ZINC. 
§§ 902, 903.] 
705 
suffered from well-marked and even serious poisonous symptoms, con¬ 
sisting of pain in the head, vomiting, and a short fever. It must be 
remembered that, as the ordinary zinc of commerce is seldom free from 
arsenic, and some samples contain gallium, the presence of these 
metals may possibly have a part in the production of the symptoms 
described. 
§ 902. ( b) Sulphate of Zinc. —Sulphate of zinc has been very fre¬ 
quently taken by accident or design, but death from it is rare. The 
infrequency of fatal result is due, not to any inactivity of the salt, but 
rather to its being almost always expelled by vomiting, which is so 
constant and regular an effect, that in doses of 1-3 grm. (20 grains) 
sulphate of zinc is often relied upon in poisoning from other substances 
to quickly expel the contents of the stomach. I 11 the case reported by 
Dr Gibb, an adult female swallowed 4-33 grms. (67 grains), but no 
vomiting occurred, and it had to be induced by other emetics ; this case 
is unique. It is difficult to say what would be a fatal dose of zinc 
sulphate, • but the serious symptoms caused by 28 grms. (1 oz.) in the 
case of a groom in the service of Dr Mackenzie, leads to the view that, 
although not fatal in that particular instance, it might be in others. 
The man took it in mistake for Epsom salts : a few minutes after, he 
was violently sick and purged, and was excessively prostrated, so that he 
had to be carried to his home ; the following day he had cramps in the 
legs, and felt weak, but was otherwise well. 
In a criminal case related by Tardieu and Roussin, a large dose of 
zinc sulphate, put into soup, caused the death of a woman 60 years 
of age in about thirty hours. 1 The symptoms were violent purging 
and vomiting, leading to collapse. From half of the soup a quantity of 
zinc oxide, equal to 1-6 grm. of zinc sulphate, was separated. Zinc 
was also found in the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen. (See also 
a case of criminal poisoning recorded by Chevallier. 2 ) 
§ 903. (c) Zinc Chloride. —Chloride of zinc is a powerful poison, 
which may kill by its primary or secondary effects ; its local action as a 
caustic is mainly to be ascribed to its intense affinity for water, dehy¬ 
drating any tissue with which it comes in contact. The use of disinfect¬ 
ing fluids containing zinc chloride, such as Burnett’s fluid, formerly led 
to more accidents in England than in any other European country. Of 
twenty-six cases of poisoning by this agent, twenty-four occurred in 
England, and only two on the Continent. Death may follow the ex¬ 
ternal use of zinc chloride. Some years ago a quack at Barnstaple, 
Devon, applied zinc chloride to a cancerous breast ; the woman died 
1 Taylor notices this case, but adds that she died in three days. This is a mis¬ 
take, as the soup was taken on the 12th of June, probably at midday, and the woman 
died on the 13th, at 8 p.m. 
2 “ Observations toxicologiques sur le zinc,” Annales d'Hygiene Publique, July 
1878, p. 153. 
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