1886.] The Post-Mortem Imbibition of Poisons. 105 
Surgeons, 1877) says: “In the few cases in which arsenic has 
been discovered in cemetery soils, it has invariably existed in the 
insoluble state generally in combination with either lime or 
iron. Indeed, it cannot be extracted from such soils even by 
boiling water, but the agency of hydrochloric acid is required to 
render it soluble; consequently, it is impossible that arsenic 
should be capable of transudation from the soil into a dead 
body.” 
This assertion is corroborated by the direct experiments of 
Orfila (Acad. of Med., June 29, 1847), who showed that bodies 
buried in arsenical earth for a period of three (3) months, did not 
acquire any arsenical impregnation from arsenical soil. But even 
admitting that it is possible for a body to become impregnated 
from arsenical soil, it could be easily determined in case a body 
contained arsenic, whether it derived the poison by contamination 
with earth, or whether the poison was introduced into the body; 
by taking two samples of earth, one from the immediate contact 
with the coffin, and the other from the same strata, but in an adja- 
cent portion of the cemetery, and subjecting both to a chemical 
analysis; if the analysis revealed the poison in the coffin soil, and 
not in the adjacent soil, then it would be evident that the soil was 
contaminated by the body and not the body by the soil. 
With a view of determining whether it is possible for a poison 
introduced into a dead body, to penetrate through the various 
organs, and be recovered by chemical analysis, a series of experi- 
ments were conducted. 
A small dog was killed, and into the stomach was introduced, 
by means of a flexible catheter, two ounces of water containing 
twenty grains of arsenious oxide. The animal was placed ina. 
Pine box, buried, and at the expiration of sixty days was 
exhumed. The following organs, viz., the stomach, liver, kid- 
neys, lungs, heart and brain, were then removed. On the surface 
of the organs were observed brownish-black spots. The organs 
were found to be in a remarkable state of preservation, especially 
the kidneys. The brain was only slightly broken down, but the 
dura mater was intact. A bright yellow spot of the size of a small 
_ Pea was observed on the urinary bladder. } 
€ organs removed were placed in separate glass jars, and 
then subjected to a chemical analysis. The process employed 
for the recovery of the arsenic being the “Frenious and Babo” or 
