30  Presence  of  Arsenic  in  Chemicals.     \ A™iS™yf5£.m* 
that  period,  although  previously  it  had  not  yielded  to  other  remedies. 
In  fact,  his  experience  showed  that  theocin  was  of  particular  value 
in  cases  in  which  there  were  extensive  dropsical  effusions.  Exami- 
nations of  the  urine  by  Professor  Dreser  showed  that  not  only  the 
quantity  of  the  fluid  but  also  of  the  solid  constituents  was  augmented. 
From  a  medical  point  of  view,  therefore,  the  discovery  of  a  cheap 
means  of  preparing  theophylline  is  of  great  interest,  since  it  places 
at  the  disposal  of  the  medical  profession  a  new  diuretic  of  greater 
efficiency  than  those  in  previous  use,  and  thus  contributes  to  a  more 
successful  treatment  of  various  conditions  in  which  dropsy  is  a 
prominent  symptom. 
It  may  also  interest  you  to  know  that  synthetic  theobromine  will 
shortly  be  introduced  into  medicine. 
THE  PRESENCK  OF  ARSENIC  IN  CHEMICALS. 
By  lyYMAN  F.  KEBlyKR. 
The  immediate  reason  for  this  investigation  was  the  unfortunate 
wholesale  poisoning  in  Manchester,  England,  about  two  years  ago. 
At  first  it  was  thought  this  poisoning  was  due  to  the  alcohol 
imbibed  by  the  excessive  drinking  of  beer;  but  investigation 
showed  that  the  poisoning  was  probably  not  due  to  the  alcohol,  but 
rather  to  the  arsenic  contained  in  the  beer.  That  is,  the  poisoning, 
instead  of  being  alcoholic  neuritis,  was  arsenical  neuritis,  or  perhaps 
a  mixture  of  both ;  the  source  of  the  arsenic  being  arsenical 
glucose,  which  was  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  beer;  the  glucose 
in  turn  being  prepared  by  the  intervention  of  arsenical  sulphuric 
acid. 
When  this  fact  became  known,  nothing  was  more  natural  than 
that  other  products,  in  the  preparation  of  which  sulphuric  acid  is 
employed,  should  be  investigattd.  The  chemical  and  medicinal 
remedy,  which  is  used  in  such  large  quantities  by  the  laity,  is 
sodium  phosphate.  This  product  was  carefully  examined,  both 
abroad1  and  in  this  country,2  and  found  to  contain  more  or  less 
arsenic.  One  sample  of  the  imported  material  was  found  by  the 
author  to  contain  I  milligramme  of  arsenous  oxide  in  5  grammes  of 
1  1900,  Chemist  and  Druggist,  58»  1034. 
2  1900,  American  Druggist,  37,  103. 
