Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-02-20
MAKING oF pEAoLy DRUGS.
SCIENCE Has LEssENED THE DANGERS
or POISONING DURING THE PROCESS

Fiction 10 the century just drawing To
close has been employed 10 . vehicle
by some Of the greatest thinkers for pur-
poses Tar removed from the primary OBJ
iect-that Of furnishlng entertainment
and recreation. The Z,lG creations,
which have been condemned by many
who acknowledge the genius OF the
writer, and which are on the index ex-
pureatorlus Of the United Sunday
School librarians Of the United States,
have undoubtedly been of service by
presenting series Of pictures OF the
consequence Of vice, not overdrawn, but
sufficiently realistic 10 brighten many q
man and woman back into the straight
end narrow path, from which they
should never have strsyed. The Jules
Verne novels have awakened an interest
10 science among the young which thou
sands of text books have failed to In
spire, and his dream OF the Nautilus has
already been partially realized, while
the famous tour OF the world In eighty
days by Mr.. Phlle1 Fogg has bevn
lowered score Of times. Victor Hugo's
great treatise on sewage, embodied In
"Ies Miserables" was not wholly with
ont effect, since the sewage OF Paris IL
now pumped to n reservoir on top Of q
hill IN the environs of Paris, and has
been the means Of converting an arid
waste into the most fertile trucking
region In all France, while the public
have benefited through the establish
ment OF handsome park. Dickens
stories exerted strong influence Ia
bringing about the reformation of the
poor laws Of his native country, and Of
putting an end to the Yorkshire
schools"
Matchmaking, once the mo-t fatal Of
all trades, entrance into which meant
certain death, aud death In Its most hor-
rible forms, within n few years, Is no
longer unheslthful. Phosphoric poison
Ing, the great cause Of mortality, is now
only possible through the csrelessness
Of the operative. Necrosis, or rotting
Of the bone tissues, which was the chief
symptom Of the process OF phcsphor,c
poisoning, IA no longer 10 he seen In
mstch factories. A proper regard for
sanitary laws, and the use Of special APP
psritus intended to carry of the fumes
have brought this about. So it Is 10 the
manufacture OF other deadly chemical
preparations.
In Baltimore some of the deadliest
drugs known to medical science are man
ufsctured In great quantities, and with
entire safety 10 the work people and the
community at large.
Hydrocyanic acid, for example, which
IL used Ia minute quantities by physi-
clans for many purposes, IL largely
manufactured here. This, the most
potent Of sill the acid poisons, Is so dead
ly that its commercial form, which con-
talns but 2 per cent OF the acid 10 solu-
ton Ia water, is not obtsins BILE from the
chemist except after the most rigid ex-
animation Of the purchaser. A drop OF
this fluid hypodcrmicAlly injected would
result In instant death. The inhalation
OF the pure acid, which Is gaseous In
form, would have the same effect. The
odor of an Is per cent solution would be
practically a. fatal. Yet this IL the
substance which, In minute quantities,
gives its odor to the peach kernel. The
man who discovered 1t paid for his
knowledge with his life, dying from In
hal.tion. IL IL now produced In air-tight
retorts and receivers, and there IL no Oc-
cssion for the workman to come In con-
tact with any acid. To the trade 1t Is
known as prussic acid.
Next to prussic acid, so far ss Bslti-
more manufacture goes, come the vari-
Gus compounds OF copper, all Of which
are deadly. Sulphuric acid, the most
important acid Of commerce, ~ It's po-
tency as a reagept makes II indispen-
sable Ia manufacturing, Is made here.
While Of greater power, IL Is not nearly
so dangerous as nitric acid, which Is
almost equally important, but which Ii
volatile, and, therefore, more to be
feared. When csrboy Of this stuff
bursts the men desert the building.
A story Is told which illustrates the
danger from nitric scid. The Incident
occurred more than year ago, but Il Ia
still talked of Ia the trade, though IL
happened elsewhere.
Through the carelessness OF q work
man In the shipping department car
boy was broken. All the men In the de-
partment departed without ceremony,
and for little space no one approached
the acid. II spread out upon the floor,
was observed that the sswdust was
smouldering. IL was then seen that
unless something was done the entire
works would be burned, not only caus-
ing immense money loss, but throwing
hundreds Of men out OF employment.
Four men, employed In the acid depart
psrtment, volunteered 10 put out thu
fire, and were allowed TO make the at
tempt, Ia which they succeeded easily
and speedily. Moreover, they came out
OF the room apparently Unaffected by
the noxious fumes, one or two returning
to their work, and the others. whose
time II was to rest, going to their homes,
rs IL nothing out OF the way had hap
pened, and feeling as well as usual.