656         ARSENIOUS  ACID  :  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  QUININE. 
No.  4  is  the  one  usually  preferred,  particularly  for  soldering 
smaller  objects. 
In  order  to  make  the  solder,  the  copper  is  first  melted,  the 
necessary  aluminum  is  added,  and  stirred  by  means  of  an  iron 
spatula,  unpolished,  as  it  comes  from  the  blacksmith,  adding 
also  a  little  tallow ;  the  zinc  is  then  added,  avoiding  too  much 
heat,  as  this  last  metal  is  easily  oxidized,  and  is  very  volatile. 
— Chemical  News,  London^  August^  1861. 
ARSENIOUS  ACID  IN  LARGE  DOSES:    A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR 
QUININE. 
By  J.  Turner, 
Surgeon  to  H.  M.  Brigade,  Bombay  Horse  Artillery. 
(Communicated  to  the  Royal  Medical  and  Chirurgical  Society.) 
The  author  has  employed  arsenious  acid  for  twenty  years  in 
the  treatment  of  intermitt^^nt  fevers,  and  on  account  of  the  great 
drain  upon  the  cinchona  tree,  its  failure  in  India,  and  his  strong 
opinion  as  to  the  equal  if  not  greater  value  of  arsenious  acid  in 
the  above-named  diseases,  he  now  brings  the  results  of  his  ex- 
perience before  the  profession.  He  considers  the  fears  of  an 
inconvenience  or  danger  arising  from  the  remedy  as  much  exag- 
gerated, and  instances  the  case  of  a  child  of  nine  months^  to 
whom  he  gave  twenty  minims  of  the  arsenite  of  potash*  within 
ten  hours,  repeating  the  dose  on  the  following  day,  with  the 
only  effect  of  curing  an  obstinate  quotidian  intermittent.  Mr. 
Turner's  success  was  so  marked,  that  in  1860  the  Director  Gene- 
ral stated  that  Mr.  Turner  should  be  thanked  for  "  drawing  at- 
tention to  his  successful  treatment  of  intermittent  fevers  by 
large  doses  of  arsenic,  and  steps  should  be  taken  by  circular  to 
urge  an  extended  trial  of  this  remedy,  and  reports  requested." 
The  course  usually  adopted  by  the  author  was  to  give  the  arse- 
nite of  potash  as  in  the  following  prescription  :  Arsenite  of 
potash  and  compound  tincture  of  cardamoms,  of  each  half  a 
drachm  ;  gum  mucilage,  three  drachms ;  camphor  mixture  or 
water,  half  an  ounce  ;  mix.  To  be  given  every  second  hour  four 
or  five  times,  the  last  to  anticipate  the  expected  paroxysm  at 
least  two  hours. — London  Pharm,  Journ, 
*  Of  course  liquor potassce  arsenitis  is  intended. — Ed.  Pharm.  Journ. 
