418 WALLACHe LARKIN CHANDLER ; 
of nitrobenzene poisoning. He had been working on the toxic properties 
of a commercial oil of bitter almonds which was known to contain hydro- 
cyanic acid. The experiments with nitrobenzene were conducted as a 
side issue and the purity of the nitrobenzene is doubtful. 
Casper (1859) was led to experiment with nitrobenzene because in 
post-mortem examinations of cases of poisoning, the cause of which had 
been diagnosed as hydrocyanic acid, he often detected the odor of nitro- — 
benzene in the tissues. He mentioned the desirability of learning whether 
this drug was poisonous, since it was being used more or less extensively 
in the perfuming of soaps, pomades, and the like, and stated that so far 
as he knew there was no account of it as a poison. His article contains 
a short account of the chemical and physical properties of the drug. In 
his experimental work he gave an ounce of nitrobenzene (purity not 
stated) to a rabbit in four separate doses at intervals of fifteen minutes. 
Within a few minutes after the final dose, the animal fell suddenly on its 
left side. Its pupils were dilated. Convulsions occurred which involved 
the entire body, and within a few minutes the animal was dead. The 
body was allowed to remain untouched for a period of twenty-four hours 
in order to simulate forensic post-mortem cases. It was then opened. 
No odor of nitrobenzene was detected either externaliy or in the lower 
part of the digestive tract, but when the skull was opened a strong odor 
of nitrobenzene was given off. This odor was so pronounced that a new- 
comer, who was wholly unaware of the experiment, at once spoke of 
“almond oil.” The odor was detected in the blood, in the brain, and in 
other tissues. The body was placed in a cellar for two weeks and at the 
end of that time had lost but very little of the odor. 
F. Hoppe (reported by Casper, 1859) introduced 20 mils of nitro- 
benzene into the stomach of a medium-sized dog. After a few hours 
the dog appeared stupid, and at the end of twelve hours it was found 
in a deep coma. Respiration was slow and the skin temperature was 
lowered. The animal was killed by pithing without causing convulsions. 
Blood drawn from the subclavian vein was dark brown in color, and 
the odor of nitrobenzene was detected in it. The same odor was 
detected in the urine, which was dark brown, in the bile, and im all the 
organs. The stomach contained a few drops of nitrobenzene, and the 
contents of the stomach were strongly alkaline. The blood retained the 
odor of the drug for several days. Casper concludes that these experi- 
