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Some inorganic poisons
812
CURRENT TOPICS.
[J. F. I.
Some I n o r g a n i c Poisons were discussed by ALICE HAMILTON, Of the U. S. B u r e a u of L a b o r Statistics, in a lecture delivered at the H a r v a r d Medical School, and published in the Chemical Trade Journal and Chemical Engineer, 1919, lxv, 365-367 . T h e lecture deals primarily with industrial poisoning. Arsenical poisoning m a y occur in the m a n u f a c t u r e of certain insecticides, such as lead arsenate and Paris green. T h e w o r k m e n are best protected by p l u g g i n g the ears and nostrils lightly with cotton, smearing the face with a bland ointment, wearing clean work clothes each day, and use of a full shower bath at the end of each day's work. Poisoning by arsine ( h y d r o g e n arsenide) m a y take place when moisture acts on ferrosilicon which contains 40 to 60 per cent. silicon; the ferrosilicon contains as an i m p u r i t y calcium arsenide which react~ with water under these conditions to liberate arsine. Antimonial poisoning has not been reported a m o n g workers in the p r i n t i n g t r a d e ; its occurrence a m o n g rubber workers is uncertain, t h o u g h possible. Golden and crimson sulphides of a n t i m o n y - - r e a l l y mixtures of its pentasulphide, trisulphide and o x y s u l p h i d e - - a r e used in large amounts in the m a n u f a c t u r e of r u b b e r ; h u m a n gastric juice dissolves a p p r o x i m a t e l y 8 per cent. of the a n t i m o n y present in the crimson sulphide, and about 3 per cent. of the a n t i m o n y present in the golden sulphide. Mercurial poisoning m a y attack m e r c u r y t h e r m o m e t e r makers, and w o r k m e n who manipulate m e r c u r y v a c u u m pumps in the manufacture of incandescent lamps and similar apparatus. Since mercuric nitrate is used in the preparation of felt for hats, mercurial poisoning m a y occur a m o n g w o r k e r s in that industry. Use of c a r b o n disulphide in the r u b b e r i n d u s t r y of continental E u r o p e has caused m a n y cases of poisoning. In the U n i t e d States, poisoning by carbon disulphide vapors has been observed a m o n g workers in the m a n u f a c t u r e of artificial silk from cellulose, carb o n disulphide, and caustic soda. W h i l e poisoning by phosphorus is painful and disfiguring, only a small proportion of the w o r k m e n are attacked, and the m o r t a l i t y is low, 15 to 2o per cent. Since the abolition of the white phosphorus match, but little white phosphorus is used in American industries; during the Great W a r it was used in an incendiary projectile. Ferrosilicon m a y evolve phosphine ( h y d r o g e n phosphide) as well as arsine. J.S.H. A m e r i c a n Philosophical Society, P a p e r s P r e s e n t e d at the: Meeting of April 24 , 199.o. L. A. BAUER.--The Relat:on of the Recent Solar Eclipse to the Einstein Theory.--The eclipse of 1919 was peculiarly favorable for testing this theory because several bright 'stars were near the sun at the time. By the theory of gravitation advanced by the Swiss scientist these stars should have appeared to be displaced 1.74 seconds along lines joining them to the sun. In :fact, early reductions of the results showed that in general they were
CURRENT TOPICS.
[J. F. I.
Some I n o r g a n i c Poisons were discussed by ALICE HAMILTON, Of the U. S. B u r e a u of L a b o r Statistics, in a lecture delivered at the H a r v a r d Medical School, and published in the Chemical Trade Journal and Chemical Engineer, 1919, lxv, 365-367 . T h e lecture deals primarily with industrial poisoning. Arsenical poisoning m a y occur in the m a n u f a c t u r e of certain insecticides, such as lead arsenate and Paris green. T h e w o r k m e n are best protected by p l u g g i n g the ears and nostrils lightly with cotton, smearing the face with a bland ointment, wearing clean work clothes each day, and use of a full shower bath at the end of each day's work. Poisoning by arsine ( h y d r o g e n arsenide) m a y take place when moisture acts on ferrosilicon which contains 40 to 60 per cent. silicon; the ferrosilicon contains as an i m p u r i t y calcium arsenide which react~ with water under these conditions to liberate arsine. Antimonial poisoning has not been reported a m o n g workers in the p r i n t i n g t r a d e ; its occurrence a m o n g rubber workers is uncertain, t h o u g h possible. Golden and crimson sulphides of a n t i m o n y - - r e a l l y mixtures of its pentasulphide, trisulphide and o x y s u l p h i d e - - a r e used in large amounts in the m a n u f a c t u r e of r u b b e r ; h u m a n gastric juice dissolves a p p r o x i m a t e l y 8 per cent. of the a n t i m o n y present in the crimson sulphide, and about 3 per cent. of the a n t i m o n y present in the golden sulphide. Mercurial poisoning m a y attack m e r c u r y t h e r m o m e t e r makers, and w o r k m e n who manipulate m e r c u r y v a c u u m pumps in the manufacture of incandescent lamps and similar apparatus. Since mercuric nitrate is used in the preparation of felt for hats, mercurial poisoning m a y occur a m o n g w o r k e r s in that industry. Use of c a r b o n disulphide in the r u b b e r i n d u s t r y of continental E u r o p e has caused m a n y cases of poisoning. In the U n i t e d States, poisoning by carbon disulphide vapors has been observed a m o n g workers in the m a n u f a c t u r e of artificial silk from cellulose, carb o n disulphide, and caustic soda. W h i l e poisoning by phosphorus is painful and disfiguring, only a small proportion of the w o r k m e n are attacked, and the m o r t a l i t y is low, 15 to 2o per cent. Since the abolition of the white phosphorus match, but little white phosphorus is used in American industries; during the Great W a r it was used in an incendiary projectile. Ferrosilicon m a y evolve phosphine ( h y d r o g e n phosphide) as well as arsine. J.S.H. A m e r i c a n Philosophical Society, P a p e r s P r e s e n t e d at the: Meeting of April 24 , 199.o. L. A. BAUER.--The Relat:on of the Recent Solar Eclipse to the Einstein Theory.--The eclipse of 1919 was peculiarly favorable for testing this theory because several bright 'stars were near the sun at the time. By the theory of gravitation advanced by the Swiss scientist these stars should have appeared to be displaced 1.74 seconds along lines joining them to the sun. In :fact, early reductions of the results showed that in general they were