ON THE EFFECTS OF ACRID POISONS. 241 
changes are which take place it would certainly be important to 
ascertain, that such is the fact, however an example or two may 
be cited to show. When mercury is extracted from the skin, de¬ 
posited from the urine, or found in the bones of those who have 
been under a mercurial course, it is met with in the pure metal¬ 
lic form, although exhibited in that of a chloride; and iodine 
taken pure, and having passed through the system, is discovered 
in the form of iodide or hydriodate. 
Speculations, it was observed, of this sort might be almost in¬ 
terminable. Bounds must therefore be set to such conjectures. 
Still the state of the blood in cases of poisoning is peculiar both 
in cases where the nervous energy has been highly excited, or 
when on the contrary it has been suddenly and greatly exhausted; 
where inflammation has been set up locally, or where a general 
inflammatory diathesis alone has been provoked. True it is 
indeed, and no less curious than true, that blood in the inflamma¬ 
tory state is less disposed to coagulate, or rather that coagula- 
tion takes place more slowly in blood drawn during inflamma¬ 
tion than that taken from the vessels in its natural state. The 
author expressed the submission with which he laid these re¬ 
marks before the Meeting, which, he observed, related only to 
those substances unquestionably taken into the circulation, and 
expressed his determination to dedicate his time and thoughts 
to the further elucidation of the ideas scattered through them, 
which he hoped to advance, and render more perfect before the 
next meeting of the Association. 
\ 
1855 . 
R 
