Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-08-20
THE DEADLY ARSENIC
HOW THE DANGEROUS Deuo
GETS IN ITS PLAY,
Found i'm the Furniture and DECORATE.
of Every Roon-Fancy Colored
Wall Paper Fairly Loaded
With Poison.


The amount of arsenic use1 " =,
country yearly is enormous as STAT.
tics show that the importations a'o..
are about 10, 900. 900 pounds a vn,ss
says DR.. w. b. Clarke in a paper r,,s
before the Indiana State Medical :"
ciety, Ito which must be added W.
large quantities from Western mi,n-
and other sources. In other wa.ss
there is enough used to give eva.,
person in the United States ,'
eral ounces-three Or four. 10 oro,,
DR.. Talbot, Boston writer; ,rms
grains taken into the stomach at o7n'
is sufficient to cause death. Fo,tu7q,o
ly the human system can resis. n,
poisonous effects of many subst3noo,
when introduced into it in small unan
titles and slowly, yet there are r7anr
instances in which persons WHO tara
been directly and fatally poisoned ma
a very much larger number of ncr. IN.
who have been seriously iniurc b,tbo
contact and absorption of this poi,or
/ believe it a safe assertion to mako
that physicians and the general nnt.
lie are viewing with alarm the r,ni1
increase in the number Of case, q,
cancer and malignant tumors in tba
United States of late years, bat will
not weary you with tho statistics
proving it oil. and speak OF it here
simply to ask, May there not be Soma
mysterious connection between ths
undeniable and undesirable condi,ior
and the wide spread use of arsenic in
the arts and manufactures n g.or
years?
There is little doubt when we taso
into account the surprising variosv Of
articles which have been know1 n
communicate arsenicai poisoning, hat
there is scarcely a manufacture oi
personal furnishings or Household
plenishings at whose door may no. ba
laid the charge of ignorantly or de.
liberately imperiling the health of hi.
fellow-beings by sending ont under
his labels goods capable of commuu.
eating poison. Now we have person
poisoned by wearing cheaD dyed
glove, now by pair of bright borne,
strings, now by sleeping in IL room
'nsthetically" papered, now by in.
haling the impalpable dust from ar
senic-tinted curtains. now a babv
sucks arsenic from the corner Of his
pretty bed-quilt and now baby sut.
.. fers from eating candies wrapped in
,, arsenic-loaded papers. The manu-.
facturer solemnly assures us that he
, could not afford to use any thing 50
! expensive as arsenic, which we dis
cover on inquiry. costs the prohibitor
I sum of two cents a pound! 1t al
t reads like some sensational tale in
a penny-dreadful newspaper but it is
; nevertheless, all a deplorable and
shameful fact. and will 50 continue
. until our laws demand that label
a stating the presence of poison be al.
l fixed by every manufacturer to every
!. article containing arsenic sent 0ut by
: him."
! 1T is now appropriate fer ne to H.
!, dictate some of the familiar forms in
= which we meet arsenic, and yet posi-
. bly,, to not very generally recognize
the thing itself. Elementary arsenic
called metallic arsenic, is of steel.
gray luster. This is roasted in a cur
t rent of air. the fumes depositing .
2 white powder, almost transpareat
= but soon becoming Opaque, and cTs
"a talizing on further exposure to air, Il
d is now called arseuious oxide, and Is
l.. the form used in medicine, calico print
tt ing, &C., as cosmetic by women. aaC
n rs rat poison, being nearly tastele's
Il swedish if any thing. Ii IS aoon
u forty times more soluble when boiled
= an hour in water than when treaa
h with cold water and when dissolva
II in water the solution is called arsenf
- GUS acid, a preparation much used
r. Arsenic acid is formed by treating lhh
S, with nitric acid. and this is used u
If making magenta dye. Mixing ar'eaE
IS and sulphur produces realGar or Ee'
~ algar, and orpiment or the golden pig
" ment, much used as paints, and some
"a times to destroy hair. Mixing arseaf
If GUS oxide and copper makes the da''
t. gerous paris green. SO much useu d. @.
p insecticide and wallpaper coioreF' aup
le another green is made by uniting "
q seniOus oxide with acetate OF copH''
- both being much used as pigne,ass
Of Arsenic will frequently be iounu !,
q, vinegar, if the vinegar is adaltefa.''
.h with sulphuric acid. as is 20 o''s.
done, because commercial sulp"1sn
acid usually contains some arsenic,
may also be found in beer-choap oea !.
that has artificial glucose used IN !. !.