314 
DEATH  FROM  THE  CARELESS  USE  OF  A  HAIR  DYE. 
tion  thus  obtained,  bichloride  of  platinum  and  carbazotic  acid 
both  showed  the  presence  of  Potassa.  It  thus  became  evident 
that  the  phial  had  contained  a  solution  of  cyanide  of  kalium, 
a  well  known  deadly  poison,  which,  owing  to  its  extensive  use  in 
certain  electro-metallurgic  operations,  and  other  processes  of  the 
present  day,  that  render  it  easily  procurable,  has  been  the  fre- 
quent cause  of  death  within  a  few  years  past.  Since  the  one 
fluid  drachm  gave  grs.  10.30  of  cyanide  of  silver,  the  equiva- 
lent of  cyanide  of  kalium  would  be  grs.  4.99,  which  would  repre- 
sent the  strength  of  the  solution.  But  it  occurred  to  me  that  a 
part  of  the  cyanogen  obtained  might  possibly  have  been  sup- 
plied from  cyanate  of  potassa,  present  either  as  an  original 
impurity  in  the  commercial  cyanide,  or  as  a  spontaneous  pro- 
duct from  a  solution  of  pure  cyanide.  Such  solution  it  is  well 
known  becomes  in  part  converted  into  the  cyanate  by  exposure 
to  air,  and  from  this  under  certain  circumstances  free  ammonia 
would  be  liberated.  Prof.  Graham  suggests  as  a  simple  means 
for  determining  the  purity  of  cyanide  of  kalium,  to  note  its 
solvent  power  for  peroxide  of  mercury,  stating  that  grs.  12  of 
the  pure  cyanide  in  solution  will  dissolve  exactly  grs.  20  of  the 
peroxide.  By  agitating  f . 3 j .  of  the  liquid  with  an  excess  of 
fine)y  pulverized  peroxide  of  mercury,  I  found  that  it  would  dis- 
solve exactly  grs.  7,  and  this  according  to  the  formula  of  Prof. 
Graham  would  represent  grs.  4.20  of  pure  cyanide.  The  differ- 
ence between  grs.  4.20  thus  obtained  and  grs.  4.99  as  deduced 
from  the  weight  of  the  cyanide  of  silver  product,  might  thus 
represent  the  cyanate  of  potassa  accidentally  present. 
I  now  made  a  solution  of  the  commercial  cyanide  of  kalium 
in  the  proportion  of  grs.  5  to  one  fluid  drachm.  This  solution 
had  a  specific  gravity  of  1-050,  showed  the  usual  alkaline  reac- 
tion, gave  an  appreciable  quantity  of  free  ammonia,  and  had  its 
inseparable  odor  of  hydrocyanic  acid.  And  with  the  excep- 
tion that  it  was  more  nearly  limpid,  agreed  in  all  essentials  with 
the  contents  of  the  phial  under  examination. 
As  there  seemed  to  be  room  for  reasonable  doubt  whether  the 
party  named  by  my  friend  as  supplying  the  Hair  Dye  was 
really  to  blame,  or  whether  one  of  his  phials  had  been  improperly 
employed  to  contain  a  poisonous  solution,  I  thought  it  best  to 
procure  directly  from  the  manufacturer  through  the  agency  of 
4 
