The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-23
WOOD ALCOHOL POISONING.
THE DANGER GREATER THAN rs
COMMONLY SUPPOSED.
Not Whiskey Only. but Various Household
~ preparations as Well Adulterated with
wood Observation-Disclosures or Deah
caused by It-Warning by Doctors.

Camed by It,-Warning by Doctors.
Long before tho recent deaths caused by
.dulterated whiskey In the Stryker's Farm
d,striot in this city the medical profession
realized the dangers that threatened the
nublic from the substitution of wood alcohol
for grain alcohol One grave peril hes in
,hs fact that wood alcohol Is sometimes
used instead OF grain alcohol In various
household preparations.
The use Of wood alcohol in the manu-
,acture and adulteration OF potable spirits
1. sufficiently alarming, but this is by no
means the extent OF its use as an adulter-
ant. Not only have preparations intended
,or use in the arts, as varnishes, or for ex-
,srnsl use as witch hazel, been made with
vood alcohol as an ingredient. but even
medicinal or havorng agents, such as es-
sence OF Jamaica ginger, lemon, pepper
mint, &c, intended for internal use have
been found to contain 1t.
Eve specialists of this country and OF
Europe agree in ascribing many cases OF
total or partial blindness to wood alcohol,
which had unknowingly been taken in the
form Of LIQUORS, medicinal remedies, flavor
ine essences or used externally in the form
oiwitch hazel and bay rum and as liniments
and for alcohol rubs.
Wood alcohol is known to the chemist as
osrbinol and methyl, more popularity known
under the name Of pyrohgneous spirit,
pyroxylic spirit, wood alcohol and wood
papbtha. 1t occurs as one OF the ingre-
dents Of crude wood vinegar, the fluid
product Of the destructive distillation Of
wood.
Purified wood alcohol is a thin. color
less fluid. greatly resembling grain alco-
hol in taste and smell, but obtained from
wood vinegar Unpurifed, 1t has rank
and offensive odor and flavor. 1t is only
within the past seven or eight years that
cheap deodorized wood alcohol has been
placed on the market, and 1t Is only during
the same period that the alarming record
If death and blindness resulting from it's
use has been made
Before that time the unpurifed product
possessed 30 offensive an odor and taste
that even the most inveterate drunkard
was unable to stomach it, The purified
wood alcohol is known under various names,
and owing to the fact Of its cldse similarity
in taste and smell to grain alcohol. and
to its comparative cheapness-wood alco-
hol untaxed retails at so cents gallon,
grain alcohol taxed retails at 81 .8o-it Ia
very largely substituted for grain alcohol.
Irnhappily the deodorizing process de-
stroys none Of the poisonous properties of
wood alcohol, and while differing little
In appearance, taste and smell from grain
alcohol, it is under certain conditions a
deadly poison.
Poisoning by wood alcohol manifests
itself in two forms-that of acute poisoning
and that Of chronic poisoning According
to researches by psychologists, Joffroy and
Seryereaux, Birch Hirschfeld, Holden Hunt,
Pohl and others, the symptoms Of the
acute form are in general similar to those
observed in cases Of poisoning by grain
alcohol. excepting that the action of wood
alcohol is produced more slowly and the
duration OF the intoxication Is more pro-
longed The coma caused by wood alcohol
continues for very much longer time
than does that caused by grain alcohol.
The investigations OF Butler and Wood
have demonstrated that, in many instances,
no marked poisonous symptoms are noticed
until twenty-four hours. or longer, after
the last number Of doses, usually small
drinks, had been taken. Indeed. it may
be set down as a rule that except in persons
exhibiting an idiosyncracy against wood
alcohol or unless large dose of the poison
be drunk within few hours, not only may
the severe abdominal symptoms and the
collapse Of the heart and nervous system
be postponed, but even the fatal termina-
ton has in some instances been delayed
for several days.
Although physiological % experiments
would seem to show that the consumption
Of wood alcohol in large quantities has
similar effect on animal life to that Of grain
alcohol when taken in excess, yet it is
gathered from the observations by doctors
Of those suffering from the acute form of
wood alcohol poisoning that wood alcohol
is undoubtedly, in every respect and how
ever taken, far more dangerous to man
than grain alcohol.
Chronic or sub-acute poisoning by wood
alcohol, that is, the taking Of small quanti-
ties at short intervals produces a form of
cumulative action, depending probably
on the retention within the body OF wood
alcohol or OF some Of it's decomposition
products.
Pohl made the important discovery that
wood alcohol differs markedly from grain
alcohol in that it is but partially oxidized
in the body and that it's administration leads
TO the formation within the body Of
markedly poisonous acid. formic acid,
which is thrown out Of the system very
slowly, a striking illustration OF the fact
that within the body one poison may be
converted into another which is far more
powerful.
Dr. Frank Butler of Montreal and DR..
Casey Wood Of Chicago, both OF whom are
eye specialists, began an investigation OF
the subject in the early part of this year,
and the results are now being published
in the journal Of the American Medical
Asso"i1tion. The physicians In question
have laid bare by their researches q startling
state Of affairs.
1t has been found that wood alcohol,
adulterated essences and witch hazel,
Is well as other preparations containing
rood alcohol, have been directly responsible
during the past seven or eight years for
about Its Cases Of blindness and about
100 cases OF death. Inasmuch as the In
vestigations have been necessarily in
complete OR. Butler not having attempted
to collect published instances Of death,
and DR.. Wood having noted only cases
unpublished in medical journals), 1t is In
Ink IL II.