238 POISONS : THEIR EFFECTS AND DETECTION. [§§ 296 , 297 . 
jugular and portal veins, as well as in extravasations, microscopic fat 
globules and fine needle-shaped crystals soluble in ether. 
§ 296. Antidote—Treatment. — After emptying the stomach by 
means of emetics or by the stomach-pump, oil of turpentine in full 
medicinal doses, say 2-5 c.c. (about 40 min.), frequently administered, 
seems to act as a true antidote, and a large percentage of cases treated 
early in this way recover. 
§ 297. Poisonous Effects of Phosphine (phosphuretted hydrogen). 
—Experiments on pigeons, on rats, and other animals, and a few very 
rare cases among men, have shown that phosphine has an exciting action 
on the respiratory mucous membranes, and a secondary action on 
the nervous system. Eulenberg 1 exposed a pigeon to an atmosphere 
containing 1*68 per cent, of phosphine. There was immediate unrest; 
at the end of three minutes, quickened and laboured breathing (100 a 
minute) ; after seven minutes, the bird lay prostrate, with shivering of 
the body and wide-open beak ; after eight minutes, there was vomiting ; 
after nine minutes, slow breathing (34 per minute) ; after twelve 
minutes, convulsive movements of the wings ; and after thirteen minutes, 
general convulsions and death. 
The membranes of the brain were found strongly injected, and there 
were extravasations. In the mucous membrane of the crop there was 
also an extravasation. The lungs externally and throughout were of a 
dirty brown-red colour ; the entire heart was filled with coagulated 
blood, which was weakly acid in reaction. 
In a second experiment with another pigeon, there was no striking 
symptom save that of increased frequency of respiration and loss of 
appetite ; at the end of four days it was found dead. There was much 
congestion of the cerebral veins and vessels, the mucous membranes of 
the trachea and bronchi were weakly injected, and the first showed a 
thin, plastic, diphtheritic-like exudation. 
Dr Henderson’s researches 2 on rats may also be noticed here. He 
found that an atmosphere consisting entirely of phosphine killed rats 
within ten minutes, an atmosphere with 1 per cent, in half an hour. 
The symptoms observed were almost exactly similar to those noticed in 
the first experiment on the pigeon quoted above, and the post-mortem 
appearances were not dissimilar. With smaller quantities of the gas, the 
first symptom was increased frequency of the respiration ; then the 
animals showed signs of suffering, intense irritation of the skin, scratching 
and biting at it incessantly ; afterwards they became drowsy, and assumed 
a very peculiar attitude, sitting down on all-fours, with the back bent 
forward, and the nose pushed backwards between the forepaws, so as to 
bring the forehead against the floor of the cage. When in this position, 
the rat presented the appearance of a curled-up hedgehog. Phosphine, 
1 Gewerbe Hygiene, p. 273. 2 Journ. Anal, and Physiol., xiii. 19. 
