THE  AMERICAN 
t 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
APRIL,  1884. 
THE  SO-CALLED  BISMUTH  BREATH. 
By  William  Reisert,  Ph.G. 
Abstract  from  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
Bismuth  oxy nitrate,  when  taken  into  the  human  system,  often 
imparts  to  the  breath  a  very  perceptible,  and  disagreeable  garlic-like 
odor,  which  is  very  annoying,  not  only  to  the  person  who  has  taken 
the  salt,  but  particularly  disagreeable  to  the  persons  with  whom  they 
may  come  in  contact.  This  odor  has  been  attributed  by  writers  to  be 
caused  by  impurities  in  the  bismuth  salt,  such  as  arsenic  and  tellurium, 
and  some  have  asserted  that  the  chemically  pure  bismuth  salt  itself 
produces  the  odor.  The  subjoined  experiments  will  add  to  the  already 
known  facts  concerning  the  cause  ot  the  production  of  this  odor, 
namely,  the  ingestion  of  tellurium,  which  element  occurs  as  an  im- 
purity in  many  samples  of  bismuth  oxy  nitrate. 
Chemically  pure  sesquioxide  of  bismuth  was  prepared  by  dissolving 
the  commercial  oxynitrate  in  chemically  pure  nitric  acid,  and  precipi- 
tating with  an  excess  of  water.  This  operation  of  redissolving  and 
reprecipitating  was  repeated  twice,  and  the  precipitate  was  then  strongly 
heated  in  a  porcelain  crucible  to  convert  it  into  bismuth  sesquioxide, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  volatilize  any  arsenic  which  might  have  been 
contained  in  the  substance.  Tests  for  arsenic  and  tellurium  in  the 
resulting  sesquioxide  failed  to  denote  their  presence. 
The  bismuth  sesquioxide  thus  purified  was  administered  to  five 
persons  under  the  same,  and  under  different  conditions  as  to  dose  and 
time.  From  0*5  to  1*0  gram  was  given  three  times  daily  for  six  days. 
No  garlic-like  odor  could  be  recognized  in  the  breath. 
To  investigate  the  action  of  arsenic  in  the  production  of  this  odor  in 
the  breath,  arsenious  oxide  was  taken  by  myself,  in  doses  of  0*003  gm. 
after  each  of  the  three  daily  meals  for  three  days.  On  the  fourth  day, 
on  account  of  the  griping  pain  produced  in  the  abdomen,  and  a  violent 
12 
