SLOW ARSENICAL POISONING. By HORACE Mr.
DAY, M.D.,
SUPERINTENDENT OP VACCINATION, S, D. of the Civil Service, came under my ,
care
symptoms to a certain extent resembling those of dysentery. disease being rare at the station, I looked about for another
with This cause
for the symptoms, which soon became patent. Mr. had been using a room as a bed-room which had lately been re-coloured; this colour proved to be arsenite of copper put on very loosely with size, and which is much used for decorating rooms in this part of India. The case proved to he, beyond any doubt, a case of chronic poisoning by arseuic. But besides the symptoms of chronic poisoning by arsenic, a periodic headache, lasting for about six hours, came on every other day. It appeared
220 that Mr. then was a
THE' INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
had formerly suffered from Gujerat fever; here
for the headache (which lasted after the other Removal from the bed-room having cured soon cured the headache.
cause
symptoms abated).
those, quinine
The interesting point in the case, I think, is this, that the arsenic and the fever poison were at work at the same time, and it is curious to consider that but for the arsenic, the periodic Tieadache might have proved full-blown tertian ague. It is now held to be a fact, I believe, that the human body will become tolerant of arsenic ; this will account, I think, for the way in which the men engaged in removing the color by scraping it off the walls were able to stand their work. The room was closed while this was being done, to prevent the poison-laden atmosphere getting about the house, and the workers in this green color suffered no inconvenience.
Seeing in this country how trades are handed down from father to son, it would be interesting to consider if there is such a thing as hereditary tolerance of poisons. Mai/war, S. Conqan,
[August 1,
1866.
DAY, M.D.,
SUPERINTENDENT OP VACCINATION, S, D. of the Civil Service, came under my ,
care
symptoms to a certain extent resembling those of dysentery. disease being rare at the station, I looked about for another
with This cause
for the symptoms, which soon became patent. Mr. had been using a room as a bed-room which had lately been re-coloured; this colour proved to be arsenite of copper put on very loosely with size, and which is much used for decorating rooms in this part of India. The case proved to he, beyond any doubt, a case of chronic poisoning by arseuic. But besides the symptoms of chronic poisoning by arsenic, a periodic headache, lasting for about six hours, came on every other day. It appeared
220 that Mr. then was a
THE' INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
had formerly suffered from Gujerat fever; here
for the headache (which lasted after the other Removal from the bed-room having cured soon cured the headache.
cause
symptoms abated).
those, quinine
The interesting point in the case, I think, is this, that the arsenic and the fever poison were at work at the same time, and it is curious to consider that but for the arsenic, the periodic Tieadache might have proved full-blown tertian ague. It is now held to be a fact, I believe, that the human body will become tolerant of arsenic ; this will account, I think, for the way in which the men engaged in removing the color by scraping it off the walls were able to stand their work. The room was closed while this was being done, to prevent the poison-laden atmosphere getting about the house, and the workers in this green color suffered no inconvenience.
Seeing in this country how trades are handed down from father to son, it would be interesting to consider if there is such a thing as hereditary tolerance of poisons. Mai/war, S. Conqan,
[August 1,
1866.
