COPPER. 
661 
§ 840.] 
During the first few days the animals were given 10 to 30 mgrms. of 
copper, in the form of a salt, in their food ; then the dose was raised to 
50 mgrms. or even to 100 mgrms., and the experiment continued for 
from two to four months ; in one case, six months. The sulphate, 
acetate, chloride, oleate, butyrate, and lactate were all tried, but no 
essential difference in action was discovered ; apart from slight vomiting, 
and in a few cases, as shown by post-mortem, a slight catarrh of the 
stomach, the animals remained well. A few increased in weight. 
Nervous symptoms, cramps, convulsions, diarrhoea or the reverse, were 
not observed. The analysis of the organs showed considerable copper 
absorption ; the liver of the cats gave a mean amount of 12 mgrms. of 
copper, and in the other organs there was more copper than is found in 
cases of acute poisoning. 
Lehmann has also made experiments upon himself and his pupils on 
the effect of the sulphate and the acetate when taken for a long time :— 
One of the experimenters took for 50 days 
10 
mgrms. daily Cu as 
sulphate. 
,, ,, ,, then for 30 ,, 
20 
55 55 
Another took for 3 days 
5 
mgrms. as acetate. 
,, then for 10 ,, ... 
10 
55 55 
„ „ 1 day ... 
15 
5 5 5 5 
,, ,, 19 days 
20 
5 5 5 5 
,, ,, 18 ,, ... 
None of these daily doses had the least effect. 
30 
5 5 5 5 
Five further experiments showed that 75 to 127 mgrms. of copper 
in peas and beans, divided in two meals, could be taken daily without 
effect; but if 127 mgrms. were taken at one meal in 200 grms. of peas, 
then, after a few hours, there might be vomiting ; and Lehmann con¬ 
cludes that doses of copper in food of about 100 mgrms. may produce 
some transient derangement in health, such as sickness, a nasty taste in 
the mouth, and a general feeling of discomfort, but nothing more. Some 
slight colicky pains and one or two loose motions are also possible, but 
were not observed in Lehmann’s experiments. 
§ 840. Toxic Dose of Copper Salts.—This is a difficult question, 
because copper salts generally act as an emetic, and therefore very large 
doses have been taken without any great injury. In fact, it may be laid 
down that a medium dose taken daily for a considerable time is far more 
likely to injure health, or to destroy life, than a big dose taken at once. 
In Tschirch’s 1 careful experiments on animals, he found 10 rngrm. doses 
of CuO given daily to rabbits, the weight of which varied from 1200 
to 1650 grms., caused injury to health—that is, about 3-5 mgrms. per 
kilo. If a man is susceptible in the same proportion, then daily doses 
1 Das Kupfer, Stuttgart, 1893. 
