IIS 
DETECTION OF POISON IN THE URINE. 
ART. XXXIX.— ON THE DETECTION OF POISON IN THE 
URINE. 
By H. Letheby. 
The author briefly referred to the experiments of Wohler 
and Steyberger, Tiedemann and Gmelin, Orfila and others, 
in showing that many mineral, animal, and vegetable poi- 
sons are admitted into the circulation, and eliminated by 
the action of the kidneys. 
These facts led him to inquire whether the various poisons 
might not be disposed of in a similar manner ; and if so, 
whether their existence in the renal secretion might not fur- 
nish a.hint for the treatment of cases of poisoning; and, 
also, whether their detection in the urine would not supply 
evidence of a very valuable character for the guide of the 
medical jurist. 
With these objects in view, he analysed the urine of per- 
sons under the influence of the various poisons, and tested 
his results by experiment upon the lower animals. 
He succeeded in detecting the following poisons : — sul- 
phuric, muriatic, nitric, phosphoric, and oxalic acids ; of 
the alkalies, he had discovered the presence of potash, soda, 
and ammonia ; of the neutral salts, he enumerated nitrate 
of potash, iodide of potassium, sulphate of magnesia, the 
red and yellow prussiates of potash, and chloride of barium; 
of the salts of the other metals, he had recognised those of 
antimony, arsenic, lead, mercury, copper, iron, and silver. 
With the view of detecting the organic poisons, the au- 
thor instituted another class of experiments, the object of 
which was to ascertain if the vegetable poisons would, after 
their administration, endow the urine with any special phy- , 
siological power over the system of another animal ; and 
the conclusion to which he came was, that the active prin- 
ciples of many organic poisons, such as opium, belladonna, 
