16 ARSENIC IN PAPERS AND FABRICS. 







of heaviness and uneasiness throughout the bowels, especially in the umbilical 

 region. Her increase of adipose tissue began to be distressing to her. Although 

 she had always before drank very little water, she was now thirsty all the time. 

 The patient herself was disposed to think her symptoms malarial in their nature, 

 although , contrary to her expectations, quinine gave her no relief. Occasionally she 

 would speak of her eyes smarting and watering if she tried to use them. Suddenly 

 on March 16, 1887, she was taken without any apparent cause with headache, 

 extreme nausea, and uncontrollable vomiting. The usual an ti emetic remedies 

 internal and external, dietary and medicinal, were tried in turn, but all without 

 relief. On the contrary, they seemed rather to increase her distress. I remem- 

 bered the withering of the ferns and began to suspect some form of irritant 

 poisoning to be the cause of the sickness. I accordingly sent samples of all wall 

 papers in the house (except, of course, plain cartridge papers, which I knew to be 

 practically free from suspicion) to Dr. Edward S. Wood for examination. Upon 

 analysis he pronounced only one paper arsenical, but found such an amount of 

 arsenic therein that he advised its immediate removal. To settle decisively the 

 question of poisoning, the urine was also examined for arsenic. Six ounces col- 

 lected on March 23, the eighth day of the incessant vomiting, yielded numerous 

 crystals of arsenic after resublimation in the tube, while a quart of urine collected 

 three days later yielded a very dark deposit upon the tube, but after resublima- 

 tion scarcely a trace of arsenic crystals. This seemed to indicate not only that 

 there had been a very large amount of arsenic in the system of my patient, but 

 also that a rapid elimination of the poison was taking place. The dangerous wall 

 paper was removed while the patient was convalescent. She insisted that she 

 was not yet strong enough to venture from home, and so remained in the house 

 confined strictly to her room, while .the work went on. After the wall had been 

 scraped and washed and the room thoroughly cleaned preparatory to the laying of 

 the new paper she ventured to look into the room, but remained there scarcely 

 ten minutes. She soon had a return of nausea and vomiting, which lasted nearly 

 twenty-four hours. I therefore insisted that she go into the country and that in 

 her absence the entire house be entirely cleaned and dusted. This was done, and 

 since her return she has presented no further syniptons of arsenic poisoning. 



Another member of the family was affected by the removal of the paper, his 

 symptoms taking the form of sharp diarrhea. The other two members did not 

 at any time present marked symptoms of arsenical poisoning, except a noticeably 

 sallow complexion and a pretty constant feeling of lassitude all winter. They 

 had, however, had more exercise in the open air than my patient/' 



CASE VI. 



A well-known Boston physician had two or three attacks of sore fingers. He 

 consulted Dr. J. C. White, who asked him whether he had anythmg to do with 

 arsenic. He could think of nothing except some playing cards which he had 

 used. They were found to be loaded with arsenic, were discarded, and h.e has 

 not had any similar trouble since. & 



CASE VII. 



When Doctor Putnam went on duty at the Massachusetts Infant Asylum in the 

 spring of 1890 he found the babies looking very pale without any apparent reason. 

 He then noticed suppurations on the fingers and a slight discharge from the ears. 

 Occasionally a nurse had sores on the fingers. One had an aural discharge, and 



J. Amer. Med. Assn., 1887, !>: 699. 



^Shattuck, Trans. Path. Soc. of Phila, 1891-93, 1<>: 285. 



