352 
ARSENIC  EATING. 
broke  one,  and  thus  lost  part  of  the  urine.  Since  my  arrival  in 
this  country  I  subjected  the  contents  of  the  two  remaining  bottles 
to  chemical  analysis,  adopting  the  distillation  process  of  Dr.  Tay- 
lor as  the  most  convenient  way  of  separating  arsenic  from  the 
organic  matters  of  the  urine.  For  this  purpose  the  urine  was 
carefully  evaporated  to  dryness  in  a  clean  retort.  The  nearly 
dry  residue  was  covered  with  strong  hydrochloric  acid,  and  dis- 
tilled into  a  well-cooled  receiver.  The  product,  amounting  to 
about  half  an  ounce,  was  a  clear,  feebly  pinkish  fluid,  thirty 
minims  of  which,  when  treated  both  by  Reinsch's  and  Marsh's 
process,  gave  very  characteristic  arsenical  deposits.  Schober 
also  came  the  following  day  to  see  me,  having  taken  no  more 
arsenic  since  the  dose  which  he  had  swallowed  before  me  twenty- 
six  hours  previously.  I  again  secured  some  urine  which  he 
passed  in  my  presence,  and  this,  when  chemically  examined  as 
above,  also  yielded  arsenic  freely."  Dr.  Maclagan  adds — "It  is 
evident  that  the  confirmation  of  the  existence  of  the  practice  of 
arsenic-eating  must  lead  us  to  modify  some  of  the  opinions  that 
are  entertained  with  regard  to  the  influence  of  habit  on  the  action 
of  poisons.  It  has  long  been  notorious  that,  by  habit,  the  human 
body  may  be  brought  to  bear  with  impunity  doses  of  organic 
poisons,  such  as  opium,  which,  to  those  unaccustomed  to  them, 
would  certainly  prove  fatal;  but  'it  has  hitherto  been  considered 
by  toxicologists  that,  except  within  very  narrow  limits,  habit 
appears  to  exercise  no  influence  on  the  action  of  mineral  poisons.' 
(Taylor  'On  Poisons,'  p.  89.)  Though  the  experiment  of  M. 
Flandin,  by  which  he  proved  that  he  could  bring  dogs  to  bear 
fifteen  grains  of  arsenious  acid  in  powder  in  twenty-four  hours 
without  injury  to  their  appetite  or  health,  and  the  practice  of 
administering  arsenic  to  horses,  have  long  been  known  as  point- 
ing rather  in  the  contrary  direction,  this  has  been  supposed  to 
be  due  to  some  peculiarity  in  the  constitution  of  the  lower  ani- 
mals. The  facts  which  have  been  ascertained  with  regard  to  the 
Styrian  arsenic-eaters,  and  which  the  above  observations  confirm, 
entitle  us  to  maintain  that  the  modifying  effect  of  habit  is  not 
confined  to  organic  poisons,  but  extends  to  those  of  mineral 
nature — at  all  events,  to  arsenic." — Chem.  News,  July  21, 1865. 
