52 
Ordinary Meeting, February 18th, 1879. 
J. P. Joule, D.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., &c., President, in the 
Chair. 
James Bottomley, B.A., D.Sc., and Richard S. Dale, 
B.A., were appointed Auditors of the Treasurer’s Accounts. 
“On a Chemical Investigation of Japanese Lacquer, or 
* Urushi,’ ” by Sad amu Ishimatsu. Communicated by 
Professor Roscoe, LL.D., F.RS. 
During a few months last year I had the opportunity of 
examining roughly into the nature of “Urushi” in the 
Laboratory of Tokio University. 
The specimen of lacquer which I had under my examina^ 
tion was obtained from Kuyemon Nakamuraya, in Tokio, a 
large lacquer merchant. 
It is a milky juice of pale grey colour, and gives out a 
certain kind of poisonous volatile gas. Some persons are 
terribly attacked by this poison, producing a great swelling 
where the acid comes in contact. During my examination 
in the laboratory one of the apparatus keepers was terribly 
attacked by this gas, producing ugly swellings all over the 
face. He told me at the time it was exceedingly itchy. 
By using the solution of chloride of sodium, carbonate of 
soda, acetate of lead, &c., he was said to have recovered 
within a week. This poison acts only on certain persons. 
I had to work with it for many days, yet never had any 
attack of the kind nor felt any uneasiness from it. 
It has a sweetish characteristic smell and has an irritating 
taste. It burns with very luminous flame, evolving dense 
black smoke like oil of turpentine. 
