﻿Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlix. (1904), No. 1. 3 



Professor W. J. Sinclair, M.D., was good enough to 

 procure for me six samples of urine from patients in the 

 Manchester Southern Hospital, all of which shewed the 

 presence of arsenic (see Plate /., Fig. i)*two, each contained 

 amounts which I estimated at the ^J^th of a grain per 

 gallon, two contained about T oVo tn > one a gj^-th, and one 

 y^-th of a grain per gallon. The last was remarkable, as 

 the woman (age 47), a weaver, had been 13 days in the 

 hospital, had lived on simple food and had taken no 

 medicine during that time. 



The source of the arsenic in the body may obviously 

 come from taking food or liquids containing it as an 

 impurity, under these circumstances it seemed of interest 

 to find how rapidly arsenic would be eliminated from the 

 body. The following experiment was therefore made : — 



A man (age 24), a teetotaller, took an accurately 

 determined quantity of -^-th of a grain of arsenic trioxide 

 in solution on Wednesday, the 20th of April, 1904, at 

 4 p.m. Previous tests of his urine were made on the 

 22nd January, 1904, and shewed -^ th of a grain per 

 gallon, and on the 18th April, 1904, it shewed roVo tn °f a 

 grain per gallon, calculated as arsenic trioxide. 



The urine was measured, and the amount of arsenic 

 determined in each sample. The arsenic mirrors obtained 

 are shewn in Plate I., Fig. 2. One hour after taking the 

 dose six ounces were passed, and the arsenic present had 

 risen to ^-th of a grain per gallon, equal to a total 

 quantity of yelnRj-th, or 0-0000625 of a grain. 



Assuming the ^th of a grain of As 4 6 divided into 



* The tubes containing the mirrors were mounted on white cardboard 

 about a mm. from the card, so as to give a shadow which would help to 

 shew the outline of the tubes, and would not interfere with the appearance 

 of the mirrors by reflection from the glass. It must be noted, however, that 

 when the tubes contain little or no arsenic mirror, the outline of the tube 

 itself is hardly shewn, whilst its shadow is distinctly seen. 



