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SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



ARSENIC AND ARSENIC-EATERS. 



By C. A. Mitchell. B.A.. F.I.C. 



THE name arsenic is derived from a Greek word 

 signifying " masculine," which is fancifully 

 explained as due to its masculine force in destroying- 

 man. It has long been known in the form of one 

 or other of its compounds. It is mentioned by 

 Pliny and Dioscorides as a remedy for certain 

 diseases, and is said to have been used from remote 

 times for similar purposes by the Chinese and 

 natives of India. 



When isolated from the numerous bodies with 

 which it combines, arsenic is a brittle metallic 

 substance of a steel-grey colour. On being heated, 

 it volatilises as a colourless vapour, which has a 

 characteristic odour, recalling garlic. It burns 

 with a livid bluish flame, combining with atmo- 

 spheric oxygen to form the white powder which is 

 the white arsenic of commerce. 



The chief source of commercial arsenic and its 

 derivatives is arsenical iron pyrites, which is 

 obtained from mines hi Styria. It also occurs 

 occasionally as a compound with sulphur, and with 

 metals other than iron. 



There are factories at Reichenstein and Alton- 

 berg, in Silesia and Styria, where the arsenic is" 

 separated from the ore. The process employed is 

 to roast the mineral in a furnace, and to conduct 

 the vapours of liberated white arsenic into con- 

 densing chambers of special construction, on the 

 walls of which they deposit as a white crust. 

 Every few weeks the deposited arsenic is removed 

 through special doors, and purified by heating and 

 re-condensation. 



The removal of the arsenic from the chambers is 

 a highly dangerous operation, owing to the deadly 

 natme of the fumes. The workman has a closely 

 fitting leather dress, and his head is covered with a 

 helmet having glass in front. As a further pre- 

 caution his nostrils and mouth are protected by 

 means of a wet sponge or cloth. 



The workmen at the arsenic factories live largely 

 on leguminous food, very little meat being eaten 

 by them. Each man is given a small quantity of 

 olive oil to drink daily, and eats as much butter 

 and other fat as possible. All alcohol is supposed 

 to be avoided, though there is reason to believe 

 that many of the workmen, being arsenic-eaters, 

 can take it with comparative impunity. 



The white arsenic thus obtained is a substance 

 closely resembling flour in appearance. It can be 

 made to crystallise from an acid solution with a 

 beautiful phosphorescent flash as each crystal 

 separates. It is the basis from which other com- 

 mercial preparations of arsenic are manufactured, 

 such as ' ; realgar," a beautiful orange-red colour ; 

 " orpiment." a golden-yellow, both of which are 



compounds of arsenic and sulphur ; and " Scheele's-- 

 green " and " Schweinfurt green," which consist of 

 arsenic in combination with copper compounds. 

 The last two were at one time largely used for 

 colouring wall-paper, but at the present day they 

 are principally employed in the manufacture of oil 

 paints. 



White arsenic is the form in which arsenic is 

 eaten by the peasants of Styria and the Tyrol. 

 Professor Schallgrueber, of Graetz, was the first to 

 call attention to this practice, in a report which he 

 made in 1822 to the Austrian Government on the 

 cause of the numerous deaths from arsenic poison- 

 ing in those districts. He found that arsenic was 

 kept in most of the houses in Upper Styria under 

 the name of " hydrach," evidently a corruption of 

 '• Huttenrauch," or furnace smoke. His statements 

 were subsequently confirmed from personal observa- 

 tion by a Dr. McClagan, of Edinburgh, but for 

 many years afterwards the arsenic-eaters were 

 generally disbelieved in ; and it was not until 1860 

 that Mr. C. Heisch published convincing evidence. 

 Arsenic is principally eaten by hunters and wood- 

 cutters with the object of warding off fatigue and 

 improving their staying powers. Owing to the fact 

 that the sale of arsenic is illegal in Austria without 

 a doctor's certificate, it is difficult to obtain definite 

 information of a habit which is kept as secret as 

 possible. According to a Dr. Lorenzo, in that 

 district the arsenic is taken fasting, usually in a 

 cup of coffee, the first dose being minute, but 

 increased day by day until it sometimes amounts 

 to the enormous dose of twelve or fifteen grains. 

 He f oivnd that the arsenic-eaters were usually long- 

 lived, though liable to sudden death. They have 

 a very fresh, youthful appearance, and are seldom 

 attacked by infectious diseases. After the first 

 dose the usual symptoms of slight arsenic poisoning- 

 are evident, but these soon disappear on continuing 

 the treatment. 



In the arsenic factories in Salzburg it is stated 

 that workmen who are not arsenic-eaters soon 

 succumb to the fumes. The manager of one of 

 these works informed Mr. Heisch that he had been 

 medically advised to eat arsenic before taking up 

 his position. He considered that no one should 

 commence the practice before twelve yeai> eld. 

 nor after thirty, and that in any case after fifty 

 years of age the daily dose should be gradually 

 reduced, since otherwise sudden death would 

 ensue. 



If a confirmed arsenic-eater suddenly attempts 

 to do altogether without the drug, he immediately 

 succumbs to the effects of arsenic poisoning. The 

 onlv way to obviate this is erraduallv to acclimatise 



