458 ophthalmia a result from arsenical wall-papers. 
arsenic in the dust collected from the picture-frames in the 
room. 
These facts appear to show a close relation of cause and 
effect. It is said that the men who manufacture the paper 
do not suffer, but so far as I can ascertain, the colour is 
ground and well mixed with water. It is laid on the wall¬ 
paper in a wet state, and thus the workmen are not exposed 
to the same amount of risk as those who live in chambers 
where the paper is hung in a dry state, and where, from the 
porous nature of the composition (whiting and arsenical green) 
changes in humidity and temperature may lead to the separa¬ 
tion of portions of the noxious pigment. The glazing or 
sizing of the paper may to some extent prevent these acci¬ 
dents by giving a more permanent fixing to the material. 
A well-known manufacturer of “ night-lights” in London, 
informed me that when the green (arsenical) paper was used 
for wrapping the night-lights, the men who cut the papers 
suffered very much in their eyes, and could only work at it 
for a few hours. I informed him that the use of this pigment 
for night-lights was very dangerous, since the smouldering 
of the paper in a close room might produce serious effects. 
He now uses other and innocent colours. 
I believe that the first attack of inflammation of the eyes, 
from which my friend suffered, was the result of the consti¬ 
tutional effects of slow poisoning. I give this opinion because 
there were other symptoms from which he suffered, also in¬ 
dicative of the constitutional effects of arsenic. The second 
attack was probably dependent on the local action of the 
arsenical dust. It came on rapidly , and was not, so far as I 
am informed, attended with the other constitutional symptoms. 
In the two other cases, of medical men, referred to in my 
paper, the whole of the facts point to a constitutional action 
of the arsenical dust, bringing on an attack of inflammation 
of the conjunctiva gradually. 
This probable cause of one form of ophthalmia is worthy 
of the notice of ophthalmic surgeons. 
[Dr. Taylor informs us that, by a very simple method, he 
has succeeded in preventing the injurious effects arising from 
the use of these papers; so much so, that after six months 
not the slightest indication of the existence of arsenic could 
be detected in the dust, &c. lodged about the room. His 
plan consists in covering the paper with weak size. — 
Editors.] 
