PRACTICE OF ARSENIC-EATING IN STYRIA. 211 



notice^ but which they have been told of by trustworthy 

 people whose names are given; whilst others, again, re- 

 port upon cases which they themselves have observed. It 

 is noteworthy that no one of the seventeen medical men 

 denies, or attempts to disprove, the truth of the generally 

 expressed opinion concerning the arsenic-eating. 



The first question which I shall endeavour to answer 

 will be — Is or is not arsenious acid, or arsenic in any 

 other form, well known and widely distributed amongst 

 the people of Styria? 



Through the kindness of Professor Gottlieb of Gratz 

 I received a quantity (about six grammes) of a white 

 substance which the following examination showed to be 

 pure opaque amorphous arsenious acid. The substance 

 being subjected to a careful qualitative analysis gave 

 all the well-known characteristic reactions of arsenious 

 acid; the presence of no other body could be discovered. 



The specific gravity of the substance at 15° C. was found 

 to be 3'8o59. (Opaque arsenious acid has, according to 

 Taylor, the specific gravity 3 '798). 



Quantitative Analysis. — o"6495 grm. of the substance 

 was dissolved in nitric acid, the excess of acid expelled by 

 heating on the water bath, the liquid then neutralised by 

 ammonia and a solution of sulphate of magnesium, added 

 with which so much chloride of ammonium had been 

 mixed that ammonia produced no precipitate of magnesia. 

 The precipitate thus formed was allowed to stand for 

 twelve hours, then collected on a weighed filter, com- 

 pletely washed with cold dilute ammonia, and after drying 

 at 100° C. for twenty^four hours it was weighed, and re-dried 

 until no further diminution in weight occurred. i'2465 

 grms. of the arseniate of magnesium and ammonium 

 was obtained, corresponding to 0"64.92 grms. of arsenious 

 acid. The substance, therefore, contained 99*97 per cent, 

 of As O3, or is perfectly pure arsenious acid. 



