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THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [November 26,1870, 
compound of the resin of turpentine is soluble in 
benzin and alcohol, but not the corresponding com¬ 
pound with the resin of copaiva.— Ph. Cent. Halle , 1870, 
296, 297. 
AMOUNT OF ARSENIC IN PHOSPHORUS OF 
COMMERCE. 
BY C. J. RADEMAKER, M.D. 
In preparing dilute phosphoric acid according to the 
process of the U. S. P., the author passes a current of sul¬ 
phydric acid through the solution, in order to free it 
from all substances precipitable by that agent in acid 
solutions, invariably obtaining a yellowish precipitate, 
which upon examination proves to be sulphide of arsenic. 
In order to find the amount of arsenic present in a 
given quantity of phosphorus, he has resorted to the fol¬ 
lowing process:— 
100 grammes of phosphorus were oxidized with nitric 
acid, the solution diluted and the arsenic precipitated 
as a sulphide (AsS 5 ) by means of sulphydric acid, the 
solution allowed to rest for six days. The precipi¬ 
tated sulphide of arsenic was collected on a filter and 
washed, transferred to a small evaporating dish and oxi¬ 
dized with nitric acid, and reduced by means of sul¬ 
phurous acid to arsenious acid, and precipitated in the 
form of AsS 3 , by means of sulphydric acid ; the, precipi¬ 
tate digested with ammonia, in order to free it from the 
small amount of sulphur present, the solution filtered 
from the undissolved matter, and evaporated, dried and 
weighed, and found to weigh 15 grains, or nearly one 
gramme.— American Journal of Pharmacy. 
AN ELEGANT COUGH MIXTURE. 
Hydrochlorate of Morphia.. gr. ss 
Glycerine. 2 fluid ounces. 
Mix. A teaspoonful wdien the cough is troublesome. 
Poisoning by an Escape of Gas. —An inquest 
has been held at Leeds concerning the death of five per¬ 
sons supposed to have been suffocated by coal-gas during 
the night of the 12th and 13th November. It appeared 
that the deceased, who lived in two adjoining houses, 
were known to have been in good health on the previous 
day. The families not making their appearance as usual 
on the 13th, the police and others, late in the day, broke 
open the doors and windows, when two bodies in one 
house and two children in the other were found dead. 
The father and mother of the children were insensible, 
and the father has since died. 
Mr. J. E. Jenkins, surgeon, said that he had made a 
poet mortem examination of the body of one of the de¬ 
ceased children, and he was of opinion that death had re¬ 
sulted from narcotism produced by coal-gas. On the 
bedroom being filled with gas there would be first stupor, 
then vomiting, and soon total insensibility, which would 
end in death by the exclusion of atmospheric air. 
Evidence was given that upon search being made, it 
was found that the main-pipe between the two houses 
was broken across. This seemed to have been caused by 
the subsidence of earth resulting from the making of a 
drain underneath. 
The jury found a verdict of “ Accidental death,” with a 
recommendation to the authorities to require gas-mains 
to be put on solid ground by the parties to drainage 
operations. 
A New Source of Lead Poisoning. —Dr. John¬ 
son reports in the British Medical Journal ’, a curious case 
of lead poisoning that has come under his notice at 
King’s College Hospital. There were well-marked 
symptoms of lead poisoning in the patient, but there was 
no evidence as to the source of the lead. Upon being 
questioned as to the materials used in his trade, the 
patient, who is a portmanteau maker, said that he worked 
much with a black glazed cloth, which he called “ over¬ 
land cloth,” used for making portmanteaus and covers. 
A portion of this cloth was obtained and examined for 
lead. Three or four square inches of the glazed cloth 
were incinerated in a porcelain crucible; a considerable 
quantity of a greyish-white ash was thus obtained. This 
was treated with nitric acid, which dissolved it pretty 
completely with a brisk effervescence. Lead was found 
in the filtered solution by the following tests:—(1) a 
white sulphate on the addition of dilute sulphuric acid; 
(2) a yellow precipitate of chromate on the addition of 
potassic chromate ; (3) a yellow iodide in silky scales on 
the addition of potassic iodide. The reaction in each 
case was well marked. The ash contained also a good 
deal of chalk. Dr. Johnson supposes that the man, who 
works at his own home, and confesses that he often takes 
his meals without washing his hands, in cutting the cloth 
would get^his hands covefed with the lead-contaminated 
dust, and that some of this would be swallowed with his 
food. The man says, too, that he is in the habit of using 
the cuttings and remnants of the cloth as fuel, and it is 
possible that some volatilized lead might enter the sys¬ 
tem through the lungs. 
The Colour of Butterflies* ‘Wings. —A writer in 
Nature says that wishing to test the effect of acid on the 
colours of the wings of a butterfly or moth, he applied 
muriatic acid to a dried and set specimen of the six- 
spotted burnet ( Zygcena flipendulce). The only change 
that followed in this and subsequent experiments was 
that the red became yellow; where there was no red 
there was no change. Upon applying the acid to the 
red parts of the red admiral butterfly ( Vanessa atalanta ), 
no change took place. Comparative examination under 
the microscope failed to explain the phenomenon, which 
appears to point out a clear difference in the nature of 
the wing of a moth and that of a butterfly. A remark¬ 
able fact, perhaps connected with this, is that a yellow 
variety is known of almost every moth containing red in 
the wings. 
Nitro-Glycerine Explosion. —At Frankfort, near 
Painesville, Ohio, on November 1, two magazines, con¬ 
taining 150,000 lbs. of nitro-glycerine, exploded. Four 
persons were killed. The buildings in the neighbour¬ 
hood were greatly damaged, the shock from the explosion 
being felt for miles. Where the magazines stood are 
now two ponds of water, 50 feet across and 75 feet deep. 
The loss to the Glycerine Company is estimated at not 
less than 25,000 dollars. This is the second explosion of 
the kind within two months.— Times. 
Oil of Peppermint as a Local Anaesthetic.— 
Dr. Alfred Wright, writing to the Lancet , says, that a 
few years ago, when in China, he became acquainted 
with the fact that the natives, when suffering from facial 
neuralgia, applied oil of peppermint to the seat of pain 
with a camel-hair pencil. Since then, in his own prac¬ 
tice, he has frequently employed oil of peppermint as a 
local anaesthetic, not only in neuralgia but also in gout,, 
with remarkably good results. He has found the relief 
from pain to be almost instantaneous. 
Water-Glass as a Bandage. —Professor Darby, of 
the University of South Carolina, speaks very favourably 
of the employment of liquid glass in the formation of 
immovable bandages. He considers it preferable to either 
gypsum, dextrine, glue, or starch. The mode of appli¬ 
cation is to envelope the limb in wadding, to protect 
prominences of bone from undue pressure, and round the 
wadding to wrap three or more bandages of unglazed 
muslin, each bandage being freely painted with silicate 
of potash. Between the second and third bandages strips 
of muslin saturated in the solution may be applied, to 
give extra support to the broken parts. The limb should 
be kept at perfect rest until the bandages are dry, the 
time required varying from three to twelve hour's, ac¬ 
cording to the amount of material used.— Medical Times 
and Gazette . 
