Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
July,  1920. j 
Botulism  Due  to  Olives. 
465 
diaminoarsenobenzene,  differing  from  "salvarsan"  only  by  the 
presence  of  a  methoxyl-group  and  resembling  it  closely  in  its  prop- 
erties and  toxicity.  3-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-5-nitroplienylarsinic  acid 
under  similar  conditions  behaved  abnormally,  yielding  a  poly- 
arsenide  of  the  type  R2AS4;  while  3,4-dimethoxy-5-nitrophenylarsinic 
acid,  which  did  not  yield  an  insoluble  reduction  product,  probably 
on  account  of  sulphamic  acid  formation,  on  conversion  into  the 
amino  acid  and  subsequent  reduction  with  hyposulphite  gave  an 
abnormal  compound  of  a  second  type  R2AS3  or  R4AS6.  The  mech- 
anism of  the  formation  of  these  abnormal  products  and  their 
possible  formulation  were  discussed.  It  had  been  stated  by  Bertheim 
that  a  mixture  of  molecular  proportions  of  two  arsinic  acids  yielded 
solely  the  unsymmetrical  arsenobenzene.  More  recently,  Karrer 
had  questioned  the  mechanism  assumed  by  Bertheim  and  suggested 
that  the  symmetrical  arsenobenzenes  were  first  formed  and  then 
underwent  "double  decomposition."  Utilizing  the  principle  in- 
volved in  the  second  suggestion,  as  this  seemed  to  be  in  harmony 
with  the  observed  facts,  fission  of  the  arsenic  utilized  to  form  the 
polyarsenides  apparently  succeeding  rather  than  preceding  re- 
duction, formulae  were  evolved  for  the  types  R2AS4,  and  R4AS6, 
in  accordance  with  the  scheme: 
R.As  =  As 
I 
R.As  =  As 
R— As  =  As— As— R 
I 
R— As  =  As— As— R 
The  difficulty  of  completely  proving  homogeneity  in  these  com- 
pounds was  pointed  out. 
R.As. 
I 
I 
R.As. 
+ 
.As 
.As 
R.As  —  As 
I  li 
R.As  —  As 
R.As  —  As. 
I  I 
R.As  —  As . 
As.R  RA.s— As— As— R 
.  As .  R  R— As— As— As— R 
BOTULISM  DUE  TO  OUVBS.* 
The  continued  occurrence  of  fatal  outbreaks  of  botulism  poison- 
ing caused  by  contaminated  olives  prompts  our  frequent  reference 
to  this  situation.  Many  of  the  features  of  botulism  outbreaks  are 
still  quite  obscure;  and  in  view  of  the  urgent  necessity  for  practical 
methods  of  prevention,  every  contribution  to  our  knowledge  of  this 
form  of  food  poisoning  should  be  closely  considered  by  sanitarians 
*  From  Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  May  i,  1920. 
