Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-21
A Poisonous
Gas That Leaks
Through Stoves
and Furnaces
Why Your Cook Is Irritable and
Perhaps What Causes Your
OIUn FdinMess and Headaches Er,
planned by the Experiments
OfG Famous French Physician

symptoms being infinitely variabla
and diverse, and the attention being
rarely enough attracted TO a source
OF peril which acts in most cases only
with extreme slowness. The treat.
ment should be symptomatio above
all. and its most important feature
consists in removing the subject
from the action of the poison.
Carbon monoxide is the more
dangerous since It cannot be detect;
ed by taste or odor. II is dangerous
even when the atmosphere contains
an extremely small proportion OF II,
but in order to be fatal to men, dogs
or cats, II must be present in q min
imum quantity OF y to per cent. It
acts, at least In acute tntoxications,
by asphyxiation. 1t fixes upon the
hemoglobin OF the blood and forms
with 1t a stable combination, thus
causing the hemoglobin to become IN
capable of carrying the oxygen
needed. 1t is not probable, how
ever, that the red corpuscle is de-
stroyed. The nervecentres react
against this intoxication by lowering
the temperature and diminishing the
oxidations. But this reaction be-
comes insufficient II the cause OF the
poisoning Is too prolonged or too
violent"
A curious feature OF the poisoning
is that its victims stand a better
chance of recovery II they remain
motionless and extended than II they
are made 70 walk and move about 1
The treatment consists in the use
OF oxygen as abundantly as possible.
It should be used in inhalations and
also In simultaneous injections,
which are both more efficacious and
easier to administer. The transfu-
sion of blood is useful in such cases.
and use should be made likewise OF
the ordinary manipulations In cases
OF asphyxiation.
In order to detect the gas when its
presence is feared. people are ed.
vised TO keep a bird or some other
small animal in a cage, as these are
peculiarly susceptible TO the poison.
Thus the common canary may have
a usefulness not hitherto suspected.
Ammoniacal silver nitrate turns
brown under the influence Of this
gas.
The poison produces its harmful
effects through the combination Of
the carbon monoxide with tho homo.
globin of the blood. but also IT'S toxic
action on the tissues with which 1t
Is brought In contact by the blood
Dorpuscles.
Carbon monoxide is most common.
ly generated in the heating appar-
atus, which allows small quantities Of
gas to escape during long period Of
Winter. Badly managed hotair fur
naces and assures In the pipes Of
chimneys may come In this category,
as well as slow combustion appar-
atus, which is the most dangerous OF
all. This furnace causes many cases
of poisoning IN the household. but It
is also met with among chaufreurs
and engine drivers. miners. Iaun-
dresses. employees of gas works and
laborers who commonly breathe air
vitiated by the leaking or the inten-
sive employment OF Illuminating gas.
Carbon monoxide Is not only pro
duced by combustion, but II Is found
in Illuminating gas, especially II this
is made from water. It is contained
In large quantities In the coal gas"
which is given on from furnaces. al
though It does not give the character
istic odor 70 this gas.
It is generated In large quantities
In the common household furnace
when the hampers are closed to shut
on the heat. Hence It Is most Inn
portant that the hot-air pipes should
At properly and be free from holes
communicating with the fire spacA
But even when the pipes are all IN
good repair there is danger. as We
have seen, from the gas which
makes its way through redhot iron.
The gas must in many cases be ~.
sponsible for the lassitude. headache
and sickness that so often mysteri-
ously attack teachers and pupils In
our schoolrooms during the Winter.
In such cases the gas comes from
the hot-air furnace.
Carbon monoxide is produced IN
large quantities by gasoline engines.
A case Is reported OF the fatal poison
ing of two men in Bridgeport, Conn.
through inhaling carbon monoxide
from the exhaust pipe OF . gasoline
engine.