ARSENICAL POISONING FROM SMELTER SMOKE. 
407 
diaphragm with costal breathing (26) have been observed in hu¬ 
man beings suffering from arsenical poisoning confirms the con¬ 
clusion that these phenomena, as seen in the “smoke district” 
with animals, were really symptoms due to that cause. 
In many of the chronic cases, the symptoms were those of 
weakness, with more or less difficulty in advancing- the limbs 
when walking. Some of these animals were emaciated and on 
autopsy the fat beneath the skin, about the heart and in the ab¬ 
dominal cavity was translucent, gelatinous, soft, trembly, like a 
gelatinous exudate, a condition described by Flemming and, also, 
by Herter (27) in their studies of fat atrophy. This is a condi¬ 
tion resembling starvation and in these cases appeared to be due 
to the continued action of arsenic, reducing- the appetite, disturb¬ 
ing the digestion, stimulating the metabolism and irritating- the 
kidneys and liver. 
It must ever be borne in mind in the attempt to estimate the 
damage caused by arsenic, that this poison acts not only upon the 
organs with which it comes in contact when entering the body 
and when being excreted, but that it has a special tendency to 
affect the nervous system. And it is clear that the extent of its 
influence upon the nervous system is most difficult to appreciate 
in animals, because they are unable to describe the depression of' 
spirits and the weakness which they feel. Horses, which in the 
Montana atmosphere should have been able to travel the whole 
day without tiring, would in an hour or two lag in their gait, 
perspire profusely, breathe heavily, show weak heart action and 
be unable to keep up their pace. 
In this connection, the symptoms recorded by Vidal, Marquez 
and Dubrandy in their communication to the Academy of Medi¬ 
cine (1888), as observed in the poisoning at Hyeres, France, are 
of special interest as giving a clearer idea of the feelings of the 
victims: 
“The movements were difficult, the legs seemed too heavy for 
walking. The patients were tired; they had some difficulty in 
their movements; then the sensation became increased; their legs 
became heavy ; they only walked with the body inclined forward, 
