380 POISONS, CONTAGIONS, MIASMS. 



poisoning are variable and uncertain; for cases may 

 happen, in which no apparent indication of change 

 can be detected by simple observations of the parts, 

 because, as has been already remarked, death may 

 occur without the destruction of any organs. 



When arsenious acid is administered in solution, 

 it may enter into the blood. If a vein is exposed 

 and surrounded with a solution of this acid, every 

 blood-globule will combine with it, that is, will be- 

 come poisoned. 



The compounds of arsenic, which have not the 

 property of entering into combination with the tis- 

 sues of the organism, are without influence on life, 

 even in large doses. Many insoluble basic salts of 

 arsenious acid are known not to be poisonous. The 

 substance called alkargen, discovered by Bunsen, 

 has not the slightest injurious action upon the organ- 

 ism ; yet it contains a very large quantity of arsenic, 

 and approaches very closely in composition to the 

 organic arsenious compounds found in the body. 



These considerations enable us to fix with tolera- 

 ble certainty the limit at which the above substances 

 cease to act as poisons. For since their combina- 

 tion with organic matters must be regulated by 

 chemical laws, death will inevitably result, when the 

 organ in contact with the poison finds sufficient of it 

 to unite with atom for atom; whilst if the poison is 

 present in smaller quantity, a part of the organ will 

 retain its vital functions. 



According to the experiments of Mulder,* the 

 equivalent in which fibrin combines with muriatic 

 acid, and with the oxides of lead and copper, is 

 expressed by the number 6361. It may be assumed, 

 therefore, approximatively, that a quantity of fibrin 

 corresponding to the number 6361 combines with 1 

 equivalent of arsenious acid, or 1 equivalent of cor- 

 rosive sublimate. 



When 6361 parts of anhydrous fibrin are combined 



* PoggendorfTs Annalen, Band xl. S. 259. 



