58 VETEEINAEY TOXICOLOGY 



contents. And it must be remembered that it is rarely 

 possible to ascertain the form in which the metal was 

 given. 



COPPER. 



Forms and Occurrence. — The commonest salt of copper 

 is the sulphate, or blue vitriol, or bluestone, which is often 

 used as a dressing for grain against the depredations of 

 birds and as a preservative, and thus may give rise to 

 poisoning. 



Copper preparations, such as Bordeaux mixture, are 

 widely used as sprays against parasites of the vine and 

 other fruit-trees. 



The effects of copper arsenite, or Scheele's green, are more 

 correctly referable to the arsenic than to the copper. 



Copper is dissolved by liquids containing organic acids 

 from copper vessels, and thus is sometimes taken up from 

 cooking vessels. Salts of copper are further used to give a 

 green colour to such preserves as pickles, but could not 

 in this way give rise to poisoning among animals. 



Copper suhacetate, or verdigris, is formed by exposing 

 copper to acetic acid vapour, and is occasionally used in 

 medicine. 



Absorption and Elimination. — Copper is not easily 

 absorbed through the intact skin. In the stomach the salts 

 of copper form albuminates, which are soluble in an excess 

 of the albumin solution, and it is therefore absorbed fairly 

 quickly, transported by the blood to the tissues, and 

 deposited chiefly in the liver, lungs, and kidneys. 



Elimination by the bile and urine follows very slowly, the 

 metal being stored for several months. 



Our laboratory experience indeed satisfies us that copper 

 is normally found in the livers of the domesticated animals. 

 Thus, in the dog it is present to the extent of about 

 1 in 40,000. 



Physiological Effects.— Concentrated solutions, espe- 

 cially of the sulphate and chloride, act as irritants, niore 



