CHROMIC ACID.

76 duces the same effect on the same person, ; fluate of silica and potass, evaporating to or a similar effect on another, though dryness, redissolving the chromic acid in labouring under the self-same disorder. For a small quantity of water, and separating instance, a lady whom I saw this very day it from any remaining hydroflnatc of was for many years (both before and since silica, and potass, by decantation. Both her marriage, with an increasing family) these processes must be conducted in hlaa great sufferer from constipation of the tinum vessels, and as the difficulty of obbowels, accompanied with the most dis- taining such vessels may sometimes be all tressing hemorrhoids, and nothing which objection to them, I have ventured to the materia medica could furnish, with propose the following process as more the aid of surgery to boot, would keep easy of execution, and capable of being the bowels in order, until, at last, merely conducted without the aid of such exhalf a dram of Epsom salts, and a few pensive apparatus. grains of magnesia, were prescribed, ever ; Decompose the terchloride of chromium since which, now four years ago, this by water, and agitate the resulting sohtminim dose of an aperiert has always tion of chromic and muriatic acids with kept her in the enjoyment of health and recently precipitated chromate of silver, comfort. Sixteen times the quantity of until all the muriatic acid is separated, the same medicine had frequently been avoiding an excessof chromate of silver, taken before, without producing any ape- as it is soluble in chromic acid. In thid rient effect. The same will occur with all process the chlorine of the muriatic acid other medicines. Such is the idiosyncracy unites with the silver—the oxygen of thc of some persons, that a very few drops of , oxide of silver with the hydrogen of the laudanum, twoor three, will often pro- ! muriatic acid-and the chromic acid that united with the oxicie of silver is set cure sleep, when a full dose will have a , was effect. I know a who free, together with the chromic acid that gentleman contrary always finds thirty drops act as an emetic. was previously in solution. The puic I therefore presume to observe, in reply !chromic acid is obtained by uecaiitation to what has been said of tea and coflee, from the chloride of silver. If terchloride that however these articles may (as they f of chromium be not at hand, the chromic no doubt do) disagree occasionally with acid may he obtained by acting upon chrosome of us, they are, nevertheless, as a mate of silver with muriatic acid. part of general diet which is easy of attainment, as much to be commended as any other that could be substituted. I STRENGTH AFTER RECOVERY FROM may here remark, that when1 have tea or coffee with has thought disagreed MOLLlTIES OSSIUM. a patient, I have requested the usual allowance of sugar or milk to be omitted, T’O the Editor of THE LANCET. which has generally corrected the pereffect. nicious 1 remain, Sir,your obedient servant,

SIR,—In

the last lecture of Sir Charles

Bell, which I read in your journal with WILLIAM ENGLISH, WILLIAM ENGLISH, Surgeon. Surgeon. ) much gratification, the lecturer mentioned

Denmark llill, Camberwell, 2ndApril,1831.

in the course of his valuable remarks, !that persons who have recovered from the ! diseabe called mollities ossium, have be-

come possessed afterwards, in a singular degree, of immense strength, which he accounted for by the increased density of their bones rendering them better htted Mr. W. H. BULMAIN requests the Editor for powerful efforts. of THE LANCET to lionour this paper I should be glad, Sir, however, with with a place in the pages of his journal. deference, to suggest that the increase of University of London, strength may be better accounted for by April 7th, 1834. considering that the density of the bones

CHROMIC ACID.

Chromic acid is at present prepared in such cases is so great as to make them from the mixed solution of chromic and at once a species of permanent structure, hydrofluoric acids, which is obtained by only imperfectly subject to the laws of ab-

the terfluoride of chromium sorption and deposit—processes which are, driving ofT the latter acid by in tact, almost unnecessary to their chaor by decomposing a strong solution at all. The bones of these persons of bichromate of potass with fluosilicic to have been formed by nature of acid gas, separating the solution of chromic such an imperishable structure as to be

conducting

racter

into water,

lieat,

acid from the

seem

sparingly

soluble

hydro-

perfected

at once

for all the purposes of