238 
MISCELLANY. 
Curious Case of Poisoning with Arsenic. — In the examination of the 
corpses of two men, supposed to have been successively poisoned by 
the wife. Wdhler distinctly detected arsenic, even after an interval of 
seven years and six months. He incinerated all the soft paits of both 
corpses with nitre. In the man who died last, it was found that during 
the last moments of his life he had taken phosphuretted oil. and had 
therein consumed altogether about 16 grms. of phosphorus. On exami- 
nation of the stock of phosphorus in the apothecary's shop whence it 
had been obtained, it was found to contain about a half per cent, of ar- 
senic. The phosphorus used in the preparation of phosphuretted oil 
ought therefore in future to be tested for arsenic. — lb. from Ann. der 
Chem. und Pharm. 
On the preparation of Chlorine Water. — MM. Riegel and Waltz, in 
their experiments on the quantity of gas contained in chlorine water at 
different temperatures, have arrived at results exactly similar to those 
of Pelouze, except that they found the maximum somewhat greater 
than he did (3 vols, at 50°.) They did not find Buchner's method pre- 
ferable to that of the fifth edition of the Prussian Pharmacopoeia. They 
also consider the preparation in the dark, and the preservation in bottles 
with glass stoppers, as unnecessary. The water appears to be best pre- 
served in small bottles with good corks, and covered with bladder. That 
which contains about 2\ volumes of chlorine, and preserved at 54° 
Fahr., appears to keep best. They reccommend therefore that the 
chlorine evolved from 12 parts of well-dried chloride of sodium, 9 parts 
of peroxide of manganese, 10 parts of concentrated sulphuric acid and 10 
water, be conducted into distilled water which is retained at the tem- 
perature of 54° Fahr. until it is saturated. The chlorine contained in 
it is best tested, acccording to the authors, with a solution of pure in- 
digo in sulphuric acid, which is so diluted as to contain th of indi- 
go. 2 parts of chlorine water of the above strength are exactly sufficient 
to decolorize 1 part of this solution of indigo. To detect muriatic acid, 
the authors recommend metallic mercury, and for chlorous acid the 
protochloride of mercury. — lb. from Jahrb. fur Prakt. Pharm. 
Testing of Essential Oils by means of Sulphuric Acid. By M. Voget. 
— The author considers concentrated sulphuric acid as the best reagent 
for detecting adulterations of essential oils with oil of turpentine. The 
peculiar colour which the former assumes with sulphuric acid is much 
altered by the intense reddish-brown colour which the oil of turpentine 
yields; and moreover the heat evolved with the oil of turpentine is 
greater than that with other oils. In testing, the oils are best dropped 
upon a glass plate, beneath which is placed a piece of white paper ; 5 
