MISCELLANY. 
87 
ed attention to, perhaps, a searching examination, this branch of Toxico- 
logy comes more immediately within the province of the Chemist than of 
the Medical Practitioner. 
These are the views which have induced us to contend for the adoption 
of Toxicology as a branch of education essential to the Pharmaceutical 
Chemist; and we yet hope to see it admilted as such by the Council of 
our Society. We perfectly agree in opinion with those who object to 
adding to the list of subjects in our educational scheme, any one that is 
not absolutely required by the circumstances in which we are placed. It 
is especially, with reference to these circumstances, that we are brought to 
the conclusion we have expressed ; and we see nothing in the condition of 
the medical profession in this country that should deter or prevent our 
Pharmaceutists from attaining to that eminence in Toxicology which has 
distinguished those of continental nations. — Trans, of P harm. Soc. 
Sulphurous Acid ' as a Reagent. By A. Duflos.*-— Sulphurous acid is 
employed in analytic Chemistry, as a means of reducing the selenious 
and telluric acids. M. Wohler has likewise shown that it converts the 
arsenic into arsenious acid, and consequently, in the case where we are 
compelled, during the research for arsenic in organic mixtures, to submit 
this metal to the action of oxidising substances, it may be useful in re- 
ducing the arsenic acid formed, with the view of facilitating the precipi- 
tation of the arsenic in the state of sulphuret* 
To these analytic applications, we may add another, which does not 
merit less attention. Suphurous acid is a very valuable auxiliary in the 
separation and quantitive determination of iodide of copper. When a so- 
lution of deutoxide of copper is added to a liquid which contains a solu- 
tion of iodine in metallic combination, one half of the iodine separates as 
an insoluble iodide of copper, the other half as free iodine, which remains 
in solution. This solution may be prevented by using along with the so- 
lution of oxide of copper, another of protoxide of iron ; this latter then 
passing to the state of peroxide. This method of separating iodine is 
certainly very good to obtain it on a large scale, but not when the 
object is the quantitive determination of the iodine in certain com-" 
pounds, because the iodide of copper thus formed always contains iron, 
which renders the result incorrect, and in addition it may happen that 
the avoidance of the use of iron in the investigation may be especially de- 
sired. Sarphati has, it is true, already endeavored to obtain a remedy for 
this inconvenience, by using, instead of the mixture of the sulphates of 
iron and copper, a solution of chloride of copper in hydrochloric acid ; 
but, first, this reagent is not always at hand, and is decomposed with 
great facility ; again, it is not a rare circumstance that we desire to deter- 
*Ann. der Chera. und Pharm. 
