The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-04-16
THE "ARSENICAL WALK"
A Chemist Tells About the New
est Of Cats.
Is QUIIE COMMON N ENGLAND

70 nusc ~nlrs OF the Eeet to Hard
enc. a. De Lessing says Danger
Iurks In cheap Crades-New Gait
Noticed In America.
Newest of an ga.ts Is the "arsenical
walk" which mag be acquired. says
George A. De Lesslug a chemist. by the
drinking of beer made from glucose.
NJ. De Lcssing Is a member of the
fociety % Chemical Industry. az the
meeting u which few days ogJ Pro-
fessor Langmuir announced be had
found traces of arsenic in American
I beers. says the New FORK Herald.
There was an Indignant protest from
the chemists Interested In the manu-.
facture q glucose and % the simple
elixir q malt and hops"
Mr.. De Lesslng says that while resid.
Ing 10 London last year he observed
The strange halting gait OF the English
beer drinkers. aud he has also seen Il
in New YORK city breweries. where the
employees are permitted 10 have rs
much beer rs they wish 20 drink. The
chemist has not made n test OF Ameri-
he has done. but be thinks 4 likely
that many Of the cheaper kinds contain
enough arsenic 20 be deleterious TO
health.
"1n England" says he. 81 was en-
ployed In the laboratory Of a well
known manufacturing concern. had
an opportunity TO observe the effects Of
arsenlated beers upon many persons.
The presence Of the arsenic Is due 20
the effort 10 cheaper the product q the
brewerles. Glucose Is derived from po-
tato starch, which has been treated
with sulphuric acid. England manu-
factures large quantities OF sulphuric
acid. Instead Of using the pure sui.
phur. which Is brought from Italy and
Is expensive, the British manufactur-
ers utilize iron pyrites. which contains
a quantity OF arsenic.
"Of course the sulphuric acid may
be made chemically pure. In the crude
| state II is so cheap that the temptation
Is 10 use Il. 1t costs only half penny
pound. In the making Of the glucose
German potato starch is treated with
a per cent solution OF sulphuric acid.
]
more than n mere trace Of arsenic. In
some cases there has been as much as
three-tenths OF ! per cent.
"The arsenic accumulates in the sys-
/ ten. The victim suffers from neuritis.
/ The skin OF the soles Of the feet be-
comes hard and scales. The muscles
| OF the lower limbs become hardened.
and as result you see that peculiar
] gait which has become common with
| Englshmen who drink beer in large
| quantities. | remember 20 have asked
a Physician in London why so many
persons had that peculiar walk.
1T Is either arsenical or mercur'nl
poisoning he answered. I have not
| Investigated the matter
more than 1900 cases due 10 ar
| seniated beer have been studied In
| Great Britain. The crusade against
this beverage has accomplished some
/ good. | received a letter a few days
| ago from a friend OF mine who Is a
! physician In Manchester. where so
many cases Of poisoning from beer
have been observed. He said that re-
cent analyses showed that the beer
.
the brewers have been importing crude
beet sugar from Germany which con-
tains nothing harmful. Yet cases Of
arsenlcal poisoning are still reported.
for arsenic Is stored in the system. II
may be three or four years before
these cases entirely disappear.
zone OF the most marked cases Of
the walk caused by the drinking Of
| impure beer ! saw in a brewery on
the east side. The man was a driver,
and he was permitted 10 drink as much
beer as he liked. | fear that may
be accused Of cxaggeratlng. but my
recollection Is that Il was no infrequent
thing for that man 20 have 90 beer
checks a day. He walked like the vic
tins OF the arseniated English beer.
THE gentleman who wrote 20 the
above mentioned paper the other day
that II would take five barrels of beer
at dose 10 have any effect was good
mathematician, no doubt, but think
that he has failed to take a few other
facts into consideration"