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ANTIDOTE TO CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE. 
ART. LX.— ANTIDOTE TO CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE. 
By J. M. Wallace. 
The October number of the American Journal of the Me- 
dical Sciences contains, under the head of Progress of the 
Medical Sciences, the following: — 
"Antidote to Corrosive Sublimate. — M. Mialhe, in a note 
read to the Academy of Paris, August 16, states, as the results 
from his experiments, that the hydrated proto-sutphate of iron 
(a substance quite innocuous,) possesses the property of in- 
stantly decomposing corrosive sublimate. The products of 
the decomposition are the proto-chloride of iron, and the bi- 
sulphate of mercury, inert substances." Page 496. 
There is obviously an error here. The only precipitate 
procured by this preparation of iron is the peroxide. The 
translator has no doubt mistaken prolo-su/phute for proto- 
su/phuret, and bisulphate for bisiilphuret. The former 
substance (proto-sulphate) has no effect in decomposing cor- 
rosive sublimate, but the latter (proto-sulphuret) is an anti- 
dote and acts by double decomposition. The mode of pre- 
paring this new antidote may not be without interest. 
Add a solution of sulphuret of potassium (Hepar sulphuris) 
to a solution of proto-sulphate of iron, (copperas,) and the 
black proto-sulphuret of iron is precipitated. Wash this 
with water, and you have the antidote ready for use. When 
this is added to a solution of corrosive sublimate, the reaction 
is such, that two equivalents of proto-sulphuret of iron, and 
one equivalent of bichloride of mercury, yield two equiva- 
lents of the protochloride of iron, and one equivalent of the 
bisulphuret of mercury, or vermilion, and not the slightest 
trace of mercury is found in the filtered liquid. We have 
