104 
PHARMACEUTICAL NOTICES. 
much so, that we find every number of the "Journal de Phar- 
macie" more or less occupied with contributions of this na- 
ture. These have grown out of a discussion between Messrs. 
Orfila and Raspail, founded on differences of opinion, regard- 
ing certain facts published in a memoir of the former, after 
the investigation of the body of Monsieur Lafarge. Mr. 0. 
it will be recollected was consulted in this case, and his opi- 
nion in a great measure guided the Court in fixing condem- 
nation upon Madame L. Among these interesting papers I 
have collected a number of facts which form an important ac- 
quisition to my compilation — two of which are here subjoined. 
A. D. 
Easy Method of distinguishing Antimony from Arsenic 
by Jimmoniacal Nitrate of Silver. 
" Mr. Marsh remarks that the apparatus to which his name 
is given, may serve the purpose of distinguishing arsenic from 
antimony, by putting in practice the process indicated by 
Hume, for detecting arsenic by means of the double nitrate of 
ammonia and silver, as follows : 
" Moisten a piece of glass, porcelain, or mica, with the so- 
lution of salt of silver, and present horizontally the' wet part to 
the jet of inflamed hydrogen, holding it about half an inch 
above the flame. If there is any arsenic in the mixture, the 
citron yellow color so characteristic of this metal is immedi- 
ately produced. If there be antimony, a curdled white pre- 
cipitate is produced, 
"Again, if neither of these metals exists in the mixture un- 
der examination, the silver is immediately reduced by the 
hydrogen to the state of metal. Mr. Marsh says, that as deli- 
cate as this test would appear, it gives such nice and precise 
results, as to satisfy the most cautious experimenter, in de- 
tecting the minutest portions of these two poisons." — Journ. 
de Pharm.yfrom the Brit. Phil. Mag. June, 1841. 
