VOL.
XVTI.
SEPTEMBER, 1895.
No. 9.
THE JOURNAL OF T H E
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. T H E CHEMICAL HISTORY OF A C A S E OF COllBINED ANTIMONIAL A N D ARSENICAL POISONINQ.' BY CHARLESA. DOREMWS, M.D., PH.D. Received May 17, 1895
T
HE coffin plate disclosed on opening the outer box of rough wood, bore the inscription, ' ' Gustave H. M. J . Baum,
died March 30th, 1892. Aged 26 years, 3 months, and 4 days." It was untarnished and affixed to a black cloth-covered casket. T h e condition, not only of the outer and that of the inner case, but also that of the lining of the' latter and of the clothes about the body excluded the possibility of there having been any infiltration of liquid from the grave and rendered the examination of any soil from the cemetery superfluous. T h e emaciated body of a medium sized man was identified by the physician who had attended him in life and verified his death and by the undertaker and his assistant who had prepared the body for burial. Though three months had elapsed since the interment, it was possible on July 6th, 1892, to recognize the features, also a n abrasion on the right shin. There was some inould about the f i c e and body, the latter being disclosed when the clothing was removed. T h e features of the corpse bore a marked resemblance to a photograph of a man named Ludwig Brandt. Both Baum and Brandt had been quondam acquaintances of a Dr. Henry Meyer. Insurance had been secured on the life of 1 Read
at the May Meeting of the New York Section.
668 C€I:LKLES -1. DOKEMCS.
CREJIIC.kL HISTOK\’ O F A C-LSE
Baum in four conipanies, amounting in all to $8, jw. 15randt h : ~ lpersonated Bauiii i n niaking application foi- these policics, Iiatl come to S e w York in coinpan)- with Dr. Meyer, a ~voiiiaii posing sonietinies as Mrs. hleyer, at other tiines as Mrs. Ha:ini, and one Mueller. Xfter the death of Brandt the wo~iiannpplied to the different iiisriraiicc coiiipanies for the sums due: reprrsentiiig herself as his ividow. Several of the companies paid i l l full, a total uf $+,OOO.
Acconipanied by Dr. Meyershevisited theoficesof the Mutual Life Insurance Co., of New York. T h e interview aroused suspicions which were subsequently increased by the sudden disappearnncc from New York of tlie parties, their effects having been sold 311d no word being left of their destinatioii. At tlie instigation of h l r . Daniel Crillette, of the hlutual Life Xiisuraiice Company, detectives were sent iri search of the parties with the view of unearthing any crime that niight have been committed. hlr. H . G . Julian, acting in this capacity. had been ahlr to secure 3 tlescription of the supposed Hauni, and found the body to agree not with him but with a photograph and description of Brandt. Dr. I,. if’. Schultze, one of the coroners of the city, deemed this initial evidence of sufficient weight to order an autopsy and coriducted it with his medical assistants. Dr. S. P. Minden, who identified the body, had attended the man for three weeks before his death, and gave a death certificate ascribing the deH e had not noticed any unusual mise to chronic dysenter!.. circunistances during this attendance. H a d not Dr. Meyer borne a n unenviable reputation, it is probable that no further notice would have been taken of the case ; but because of his career extra caution was taken at the autopsy to determine, if possible, if the pathological condition agreed with the diagnosis of the physician. T h e surface of the body was carefully scrutinized. There were no marks of hypodermic injections, however, nor any evidence of embalming by arterial or other injections. T h e undertaker declared that no attempt was made to embalm the body and that no embalmirig fluid was used upon it or injected into
OF COXBINED ANTIMONIAL A N D ARSENICAL POISOKING. 669
it. Three channels for the introduction of poison ; viz., imbibition from the soil, the use of embalming liquids, and the use of hypodermics were thus eliminated. Coroner’s physician, Dr. O’Hare, and Prof. D. Hunter McAlpin, who a t a subsequent time examined the viscera with Dr. O’Hare, could find no gross or niicroscropic pathological evidence of importance, so that full light a s to the cause of death was not obtainable from the autopsy. At the autopsy Dr. S. P. Minden related the syniptonis he noticed during his attendance on the patient. They did not develop any theory of death other than dysentery, but left the case still obscure. Later he kindly furnished copies of the prescriptions he had written. A t the trial, testiniony was given to show that some of these prescriptions had been filled but there was no evidence that the niedicities had been administered. However, since remedies such a s morphine, opium, copper arsenite, and bismuth subnitrate had been prescribed, it became necessary to consider them in any schenie of chemical analysis. T h e advisability of a chemical analysis was discussed and decided on as necessary to fully determine the cause of death. There was every probability that great skill had been used in the administration of any toxic agent or that sotiie 1.111usual poison had been employed. Though due care was exercised at the autopsy to detect the odor of any volatile poison none was perceptible and there were no circunistances that in any way directed attention to that class of poisons. T h e analysis proper, therefore, was begun with the treatnient of portions of the viscera for the alkaloids. For this purpose the stoniach and its conteiits, one half of the intestine and its contents, and one-half of the liver, and some fluid which had exuded froiii it into the abdoiuinal cavity a t the time of the autopsy, were treated. Freshly rectified alcohol was placed on each separate part, 500, 600, and 800 cc. being used respectively. T h e orgaiis were coinminuted and the alcohol acidulated with tartaric acid. T h e jars remained in an ice chest until a thorough inaceration waseffected. T h e alcohol and washings with alcohol was filtered from the tissue and the undissolved substances, which latter were utilized for the detection of inorganic poisons, a s were also such other
670 C H A R L E S -1. DOREML'S.
C H E M I C I I . H I S T O R Y OF A C.\SE
residues froiii the extractioii as could be utilized for this purpose. T h e necessity for doing this is not generally recogiiizetl. Sonic of tlie salts of the nietallic poisons are quite soluble i n the menstrua enip1oj.d i n extracting the alkaloids atid pass into solution with the latter. Previous cases 113.~1siiow! this, oiie whicli tlie writer exaiiiined as associate expert, invol\-iiig t h e detection of niorpliiiie i i i an enibaliiied bod!-. very inarketli!.. ' In this latter instance. it \vas of 1)araniourit iniportaiice that the arsenic extracted in large quantities from tlic viscera should be separated from the trace of tiiorphine that iriiglit coexist, and a prolonged series of extractions W:IS resorted to to eliminate tlie possibility of inistaking the reactioiis of the oiic for the other. T h i s procedure was also necessary to anticipate wliat \vas subsequentl)~brought forward by the defence, ~ i z .:L, Iwint raised by Otto.? T h e production of arsines and other nietallo-organic coiiipounds must also not be lost sight of, for both i n testing for organic and inorganic poisons, these esceptionaily interesting cornpounds have been and are likely to be iinportaiit objects of toxicological research. 'Ckx fact that e\-itleiice of metallic poisons is obtniiinble froiii the extractions practised to separate the alkaloids iiiust aln.nys he l ~ o r n ci i i niitid. iio matter Ivhether the Stas, I.;rdiiiniiii-l:slnr or Ihgendorff nietliod is employed, or soiiie niodificatioii of theiii, as also when ciialpsis is resorted to. Such a course is especially necessary i i i cases where, in order to recover the very minute quantity of alkaloid that may still reiiiain in a stomach or intestine, the whole of either organ and its conteiits is subiiiitted to processes for its recol-er!-. Failure to detect an alkaloid may with these precautions i i i soiiie cases be followed by the finding of an inorganic poison. It is doubtful whetlier tlic metliod prcscrilxd in many foreign countries, arid followed in the laboratory of toxicology in Paris,3 of comminuting each orgaii and then mixing together weighed portions of each and of submitting the coniposite mass to analysis is altogetlier a wise or safe proceeding. Our o ~ experience n is much against it. I'copie vs Kol,t. V', nuch;lllntl, lion Otto Aiislnittelung d e r Gifte. iXS4. 117. S Ikiciillic'lits dil 1,nboratuire de Toxicologie, I'ans, 1 8 ~ 123. , 1
3
O F C03IBINED A N T I J I O N I A L A N D A R S E N I C A L P O I S O N I N G .
67 I
T h e chances of detecting any alkaloid are greatly reduced and the same can be said of metallic poisons. T h e unequal distribution of poisons through the viscera, and the retention of poisons in certain organs in preference to others, are two of many reasons why a mixture of a fourth of several, say, stomach, intestine, liver, brain, and kidneys, is inadvisable. Nor can there be any hard and fast rule laid down to apply to all cases in the search of poisons. T h e judgment of the expert niust determine in some measure the method to be pursued, and he will naturally have in mind the facts which have been ascertained heretofore, and which have led to the establishment of rules of procedure.’ No matter what course is followed, it will sonietimes happen that important data in regard to the distribution or absorption of the poison detected are unobtainable which could have been secured had the nature of the poison been manifested in the syniptoms or indicated by the history of the case. Where, therefore, prominent symptoms are developed, or the autopsy reveals the character of the poison, even if only to so slight an extent a s to indicate whether organic or inorganic, narcotic or corrosive, it may best subserve the ends of justice to examine the contents of the stomach apart from the tissue, the gall-bladder and its contents separately from the liver. The.fluids of the intestinal tract and the compacted faxes near the rectum separately from each other and the tissue. Much will depend in adopting a course as elaborate a s this upon the time that has elapsed sitice death. A long interment would obliterate to a great degree the clearness of the picture of the distribution of the poison in the body, which we might expect to have developed. While recent analytical results have tended to show that poisons rapidly diffuse in the body, either mlien injected post-mortem or imbibed by application to the skin, or though taken in life have afterwards permeated the tissues and reached other organs, we take issue with the claim advanced by the defense in this trial, that toxicology is utterly unable to-day to decide whether a poison extracted from the body has or has not been administered before death. Though weighable quantities of copper were obtained from the 1 Drageudorff
Erniittelung vou Gifteti. 4, 288s.
6 7 2 CHARLES
A . DOREXS.
C H E M I C A L IIISTOKT OF A C.ISE
liver and brain in the case now before us, only traces were found i i i other organs and in some none at all. Such facts are iiiesplicable on the basis of post-mortem diffusion. It is therefore of great moment to determine iiiore closely not only the localization of a poison but how intimately it is coiii1)itied with the tissue. X simple permeation may have taken place, or a defini:e uiiioii or fixation, and such union would often be indicative of \.ita1 processes. T h e einployinent of suitable solvents !vi11 thus lead us to a diagnosis between such true chemical coiiipouxids and mere loose impregnations. Tissues are found by the dyer to absorb only certain dyes though they iiiay be transiently stained with others. When in contact with poisons, ctrtaiii living tissues “ d y e in the \vool.” T h e alcoholic extracts of stomach, intestines, ami liver, were evaporated each b y itself and each residue thus obtained treated with strong alcohol and filtered. T h e new alcoholic extract3 now of small volunie were again evaporated aiicl their aqueous solutions while still acid treated successively with petroleum ether, benzene, and amyl alcohol. A11 of these liquids had been especially rectified. After the last amyl alcohol extraction was effected several fresh shakings with petroleum ether were resorted to to remove amyl alcohol from the watery liquid. T h e aqueous solution was theii inade alkaline by aiiinioiiiuni liydroxide, and the extractions lvitli petroleum ether and benzene coiiducted as before. The solutioii \vas then acidified, hot aiiiyl alcohol added and.emulsified, then enough aniiiioiiiuiii hydroxide added to render the solution alkaline. This procedure was repeated often enough to make sure of Lhe extraction of an\- iiiorpliiii. Six residues were thus obtained froiii each of the three viscera. It was a noticeable feature of this case coinpared to two other investigations made just previously that tlie residues were of less quantity than in either of the other cases, :ind that niaiiy were incleed so insignificant as to be iiicapablc of purification. Residues I , I1 arid I V were very slight or inappreciable. Of course, residues V I , from the alkaline liquid extracted by amyl alcohol were submitted to the closest scrutiny. S o t only had iriorphin been prescribed, but it was desirable to ascertain if tlie ptoniaiiies present might either give or mask the iiiorphiii
O F COdBINED A N T I J I O N I A L A S D A R S E N I C A L POISONING.
673
reaction;. After suitable purification they were tested. T h e morphir reactions were not obtainable, some of the ptomain reactions vere pronounced. Minute quantities of morphin solution addtd to portions of the residues could be detected by appropriatt tests. T h e physiological test of niorphin applied to a frog was not obtained. Neither niorphin nor other poisonous alkaloidcould be identified in any of the residues. T h e irorganic poisons claimed attention next. Small quantities of topper arsenite had been prescribed ; bismuth also as subnitra:e. These metals might therefore be present. T h e mmminuted tissues, subsequently residues from parts treated for organic poisons, were disintegrated by hydrochloric acid and potassium chlorate. Fresenius and von Babo’s method was applied to the stomach first and the resdlts obtained showed the necessity of using the same process with the other organs. A copious precipitate formed the moment hydrogen sulphide was conducted into the faintly acid liquid which had been previously deprived of chlorine by bubbling carbon dioxide through it. T h e color of the precipitates thus obtained varied with the different organs, but was evidently n~etallicand not of organic nature. T h e precaution was taken in the analysis of each separate organ to subject the liquid after saturating it with hydrogen sulphide to warmth and long standing to effect a complete precipitation of the metals. T h e precipitates were collected, redissolved in small quantities of hydrochloric acid and potassium chlorate and reprecipitated with previous precautions. T h e purified sulphides were washed free of chlorides by dilute hydrogen sulphide water and a separation of the different metals attempted. I t will shorten the story considerably to state that mercury, lead, bismuth, and tin were not detectable in any organ. T h a t zinc was tested for carefully in the filtrate from the hydrogen sulphide and not found. T h a t antimony and arsenic and in some organs these and copper were separated and identified. Ammonium sulphide was found to dissolve the washed precipitate entirely or to leave only a small amount of copper sul-
674
CII.\KLI:S
.I. r)om:bIrs.
C H ~ ~ I I C AHISTOKE' L O F A CLSE
pliicle. This solution v a s evaporated a n d oxidizeti b; nitric xcitl. T h e n fused \\it11 sodium carbonate arid aodiu!ii .litrate. \Ylien copper \vas present n dark iiiass separatetl. 11 other cases a ivhite powder was suspended ili a clear liquid aiic ail bec~iiiic.a lvhite solitl 011 cooling. .it this juncture oiie of tlie greatest oiistacles was met. Otto' \vould ha!-c. 11s l)elie\-e that the separation of aitiinony froiii arsenic by Meyer's method is as' facile aiid as complete as the destruction of organic matter. H e enters into n discussion coiiceriiiii; the iiiethods of manipulation and gives a tlmice f o r still iurtiirr preveiitirig dissolved antimony from prodicing a mirror in t h r Jla-sli test h y coiiductiiig the gases evoll-xl over caustic alkali, a very objectionable process as \ y e shall s x later, and comes to the co:icluzioii that the iiietliod is relialile. Sot\vitlistandiiig all this, the history of this aiialysis sholvs first. that ~ v h e nveg. aiiiall quantities of aiitiiiioiiy are present the). would escape riotice wheri the fused mass is dis$olved in reaction as required ; secondly, water ailti possesses aIi izlkall')~~, that \\-here much ailtiinon!. is present it is advisalilc. to r s u b j r c t the insoluhie residue to a secuiid fusioii to remove possi1)le traces of arsenic. T h e fiiidiiig of antimony and arsenic i n the first organ aiialyzed, iiaturnlly put us on our guard i i i the testing of others. IVhttre much antimony was found, there was of course a n insolul~le[vhite residue, but the brain aiid ~iiusciecoutained so little that only the most painstaking work eiiabled u s to detect the antimony and separate it from the arsenic. Siiicc saxe antimoiiy remains i n the hlarsh apparatus, the \vhole iiot passing out as hydrogel1 aiitiiiionide undiscovered pyroantimoniate may go into solution when tlie fused mass is dissolved iii water arid either produce a iiiirror with arsenic or remain i i i the generator.' Tlie fact that all the antimony is not converted into gas in the Marsh process renders the use of Hofinanii's silver nitrate Iiiethod unscri.iceable for the quantitative separation aiid estimation of antimony arid arsenic in toxicological alialysis. \Vhilc all tliiiigs considered Meyer's method seems the best 1
2
oito. op. cit.. 164. Dragendorff Erniittellung d e r G i f t e n , Drittt: A i i f l a g e 406. 1 0 % )
OF COMBINED ANTIMONIAL AND ARSENICAL POISONING.
675
available, the experiences of this case justify u s in cautioning against a too implicit reliance upon it. T h e finding of antimony in the stomach was followed by detecting arsenic also. T h e other organs also. revealed the presence of each. I n three viscera, copper was noticeable. T h e liver yielded 0.0056 gram, the brain and muscle, traces. T h e entire quantity of copper extracted from the liver was converted by a small portion of the arsenic obtained from the same organ into copper arsenite and presented a s an exhibit along with other portions of the arsenic, there being a great excess of the latter. T h e absence of copper from the stomach and intestines and its disproportion to the arsenic in the liver and the quantity of each poison found seemed sufficient proof to decide i n the negative the question of the copper arsenite prescribed being the source of the arsenic found. Since the copper when found had passed together with antimony and arsenic into the ammonium sulphide solution, then to the fusion, it remained undissolved with the pyroantimoniate and had to be separated from the antimony. T h i s operation followed the incineration of the filters and their contents of sodium pyroantimoniate, in either very small crucibles o r porcelain dishes and the fusion of the residues with potassium cyanide. I n the case of the intestine the filter was not very small siiice a considerable amount of sodium pyroantimoniate had been separated. T h e contents of the filter were removed to a capsule and the filter incinerated. A slight amount of char was left. A drop or two of nitric acid was put on this and heat applied to expel all acid. Whether this was not effectual or some trace of sodium nitrate remained undeconiposed is uncertain, but sufficient was left to cause a sharp explosion when the fusion with potassium cyanide was quite well under way, projecting most of the unfused mass out of the dish. While the presence of antimony in large quantity in the intestinal tract was still clearly demonstrated from the residue left in the dish, a quantitative determination of the whole was out of the question. Otto alludes to the possibility of such an explosion in connection with Fresenius and von Babo’s method of obtaining arsenic by reduction with potassium cyan-
676
CHARLES A . DOREML-S.
C H E M I C A L HISTORY OF .I c~sr.:
ide and sodium carbonate. and very naively says ' ' )fir ist bei sorgfaeltigein Artxiten nie Derartiges ~.orgeko~iimen. Although great care was exercised, the accident did happen in the above instance and though the filter ash of the antimonial precipitates froin other xriscera were in one or two cases similarly treated without the slightest trouble, w e caution against the use of nitric acid or an itisufficient n.asliing of the ~ ) ~ r o a : i t i ~ i i o ~ i i a t e . Xntinioii>. ~ 3 n-eighecl s either as metal in poivder or 011 platii i ~ i n i ,as sulphide or a s tetroxide, Sh2O,. Arsenic was \veiglieti either as iiiirror obtained h y the Marsh test or as sulphide. Tn.0 niirrors of arsenic were estimated baroscopically . "
grairis.
Antimony calculated as t a r t a r riiietic.
Sh
0.0307
o.ojoio
0.05joj
Sb,O, Sb,O,
0.1442
0. I 1jz,3
0.31314
0.0028
U.UOZEI
c.oo6oj
Sl),C), St),O,
0.0003
Aiitiinoiiy
Weizht grain$
Stomach and contents.. .. i 1i;testines aiid cotiteiits
130
8?8
J
Liver, spleen, and fluid 1 from abdomen. I fIeart .................... .................. Kidneys Rraiii ..................... SZuscle ...................
Antiinoily weiphed a s prams.
calculated to
41
988 ? 224
315
8zc 227
...........
.............
u . c ~ m j j 0.00065
o.otmojr7
0.0004 ~
0.00086 -__
0.43036 equivalciit to 6.64 grains. CJ.
We/ph t
Organ.
111
..
grains.
Stomach and contents.. Intestinesandcontents . Liver, spleen, and fluid . from abdomen H e a r t .................... Kidneys ................ Brain.. ...................
)
IZuscle
...................
130 898 47 9s: 224
315
820
Arsriiic weighed as grams.
As,S,, As,S, As,S,, As As As
ILj70j1
Araviiic Arsenic calculated calculated to A S 1 0 3 . to A S .
0.0063
0.1888 0.1134 0.0003
o.oo3X~ 0.00507 (1.1ji96
0.11j 1 2
0 . ~ 6 9 1 4 n.ugrz7 0.~396 0.07656
0.0580
0.00u;o o.oj800
0.000~
o.cm20
0.000264
estimated. 227
As
o.ooor32 __0.245;0 0.32j6j2 eyuivalent to 5 . 0 2 grains.
0.0001
estimated
o.cxmio
--
I t was deemed important to produce evidence before the jury to confirm the statement that both antimony and arsenic existed in the viscera of the body exhumed. To this em1 the antimonial and arsenical compounds isolated from the several viscera were brought into weighable form. After weighing, these compounds were submitted to special tests, the results of which in many in-
O F COMBINED A N T I M O N I A L A N D A R S E N I C A L P O I S O N I N G .
677
stances were reserved a s corpora delicti. These consisted in t h e case of The Stomach of antimony as metal from the cyanide fusion ; antimony on platinum and on tin ; the oxide and the sulphide. Bunsen tests, metal, sulphide, and reaction of oxide with silver nitrate and ammonia. T h e arsenic was shown a s a mirror obtained by Fresenius and von Babo’s method. (No antimony could be detected in the fused mass of cyanide. ) Arsenious sulphide and silver arsenate were also presented as exhibits. The Intestif~e. Antimony was shown a s metal on platinum and as sulphide ; arsenic a s Marsh test mirror and oxide ; also the resulting mirror of a Marsh test using electyolysis ; further, a Reinsch deposit on copper and a sublimate of arsenious oxide therefrom ; silver arsenite, copper arsenite, arsenious sulphide, silver arsenate, magnesium ammonium arsenate and Bettendorff’s test with stannous chloride. The Liver, .!?$em, a n d Fluid.-Antimony was shown by Marsh test, metal, silver antimonide and oxide ; deposit from hydrogen antimonide on potassiiim hydroxide ; antimonious sulphide, antimonic oxide, antimonious oxychloride, the metal on platinum and on tin ; Bunsen’s flame tests, nietal and sulphide ; Reinsch’s test, nietal and sublimate. Arsenic, by Marsh test, elementary and oxide ; deposit made from passing hydrogen arsenide over potassium hydroxide ; silver and copper arsenates. The Hcart a?td Blood.-Antimony was shown a s metal and sulphide ; arsenic, a s Marsh mirror. The Brain.-Antimony was shown a s sulphide ; arsenic, as Marsh mirror. The Muscle.-Antimony was shown as sulphide ; arsenic, a s Marsh mirror. T h e Marsh test was conducted with the usual precautions and using zinc, slightly platinized, and sulphuric acids of varying strengths. T h e apparatus was modeled after that proposed by Prof. R. Ogden Doreinus, in 1859, and used in the trial of T h e People vs. James Stephens, since which date no other case of criminal poisoning by arsenic has been tried in New York City, until the
678
CHAK1,ES A . 1)OKEIlUS.
CHEJIIC.\I, H I S T O R Y O F A C.\SK
oiie now under consideration. At a subsequelit date. 1 3j S , the saiiie observer. iiinde another change tluriiig nii iiivestigatioii of a case where attempt to poison 1)). aiitiiiioiiy was cliargrtl, z,;:. , T h e People of tlie State of Ken. Jei-sey 1-s. Rev. (.;eo. 13. 1-0sburgh. 1)rageiidorff's statement of the tiecoinposnliility of li!.drogcn niitiinoiiiclc li!. stick potnssiuiii liytlroxide \\'as then \.erifiecl, hut his other stateiiieiit that hydrogen arsenide d o e s iiot itlidergo clia rige \vas then disproved. T h i s o1)senatioii ha.; i.weii corro1)orated by Jo!ilisoii aiicl Cliitteiideii' a i i d in tliis c;i.e. Ilrngmtlorff.' i i i Iiis fourth ctiitioii Fvliicli lins just coine to liaiitl, niodifies his statenleiit ccmcc.rniiig tlic tlec,oiiiI)os~il)ilit\-of 1ij.tIro;;c.ri lirseiiitle l)?, stick pot 11111 li>.tlrositlc aiicl refers to work tloiict 1,- Giihii ziid Sager hi5 coiiiicctioii. ?'lie quotation i i i the footiiote s h o i v s that the!. \vert- aiitici1)at:t.d i i i tliis inatter h y I,iiigngeiit. ?'lic.se a t least sho\v i i o outn-arc1 bigii of n clecoinpositioii uf vitlier liydriigen nntimoiiide or arsciiicle. -A siiiall I, allti then conducted through several iriclies of hard glass tubiiig coiled i i i a spiral, surrounded by a hood aiid heated by it stroiig Iiitiiscii flaiiie. T h e escaping gas was coiiducted into a wlutioii of silver nitrate. -1coiiiplete decomposition of the h!.tlrogeii arsciiiclc occurs, 1 1 0 mirror appeariiig on a second coil, which m:iy 1~ atltletl fi)r prccaution. Some of the ?rIai-slitests \vere coiicliictetl \vith tlie \.iew of ivcigliiiig the iiiirrors. which was (lone except \\-it11tlir bi-niii 1 J)i.fiqc!icIorff,
icnl
. k i i : i l y ~ i ~i
