 



The entire soft parts are treated in a large dish of 

 genuine porcelain, with moderately strong nitric acid, 

 which has been previously tested for arsenic; the dish 

 is then heated upon a sand-bath, and its contents well 

 stirred, until the organic matters are so far destroyed 

 and dissolved as to form a homogeneous pasty mixture. 

 This is now neutralized with a solution of pure hydrate 

 or carbonate of potassa, and about as much finely- 

 powdered nitre (previously tested) added, as is equal 

 in weight to the soft parts. The whole is now evapo- 

 rated to dryness, with constant stirring, and the dry 

 mass introduced by degrees, in small portions, into a 

 new clean Hessian crucible heated to dull redness. In 

 this manner, the whole of the organic matter is burnt, 

 and the arsenic, if present, converted into arsenate of 

 potassa. In this process, it is important, and not very 

 easy, to add the proper quantity of nitre. If too little 

 nitre be employed, part of the organic matter may 

 . remain unburnt, and arsenic may be volatilized from 

 the carbonaceous mass ; on the other hand, too much 



