Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
February,  1903.  f 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
99 
to  assist  in  detecting  cases  of  poisoning  "  (see  page  51),  was  read  by 
Dr.  Henry  Leffmann,  the  well-known  chemical  and  sanitary  expert. 
In  discussing  the  paper,  Professor  Remington  commended  it 
very  highly,  and  referred  to  several  cases  of  ptomain  poisoning, 
and  said  that  he  had  no  doubt  that  a  large  number  of  cases  of 
poisoning  were  due  to  the  development  of  poisonous  principles 
resulting  from  the  decomposition  of  animal  matter.  Professor 
Lowe  said  that  alcohol  was  not  efficient  as  an  antidote  to  carbolic- 
acid  poisoning  when  the  latter  entered  the  system,  and  that  the  em- 
ployment of  some  of  the  soluble  sulphates,  e.g.,  magnesium  sulphate, 
was  useful  in  this  connection.  Dr.  Leffmann  said,  that  next  to 
illuminating  gas,  carbolic  acid  was  more  frequently  used  in  suicidal 
poisoning  than  any  other  means,  and  that  during  the  past  year  there 
were  nearly  thirty  cases  of  this  kind  in  Philadelphia.  He  further 
said,  that  when  carbolic  acid  entered  the  system  it  was  difficult  to 
follow  it  up  with  physiological  antidotes,  and  that  systemic  reme- 
dies were  indicated. 
In  answer  to  a  question  regarding  the  poisonous  properties  of 
illuminating  gas,  Dr.  Leffmann  said  that  the  illuminating  gas 
made  by  the  destructive  distillation  of  coal  consisted  chiefly  of 
hydrocarbons — members  of  the  methane  and  methene  group,  which 
do  not  possess  free  valencies ;  while  water-gas  contained  variable 
amounts  of  carbon  monoxide,  the  valence  of  which  is  not  satisfied, 
and  entering  the  blood  unites  with  the  hemaglobin  forming  a  com- 
pound, which  is  not  readily  decomposed,  and  in  this  way  it  acts  as 
a  cumulative  poison  throwing  all  of  the  hemaglobin  out  of  the  cir- 
cuit, producing  a  so-called  chemical  asphyxia.  In  regard  to  the 
treatment,  he  said  that  artificial  respiration  and  the  administration  of 
oxygen  were  useless,  and  that  a  patient  overcome  by  water-gas 
could  only  be  resuscitated  by  the  transfusion  of  new  blood.  Dr. 
Leffmann  further  said  that  he  believed  that  many  cases  of  slight 
illness  were  due  to  the  inhalation  of  carbon  monoxide  in  this  way, 
and  that  people  should  be  careful  in  seeing  that  the  gas-pipes 
and  fixtures  were  perfectly  tight.  Mr.  Wilbert  recommended  that 
every  apothecary  have  a  stomach-tube  at  hand  for  emergency  cases. 
In  reply  to  a  question  by  Mr.  England  in  regard  to  the  poisonous 
properties  of  methyl  alcohol,  Dr.  Leffmann  said  that  the  action  of 
pure  methyl  alcohol  wa,s  a  slow  one,  and  that  he  believed  that  where 
blindness  had  been  produced  that  possibly  some  creosote  products 
