Proceedings of the Polytechxic Association. 1015 



Poisonous Coloking Matter in Hosiery. 



SeveraLremarkable cases of poisoning from wearing colored hosiery 

 have been lately reported. The Paris Les Mondes states that M. 

 Bidard, of Kouen, France, ol)tained from an Engh'shman a pair of 

 stockings of lilac color, in which were woven circular stripes of bright 

 red silk. The wearing of the stockings produced an intensel^y pain- 

 ful inflammation of the skin in circular lines around the limb. On 

 analyzing the red silk in the stockings the coloring matter was found 

 to be coraUin^ a new dye derived from carbolic (phenic) acid. 



Mr. AVebber, of London, recently brouglit to the notice of the 

 sitting aldermen, the tact that the dye used in some of the gorgeous 

 socks and other underclothing displayed in the windows of metro- 

 politan hosiers exercises a very deleterious influence upon the skins 

 of the wearers, producing irritation, and an eruption, and leading, if 

 persisted in, to actual sores. The London Lancet^ in commenting on 

 this statement, adds, that last year during the time of the perfor- 

 mance of the "Doge of Yenice," at Drury Lane theatre, one of the 

 dansneses applied to one of the metropolitan hospitals with an 

 anomalous eruption aft'ecting one foot, and exactly those parts which 

 are covered by an ordinary dancing shoe. It was immediately 

 perceived that the heat of the foot, where covered by the shoe, acted 

 upon the dye of the stocking, which the patient stated was of a 

 brilliant red color, and thus aflected the skin ; but the absolute 

 immunity of the opposite foot was not readily intelligible, until the 

 fact was avowed that the exigencies of the ballet necessitated another 

 color on the other limb. Li this instance, it appeared that the other 

 performers who wore white hose beneath their colored garments 

 escaped all injury ; and the patient's skin recovered its normal con- 

 dition shortly after adopting this plan. The manufacturers of the 

 dangerous articles alluded to by Mr. Webber, have already taken 

 steps to abate the evil. In reference to this subject. Prof. Wanklyn, 

 of the London Institution, states in the British Medieal Jow/'nal^ 

 that he had made an examination of the beautifully. crystallized 

 magenta dye, which was being manufactured by one of the largest 

 coal tar works of Europe, and found it io be arseniate of ro^iue. The 

 crude magenta cake and liquor found in the market soon after tlie 

 first introduction of this coloring matter, was found to be largel;5r- 

 contaminated with arsenic. 



Dr. P. Vanderweyde remarked that felie pure aniline eolo-m aipe 

 very harniless to the skin, but are poisouous jf t^keu interaaUjv It 



