Applications Of Cadmium Amalgams.
—Amalgams
of cadmium, formed of equal
weights of cadmium and quicksilver,
have much power of cohesion and are
quite malleable; the case is the same with
an amalgam formed of 1 part of cadmium
and 2 parts of quicksilver. They
are used as dental cements for plugging
teeth; for the same purpose an amalgam
of 2 parts of quicksilver, 1 part of cadmium,
and 2 parts of tin may be used.
Applications Of Zinc Amalgams.
—The
principal employment of zinc amalgams
is their use as a cathode or negative electrode
in the batteries of Munson, Daniels,
and Lechanché. This combination
is designed to render the zinc non-attackable
by the exciting liquid of the battery
with open circuit. The action of the
mercury is to prevent the zinc from forming
a large number of small voltaic elements
when foreign bodies are mingled
with the metal; in a word, the giving to
ordinary zinc the properties of pure zinc,
and consequently of causing a great saving
in expense.For amalgamating a zinc plate it is
plunged for a few seconds into water in
which there is one-sixteenth in volume
of sulphuric acid, then rubbing with
a copper-wire brush which has been
dipped in the quicksilver. The mercury
takes more readily on the zinc when,
after the zinc has been cleaned with
water sharpened with sulphuric acid,
it is moistened with a solution of corrosive
sublimate, which is reduced and
furnishes a first very thin coat of amalgam,
on which the quicksilver is immediately
fixed by simple immersion
without rubbing.
The zinc of a battery may be amalgamated
by putting at the bottom of the
compartment containing each element,
a little quicksilver in such a way that the
zinc touches the liquid. The amalgamation
is effected under the influence of
the current, but this process applies only
on condition that the zinc alone touches
the bottom of the vessel containing the
quicksilver.
Applications Of Manganese Amalgams.
—These
may serve for the preparation
of manganese. For this purpose it is
sufficient to distill in a current of pure
hydrogen. The manganese remains in
the form of a grayish powder.
Applications Of Tin Amalgams.
—I.—Tinning
of glass. This operation is
accomplished in the following manner:
On a cast-iron table, quite horizontal, a
sheet of tin of the dimensions of the glass
is spread out and covered with a layer of
quicksilver, 5 or 6 millimeters in thickness.
The glass is made to slide on the
sheet of tin in such a way as to drive off
the excess of quicksilver; when the two
surfaces are covered without interposition
of air, weights are placed on the
glass. In a few days, the glass may be
removed, having been covered with an
adhering pellicle of amalgam of 4 parts
of tin and 1 part of quicksilver. (See
also Mirrors.)II.—An amalgam consisting of 2 parts
of zinc and 1 part tin may be used for
covering the cushions of frictional electric
machines. This amalgam is prepared
by first melting the zinc and tin in
a crucible and adding the quicksilver
previously heated.
III.—Mention has been made of the
cadmium amalgam employed for plugging
teeth, an amalgam of 2 parts of
quicksilver, 2 parts of tin, and 1 part of
cadmium. For the same purpose an
amalgam of tin, silver, and gold is employed.
(See also Cements, Dental.)
Applications Of Copper Amalgams.
—I.—An
amalgam of 30 per cent of copper
has been employed for filling teeth.
This use has been abandoned on account
of the inconvenience occasioned by the
great changeableness of the product.II.—The amalgam of 30 per cent of
copper, designated by the name of “metallic
mastic,” is an excellent cement for
repairing objects and utensils of porcelain.
For this employment, the broken
surfaces are heated to 662° F., and a little
of the amalgam, previously heated to the
consistency of melted wax, is applied.
III.—Copper amalgam, of 30 to 45
per cent of copper, rendered plastic by
heating and grinding, may serve for obtaining
with slight compression copies of
delicate objects, which may, after hardening
of the amalgam, be reproduced,
either in wax or by galvanic process.
IV.—According to Debray, when a
medal, obtained with an amalgam of
45 per cent of copper, by compression in
the soft state, in molds of gutta percha,
is heated progressively to redness in an
atmosphere of hydrogen, the quicksilver
is volatilized gradually, and the particles
of copper come together without fusion
in such a way as to produce a faithful
reproduction, formed exclusively of metallic
copper, of the original medal.
V.—In the metallurgy of gold, the
crushers are furnished with amalgamated
plates of copper for retaining the
gold. The preparation of these plates, {88}
which are at least 0.128 inches in thickness,
is delicate, requiring about two
weeks. They are freed from greasy matter
by rubbing with ashes, or, better,
with a little sand and caustic soda, or if
more rapid action is desired, with a cloth
dipped in dilute nitric acid; they are
washed with water, then with a solution
of potassium cyanide, and finally brushed
with a mixture of sal ammoniac and a
little quicksilver, until the surface is
completely amalgamated. They are
finally made to absorb as much quicksilver
as possible. But the plates thus
treated are useful for only a few days
when they are sufficiently covered with a
layer of gold amalgam; in the meantime
they occasion loss of time and of gold.
So it is preferable to cover them artificially
with a little gold amalgam, which
is prepared by dissolving gold in quicksilver.
Sometimes the amalgam of gold
is replaced by an amalgam of silver,
which is readily poured and more economical.
Another method giving better results
consists in silvering copper slabs by electroplating
and covering them with a layer
of silver. Then it is only necessary to
apply a little quicksilver, which adheres
quite rapidly, so that they are ready for
use almost immediately, and are quite
active at the outset.
These amalgamation slabs ought to
be cleaned before each operation. Potassium
cyanide removes fatty matter,
and sal ammoniac the oxides of the low
metals.
Applications Of Lead Amalgams.
—These
meet with an interesting employment
for the autogenous soldering of
lead. After the surfaces to be soldered
have been well cleaned, a layer of lead
amalgam is applied. It is afterwards
sufficient to pass along the line of junction
a soldering iron heated to redness,
in order that the heat should cause the
volatilization of the quicksilver, and that
the lead, liberated in a state of fine division,
should be melted and cause the
adherence of the two surfaces. The
only precaution necessary is to avoid
breathing the mercurial vapor, which is
quite poisonous.
Applications Of Bismuth Amalgams.
—The
amalgam formed of 1 per cent of
bismuth and 4 parts of quicksilver will
cause the strong adherence of glass. It
is employed with advantage in the tinning
of glass globes. For this operation
it is poured into a dry hot receiver, and
then passed over the whole surface of
the glass; it solidifies on cooling. For
the purpose of economizing the bismuth,
the price of which is high, the preceding
amalgam is replaced by another composed
of 2 parts of quicksilver, 1 part of
bismuth, 1 part of lead, and 1 part of tin.
The bismuth, broken into small fragments,
is added to the tin and lead, previously
melted in the crucible, and when
the mixture of the three metals becomes
fluid, the quicksilver is poured in, while
stirring with an iron rod. The impurities
floating on the surface are removed,
and when the temperature is sufficiently
lowered this amalgam is slowly poured
into the vessels to be tinned, which have
been previously well cleaned and slightly
heated. M. Ditte recommends for the
same employment, as a very strong adherent
to the glass, an amalgam obtained
by dissolving hot 2 parts of bismuth and
1 part of lead in a solution of 1 part of
tin in 10 parts of quicksilver. By causing
a quantity of this amalgam to move
around the inside of a receiver, clean,
dry, and slightly heated, the surface will
be covered with a thin, brilliant layer,
which hardens quite rapidly.For the injection of anatomical pieces
an amalgam formed of 10 parts of quicksilver,
50 parts of bismuth, 31 parts of
lead, and 18 parts of tin, fusible at 77.5°
and solidifiable at 60° C., is made use of;
or, again, an amalgam composed of 9
parts of Darcet alloy and 1 part of quicksilver
fusible at 127 1/2° F., and pasty at a
still lower temperature. This last amalgam
may also be used for filling carious
teeth. The Darcet alloy, as known, contains
2 parts of bismuth, 1 part of lead,
and 1 part of tin, and melts at 199 1/2° F.
The addition of 1 part of quicksilver
lowers the fusing point to 104° F.
Applications Of Silver Amalgams.
—I.—In
the silvering of mirrors by the Petitjean
method, which has almost universally
replaced tinning, the property of
silver in readily amalgamating is taken
advantage of, by substituting the glass
after silvering to the action of a dilute
solution of double cyanide of mercury
and potassium in such a manner as to
form an amalgam of white and brilliant
silver adhering strongly to the glass. To
facilitate the operation and utilize all the
silver, while economizing the double cyanide,
M. Lenoir has recommended the
following: Sprinkle the glass at the time
when it is covered with the mercurial
solution with very fine zinc powder,
which precipitates the quicksilver and
regulates the amalgamation.II.—The metallurgy of silver also
takes advantage of the property of this {89}
metal in combining cold with quicksilver;
this for the treatment of poor silver
ores.
In the Saxon or Freiburg process for
treating silver ores, recourse is had to
quicksilver in the case of amalgam in
amalgamating casks, in which the ore,
after grinding, is shaken with disks of
iron, and with mercury and water. The
amalgam, collected and filtered under
strong pressure, contains from 30 to 33
per cent of silver. It is distilled either
in cylindrical retorts of cast iron, furnished
with an exit tube immersed in
the water for condensing the mercurial
vapors, or on plates of iron, arranged
over each other along a vertical iron
stem, supported by a tripod at the bottom
of a tank filled with water, and
covered with an iron receiver, which is
itself surrounded with ignited charcoal.
It should be remarked that the last portions
of quicksilver in a silver amalgam
submitted to distillation are volatilized
only under the action of a high and prolonged
temperature.
Applications Of Gold Amalgams.
—I.—Gilding
with quicksilver. This process
of gilding, much employed formerly, is
now but little used. It can be applied
only to metals slightly fusible and capable
of amalgamation, like silver, copper,
bronze, and brass. Iron can also be
gilded by this method, provided it is
previously covered with a coating of
copper. To perform this gilding the
surface is well cleaned, and the gold
amalgam, consisting of 2 parts of gold
and 1 part of quicksilver, prepared as
mentioned before, is applied. The piece
is afterwards heated to about the red, so
as to volatilize the mercury. The gold
remains, superficially alloyed with the
metal, and forms an extremely solid
layer of deadened gold, which can be
afterwards polished. The volatilization
should be effected under a chimney having
strong draught, in order to avoid the
poisonous action of the mercurial vapors.II.—The amalgamation of gold finds
its principal applications in the treatment
of auriferous ores. The extraction of
small spangles of gold scattered in gold-bearing
sands is based on the ready
dissolution of gold in quicksilver, and
on the formation of an amalgam of solid
gold by compression and filtering through
a chamois skin, in a state more or less
liquid. The spangles of gold are shaken
with about their weight of quicksilver,
collected in the cavities of sluices and
mixed with a small quantity of sand.
The gold is dissolved and the sand
remains. The amalgam thus obtained is
compressed in a chamois skin, so as to
separate the excess of mercury which
passes through the pores of the skin; or,
yet again, it is filtered through a glass
funnel having a very slender stem, with
almost capillary termination. In both
cases an amalgam of solid gold remains,
which is submitted to the action of heat
in a crucible or cast-iron retort, communicating
with a bent-iron tube, of
which the extremity, surrounded with a
cloth immersed in water, is arranged
above a receiver half full of water. The
quicksilver is vaporized and condensed
in the water. The gold remains in the
retort.
The property of gold of combining
readily with quicksilver is also used in
many kinds of amalgamating apparatus
for extraction and in the metallurgy of
gold.
In various operations it is essential
to keep the quicksilver active by preserving
its limpidity. For this purpose
potassium cyanide and ammonium
chloride are especially employed; sometimes
wood ashes, carbonate of soda,
hyposulphite of soda, nitrate of potash,
cupric sulphate, sea salt, and lime; the
latter for precipitating the soluble sulphates
proceeding from the decomposition
of pyrites.
The amalgamation of gold is favored
by a temperature of 38° to 45° C. (100°
to 113° F.), and still more by the employment
of quicksilver in the nascent
state. This last property is the base of
the Designol process, which consists in
treating auriferous or auro-argentiferous
ores, first ground with sea salt, in revolving
cylinders of cast iron, with iron and
mercury bichloride, in such a way that
the mercury precipitated collects the gold
and eventually the silver more efficaciously.
Gold Amalgam.
—Eight parts of gold
and 1 of mercury are formed into an
amalgam for plating by rendering the
gold into thin plates, making it red hot,
and then putting it into the mercury while
the latter is also heated to ebullition.
The gold immediately disappears in
combination with the mercury, after
which the mixture may be turned into
water to cool. It is then ready for use.
Zinc Amalgam For Electric Batteries.
—Dissolve
2 parts of mercury in 1 part
of aqua regia. This accomplished, add
5 parts of hydrochloric acid. This solution
is made warm. It suffices to dip
the zinc to be amalgamated into this
liquid only for a few seconds. {90}
Amalgam For Cementing Glass, Porcelain, Etc.
—Take tin 2 parts, and cadmium
1 part. Fuse in an iron spoon
or some vessel of the same material.
When the two materials are in fusion add
a little mercury, previously heated. Place
all in an iron crucible and boil, agitating
the mass with a pestle. This amalgam
is soft and can be kneaded between the
fingers. It may be employed for luting
glass or porcelain vessels, as well as for
filling teeth. It hardens in a short while.
Amalgam For Silvering Glass Balls.
—Lead,
25 parts; tin, 25 parts; bismuth,
25 parts; mercury, 25 parts; or, lead, 20
parts; tin, 20 parts; bismuth, 20 parts;
mercury, 40 parts. Melt the lead and
the tin, then add the bismuth; skim several
times and add the mercury, stirring
the composition vigorously.(See also Mirror-Silvering).
Copper Amalgam.
—Copper amalgam,
or so-called Viennese metal cement, crystallizes
with the greatest readiness and
acquires such hardness on solidifying
that it can be polished like gold. The
amalgam may also be worked under the
hammer or between rollers; it can also
be stamped, and retains its metallic luster
for a long time in the air. In air containing
hydrogen sulphide, however, it
quickly tarnishes and turns black. A
very special property of copper amalgam
consists in that it becomes very soft when
laid in water, and attains such pliancy
that it can be employed for modeling the
most delicate objects. After a few
hours the amalgam congeals again into
a very fine-grained, rather malleable
mass. An important application of
copper amalgam is that for cementing
metals. All that is necessary for this
purpose is to heat the metals, which must
be bright, to 80–90° C. (176–194° F.), to
apply the amalgam and to press the metal
pieces together. They will cohere as
firmly as though soldered together.Copper amalgam may be prepared in
the following manner:
Place strips of zinc in a solution of blue
vitriol and agitate the solution thoroughly.
The copper thus obtained in
the form of a very fine powder is washed
and, while still moist, treated in a mortar
with a solution of mercury nitrate.
The copper powder thereby amalgamates
more readily with the quicksilver.
Next, hot water is poured over the copper,
the mortar is kept hot, and the mercury
added. Knead with the pestle of
the mortar until the copper, pulverulent
in the beginning, has united with the
mercury into a very plastic mass. The
longer the kneading is continued the
more uniform will be the mass. As soon
as the amalgam has acquired the suitable
character—for its production 3 parts of
copper and 7 parts of mercury are used—the
water is poured off and the amalgam
still soft is given the shape in which
it is to be kept.
For cementing purposes, the amalgam
is rolled out into small cylinders, whose
diameter is about 0.16 to 0.2 inches, with
a length of a few inches. In order to
produce with this amalgam impressions
of castings, which are made after woodcuts,
the amalgam is rolled out hot
into a thin plate and pressed firmly
onto the likewise heated plaster cast.
After the amalgam has hardened the
thin plate of it may be reinforced by
pouring on molten type metal.
Silver Amalgam.
—Silver amalgam can
easily be made with the help of finely
powdered silver. The mercury need
only be heated to 250° to 300° C. (482°
to 572° F.); silver powder is then sprinkled
on it, and mixed with it by stirring.
The vessel is heated for several minutes
and then allowed to cool, the excess of
mercury being removed from the granulated
crystalline amalgam by pressing in
a leather bag. Silver amalgam can also
easily be made by dissolving silver in
nitric acid, evaporating the solution till
the excess of free acid is eliminated, diluting
with distilled water, and adding
mercury to the fluid in the proportion of
4 parts, by weight, of mercury to 1 of the
silver originally used. The mercury
precipitates the silver in a metallic state,
and immediately forms an amalgam with
it; the fluid standing above after a time
contains no more silver, but consists of
a solution of mercury nitrate mixed with
whatever copper was contained in the
dissolved silver in the form of copper
nitrate. The absence of a white precipitate,
if a few drops of hydrochloric
acid are added to a sample of the fluid
in a test tube, shows that all the silver
has been eliminated from the solution
and is present in the form of amalgam.
Amalgam For The Rubber Of Electric Machines.
—Mercury, 100 parts; zinc, 50
parts; tin, 50 parts. This amalgam
reduced to powder and incorporated
with grease can be applied to the rubber
of electric machines.AMALGAM GOLD PLATING: See Gilding under Plating.
AMBER:
Imitation Amber.
—Melt carefully together
pine rosin, 1; lacca in tabulis, 2;
white colophony, 15 parts.
{91}AMBER CEMENT: See Adhesives under Cements.
AMBER VARNISH: See Varnishes.
AMBROSIA POWDER: See Salts (Effervescent).
AMIDOL DEVELOPER: See Photography.
AMETHYST (IMITATION): See Gems, Artificial.
AMMON-CARBONITE: See Explosives.
AMMONIA
Household Ammonia.
—(See also Household
Formulas.)—Household ammonia is
simply diluted ammonia water to which
borax and soap have been added. To
make it cloudy add potassium nitrate
or methylated spirit. The following are
good formulas:
| I.— |
Ammonia water |
16 parts |
| Yellow soap |
64 parts |
| Potassium nitrate |
1 part |
| Soft water, sufficient to make |
200 parts |
Shave up the soap and dissolve it in
the water by heating, add the potassium
nitrate and dissolve. Cool, strain, skim
off any suds or bubbles, add the ammonia,
mix, and bottle at once.
| II.— |
Yellow soap |
10 grains |
| Borax |
1 drachm |
| Lavender water |
20 minims |
| Stronger ammonia water |
6 ounces |
| Water, enough to make |
20 ounces |
Dissolve the soap and borax in 5
ounces of boiling water; when cold add
the lavender water and ammonia, and
make up to a pint with water.
| III.— |
Methylated spirit |
1 gallon |
| Soft water |
1 gallon |
| Stronger ammonia water |
1 gallon |
| IV.— |
Ammonia water |
5 pints |
| Distilled water |
5 pints |
| Soap |
100 grains |
| Olive oil |
5 drachms |
Cut the soap in shavings, boil with the
oil and water, cool, add the ammonia
water, and bottle. For use in laundries,
baths, and for general household purposes
add one tablespoonful to one
gallon of water.
V.—The best quality:
| Alcohol, 94 per cent |
4 ounces |
| Soft water |
4 gallons |
| Oil of rosemary |
4 drachms |
| Oil of citronella |
3 drachms |
Dissolve the oils in the alcohol and
add to the water. To the mixture add
4 ounces of talc (or fuller’s earth will
answer), mix thoroughly, strain through
canvas, and to the colate add 1, 2, or 3
gallons of ammonia water, according to
the strength desired, in which has been
dissolved 1, 2, or 3 ounces of white curd,
or soft soap.
Liquor Ammonii Anisatus.—
| Oil of anise, by weight |
1 part |
| Alcohol, by weight |
24 parts |
| Water of ammonia, by weight |
5 parts |
Dissolve the oil in the alcohol and add
the water of ammonia.
It should be a clear, yellowish liquid.
Violet Color For
Ammonia.
—A purple-blue
color may be given to ammonia
water by adding an aqueous solution
of litmus. The shade, when pale
enough, will probably meet all views as
to a violet color.
Perfumed Ammonia Water.
—The
following are typical formulas:
| I.— |
Stronger water of ammonia |
6 ounces |
| Lavender water |
1 ounce |
| Soft soap |
10 grains |
| Water, enough to make |
16 ounces |
| II.— |
Soft soap |
1 ounce |
| Borax |
2 drachms |
| Cologne water |
1/2 ounce |
| Stronger water of ammonia |
5 1/2 ounces |
| Water, enough to make |
12 ounces |
Rub up the soap and borax with water
until dissolved, strain and add the other
ingredients. The perfumes may be
varied to suit the price.
AMMONIA FOR FIXING PRINTS: See Photography.
ANGOSTURA BITTERS: See Wines and Liquors.
ANILINE: See Dyes.
ANILINE IN PIGMENTS, TESTS FOR: See Pigments.
ANILINE STAINS, TO REMOVE: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods. {92}
ANISE CORDIAL: See Wines and Liquors.
ANKARA: See Butter.
ANNEALING OF STEEL, TOOLS, WIRE, AND SPRINGS: See Steel.
ANODYNES: See Pain Killers.
ANT DESTROYERS: See Insecticides.
ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS
Poison, Symptoms And Antidotes.
When a person has taken poison the
first thing to do is to compel the patient
to vomit, and for that purpose give any
emetic that can be most readily and
quickly obtained, and which is prompt
and energetic, but safe in its action.
For this purpose there is, perhaps,
nothing better than a large teaspoonful
of ground mustard in a tumblerful of
warm water, and it has the advantage of
being almost always at hand. If the dry
mustard is not to be had use mixed
mustard from the mustard pot. Its
operation may generally be facilitated
by the addition of a like quantity of
common table salt. If the mustard is
not at hand, give two or three teaspoonfuls
of powdered alum in syrup or
molasses, and give freely of warm water
to drink; or give 10 to 20 grains of sulphate
of zinc (white vitriol), or 20 to 30
grains of ipecac, with 1 or 2 grains of
tartar emetic, in a large cup of warm
water, and repeat every ten minutes until
three or four doses are given, unless
free vomiting is sooner produced. After
vomiting has taken place large draughts
of warm water should be given, so
that the vomiting will continue until the
poisonous substances have been thoroughly
evacuated, and then suitable antidotes
should be given. If vomiting cannot
be produced the stomach pump
should be used. When it is known what
particular kind of poison has been swallowed,
then the proper antidote for that
poison should be given; but when this
cannot be ascertained, as is often the
case, give freely of equal parts of calcined
magnesia, pulverized charcoal,
and sesquioxide of iron, in a sufficient
quantity of water. This is a very harmless
mixture and is likely to be of great
benefit, as the ingredients, though very
simple, are antidotes for the most common
and active poisons. In case this
mixture cannot be obtained, the stomach
should be soothed and protected by the
free administration of demulcent, mucilaginous,
or oleaginous drinks, such as the
whites of eggs, milk, mucilage of gum
arabic, or slippery-elm bark, flaxseed
tea, starch, wheat flour, or arrowroot
mixed in water, linseed or olive oil, or
melted butter or lard. Subsequently
the bowels should be moved by some
gentle laxative, as a tablespoonful or
two of castor oil, or a teaspoonful of calcined
magnesia; and pain or other evidence
of inflammation must be relieved
by the administration of a few drops of
laudanum, and the repeated application
of hot poultices, fomentations, and mustard
plasters.
The following are the names of the
substances that may give rise to poisoning,
most commonly used, and their antidotes:
Mineral Acids—sulphuric Acid (Oil Of Vitriol), Nitric Acid (Aqua Fortis), Muriatic Acid (Spirits Of Salts).
—Symptoms:
Acid, burning taste in the mouth,
acute pain in the throat, stomach, and
bowels; frequent vomiting, generally
bloody; mouth and lips excoriated,
shriveled, white or yellow; hiccough,
copious stools, more or less bloody, with
great tenderness in the abdomen; difficult
breathing, irregular pulse, excessive
thirst, while drink increases the pain
and rarely remains in the stomach; frequent
but vain efforts to urinate; cold
sweats, altered countenance; convulsions,
generally preceding death. Nitric
acid causes yellow stains; sulphuric
acid, black ones. Treatment: Mix
calcined magnesia in milk or water to the
consistence of cream, and give freely to
drink a glassful every couple of minutes,
if it can be swallowed. Common soap
(hard or soft), chalk, whiting, or even
mortar from the wall mixed in water
may be given, until magnesia can be obtained.
Promote vomiting by tickling
the throat, if necessary, and when the
poison is got rid of, flaxseed or slippery-elm
tea, gruel, or other mild drinks.
The inflammation which always follows
needs good treatment to save the patient’s
life.
Vegetable Acids—acetic, Citric, Oxalic, Tartaric.
—Symptoms: Intense
burning pain of mouth, throat, and
stomach; vomiting blood which is highly
acid, violent purging, collapse, stupor,
death.Oxalic acid is frequently taken in {93}
mistake for Epsom salts, to which in
shops it often bears a strong resemblance.
Treatment: Give chalk or magnesia in a
large quantity of water, or large draughts
of limewater. If these are not at hand,
scrape the wall or ceiling, and give the
scrapings mixed with water.
Prussic Or Hydrocyanic Acid—laurel Water, Cyanide Of Potassium, Bitter Almond Oil, Etc.
—Symptoms: In large
doses almost invariably instantaneously
fatal; when not immediately fatal, sudden
loss of sense and control of the voluntary
muscles. The odor of the poison
generally noticeable on the breath.
Treatment: Chlorine, in the form of
chlorine water, in doses of from 1 to 4
fluidrachms, diluted. Weak solution
of chloride lime of soda; water of ammonia
(spirits of hartshorn), largely
diluted, may be given, and the vapor of it
cautiously inhaled. Cold affusion, and
chloroform in half to teaspoonful doses
in glycerine or mucilage, repeated every
few minutes, until the symptoms are
ameliorated. Artificial respiration.
Aconite—monkshood, Wolfsbane.
—Symptoms:
Numbness and tingling in
the mouth and throat, and afterwards in
other portions of the body, with sore
throat, pain over the stomach, and vomiting;
dimness of vision, dizziness, great
prostration, loss of sensibility, and delirium.
Treatment: An emetic and
then brandy in tablespoonful doses, in
ice water, every half hour; spirits of
ammonia in half-teaspoonful doses in
like manner; the cold douche over the
head and chest, warmth to the extremities,
etc.
Alkalis And Their Salts—concentrated Lye, Wood-ash Lye, Caustic Potash, Ammonia, Hartshorn.
—Symptoms:
Caustic, acrid taste, excessive heat in
the throat, stomach, and intestines;
vomiting of bloody matter, cold sweats,
hiccough, purging of bloody stools.
Treatment: The common vegetable
acids. Common vinegar, being always
at hand, is most frequently used. The
fixed oils, as castor, flaxseed, almond,
and olive oils form soaps with the alkalis
and thus also destroy their caustic
effect. They should be given in large
quantity.
Antimony And Its Preparations—tartar Emetic, Antimonial Wine, Kerme’s Mineral.
—Symptoms: Faintness and
nausea, soon followed by painful and
continued vomiting, severe diarrhea,
constriction and burning sensation in
the throat, cramps, or spasmodic
twitchings, with symptoms of nervous derangement,
and great prostration of strength,
often terminating in death. Treatment:
If vomiting has not been produced, it
should be effected by tickling the fauces,
and administering copious draughts of
warm water. Astringent infusions, such
as of gall, oak bark, Peruvian bark, act
as antidotes, and should be given promptly.
Powdered yellow bark may be used
until the infusion is prepared, or very
strong green tea should be given. To
stop the vomiting, should it continue,
blister over the stomach by applying a
cloth wet with strong spirits of hartshorn,
and then sprinkle on one-eighth to one-fourth
of a grain of morphia.
Arsenic And Its Preparations—ratsbane, Fowler’s Solution, Etc.
—Symptoms:
Generally within an hour pain
and heat are felt in the stomach, soon
followed by vomiting, with a burning
dryness of the throat and great thirst;
the matters vomited are generally colored
either green yellow, or brown, and are
sometimes bloody. Diarrhea or dysentery
ensues, while the pulse becomes
small and rapid, yet irregular. Breathing
much oppressed; difficulty in vomiting
may occur, while cramps, convulsions,
or even paralysis often precede
death, which sometimes takes place within
five or six hours after arsenic has been
taken. Treatment: Give a prompt
emetic, and then hydrate of peroxide of
iron (recently prepared) in tablespoonful
doses every 10 or 15 minutes until the
urgent symptoms are relieved. In the
absence of this, or while it is being prepared,
give large draughts of new milk
and raw eggs, limewater and oil, melted
butter, magnesia in a large quantity of
water, or even if nothing else is at hand,
flour and water, always, however, giving
an emetic the first thing, or causing
vomiting by tickling the throat with a
feather, etc. The inflammation of the
stomach which follows must be treated
by blisters, hot fomentations, mucilaginous
drinks, and the like.
Belladonna, Or Deadly Nightshade.
—Symptoms:
Dryness of the mouth and
throat, great thirst, difficulty of swallowing,
nausea, dimness, confusion or
loss of vision, great enlargement of the
pupils, dizziness, delirium, and coma.
Treatment: There is no known antidote.
Give a prompt emetic and then
reliance must be placed on continual
stimulation with brandy, whisky, etc.,
and to necessary artificial respiration.
Opium and its preparations, as morphia,
laudanum, etc., are thought by some to {94}
counteract the effect of belladonna, and
may be given in small and repeated doses,
as also strong black coffee and green tea.Blue Vitriol, or Blue Stone.—See Copper.
Cantharides (Spanish Or Blistering Fly) And Modern Potato Bug.
—Symptoms:
Sickening odor of the breath,
sour taste, with burning heat in the
throat, stomach, and bowels; frequent
vomiting, often bloody; copious bloody
stools, great pain in the stomach, with
burning sensation in the bladder and
difficulty to urinate followed with terrible
convulsions, delirium, and death.
Treatment: Excite vomiting by drinking
plentifully of sweet oil or other wholesome
oils, sugar and water, milk, or
slippery-elm tea; give injections of castor
oil and starch, or warm milk. The inflammatory
symptoms which generally
follow must be treated by a physician.
Camphorated oil or camphorated spirits
should be rubbed over the bowels, stomach,
and thighs.Caustic Potash.—See Alkalis under this
title.
Cobalt, Or Fly Powder.
—Symptoms:
Heat and pain in the throat and stomach,
violent retching and vomiting, cold and
clammy skin, small and feeble pulse,
hurried and difficult breathing, diarrhea,
etc. Treatment: An emetic, followed
by the free administration of milk,
eggs, wheat flour and water, and mucilaginous
drinks.
Copper—blue Vitriol, Verdigris Or Pickles Or Food Cooked In Copper Vessels.
—Symptoms:
General inflammation
of the alimentary canal, suppression
of urine; hiccough, a disagreeable
metallic taste, vomiting, violent colic,
excessive thirst, sense of tightness of the
throat, anxiety; faintness, giddiness,
and cramps and convulsions generally
precede death. Treatment: Large
doses of simple syrup as warm as can be
swallowed, until the stomach rejects the
amount it contains. The whites of eggs
and large quantities of milk. Hydrated
peroxide of iron.
Creosote—carbolic Acid.
—Symptoms:
Burning pain, acrid, pungent taste,
thirst, vomiting, purging, etc. Treatment:
An emetic and the free administration
of albumen, as the whites of eggs,
or, in the absence of these, milk, or flour
and water.Corrosive Sublimate.—See Mercury
under this title.
Deadly Nightshade.
—See Belladonna
under this title.
Foxglove, Or Digitalis.
—Symptoms:
Loss of strength, feeble, fluttering pulse,
faintness, nausea and vomiting and stupor;
cold perspiration, dilated pupils,
sighing, irregular breathing, and sometimes
convulsions. Treatment: After
vomiting, give brandy and ammonia in
frequently repeated doses, apply warmth
to the extremities, and if necessary resort
to artificial respiration.
Gases—carbonic Acid, Chlorine, Cyanogen, Hydrosulphuric Acid, Etc.
—Symptoms:
Great drowsiness, difficult
respiration, features swollen, face blue
as in strangulation. Treatment: Artificial
respiration, cold douche, friction
with stimulating substances to the surface
of the body. Inhalation of steam
containing preparations of ammonia.
Cupping from nape of neck. Internal
use of chloroform.
Hellebore, Or Indian Poke.
—Symptoms:
Violent vomiting and purging,
bloody stools, great anxiety, tremors,
vertigo, fainting, sinking of the pulse,
cold sweats, and convulsions. Treatment:
Excite speedy vomiting by large
draughts of warm water, molasses and
water, tickling the throat with the finger
or a feather, and emetics; give oily and
mucilaginous drinks, oily purgatives,
and clysters, acids, strong coffee, camphor,
and opium.
Hemlock (Conium).
—Symptoms: Dryness
of the throat, tremors, dizziness,
difficulty of swallowing, prostration, and
faintness, limbs powerless or paralyzed,
pupils dilated, pulse rapid and feeble;
insensibility and convulsions sometimes
precede death. Treatment: Empty the
stomach and give brandy in tablespoonful
doses, with half teaspoonful of spirits
of ammonia, frequently repeated, and
if much pain and vomiting, give bromide
of ammonium in 5-grain doses
every half hour. Artificial respiration
may be required.
Henbane, Or Hyoscyamus.
—Symptoms:
Muscular twitching, inability to
articulate plainly, dimness of vision and
stupor; later, vomiting and purging,
small intermittent pulse, convulsive
movement of the extremities, and coma.
Treatment: Similar to opium poisoning,
which see.
Iodine.
—Symptoms: Burning pain in
throat, lacerating pain in the stomach,
fruitless effort to vomit, excessive tenderness
of the epigastrium. Treatment: {95}
Free emesis, prompt administration of
starch, wheat flour, or arrowroot, beaten
up in water.
Lead—acetate Of Lead, Sugar Of Lead, Dry White Lead, Red Lead, Litharge, Or Pickles, Wine, Or Vinegar Sweetened By Lead.
—Symptoms: When taken in large
doses, a sweet but astringent metallic
taste exists, with constriction in the
throat, pain in the region of the stomach,
painful, obstinate, and frequently bloody
vomitings, hiccough, convulsions or
spasms, and death. When taken in
small but long-continued doses it produces
colic, called painters’ colic; great
pain, obstinate constipation, and in extreme
cases paralytic symptoms, especially
wrist-drop, with a blue line along
the edge of the gums. Treatment: To
counteract the poison give alum in water
1 1/2 ounce to a quart; or, better still, Epsom
salts or Glauber’s salts, an ounce of
either in a quart of water; or dilute sulphuric
acid, a teaspoonful to a quart of
water. If a large quantity of sugar of
lead has been recently taken, empty the
stomach by an emetic of sulphate of zinc
(1 drachm in a quart of water), giving
one-fourth to commence, and repeating
smaller doses until free vomiting is produced;
castor oil should be given to clear
the bowels and injections of oil and
starch freely administered. If the body
is cold use the warm bath.Meadow Saffron.—See Belladonna.
Laudanum.—See Opium.
Lobelia—indian Poke.
—Symptoms:
Excessive vomiting and purging, pains
in the bowels, contraction of the pupils,
delirium, coma, and convulsions. Treatment:
Mustard over the stomach, and
brandy and ammonia.
Mercury—corrosive Sublimate
(bug
poisons frequently contain this poison),
Red Precipitate, Chinese
or English
Vermilion.—Symptoms: Acrid, metallic
taste in the mouth, immediate constriction
and burning in the throat, with anxiety
and tearing pains in both stomach
and bowels, sickness, and vomiting of
various-colored fluids, and sometimes
bloody and profuse diarrhea, with difficulty
and pain in urinating; pulse
quick, small, and hard; faint sensations,
great debility, difficult breathing, cramps,
cold sweats, syncope, and convulsions.
Treatment: If vomiting does not already
exist, emetics must be given immediately—white
of eggs in continuous
large doses, and infusion of catechu afterwards,
sweet milk, mixtures of flour and
water in successive cupfuls, and to check
excessive salivation put a half ounce of
chlorate of potash in a tumbler of water,
and use freely as a gargle, and swallow a
tablespoonful every hour or two.Morphine.—See Opium.
Nitrate Of Silver (Lunar Caustic).
—Symptoms:
Intense pain and vomiting,
and purging of blood, mucus, and shreds
of mucous membranes; and if these stand
they become dark. Treatment: Give
freely of a solution of common salt in
water, which decomposes the poison,
and afterwards flaxseed or slippery-elm-bark
tea, and after a while a dose of
castor oil.
Opium And All Its Compounds—morphine, Laudanum, Paregoric, Etc.
—Symptoms:
Giddiness, drowsiness, increasing
to stupor, and insensibility;
pulse usually, at first, quick and irregular,
and breathing hurried, and
afterwards pulse slow and feeble, and
respiration slow and noisy; the pupils are
contracted and the eyes and face congested,
and later, as death approaches,
the extremities become cold, the surface
is covered with cold, clammy perspiration,
and the sphincters relax. The effects
of opium and its preparations, in
poisonous doses, appear in from a half
to two hours from its administration.
Treatment: Empty the stomach immediately
with an emetic or with the stomach
pump. Then give very strong
coffee without milk; put mustard plasters
on the wrists and ankles; douche the head
and chest with cold water, and if the
patient is cold and sinking, give brandy,
or whisky and ammonia. Belladonna is
thought by many to counteract the poisonous
effects of opium, and may be
given in doses of half to a teaspoonful of
the tincture, or 2 grains of the extract,
every 20 minutes, until some effect is
observed in causing the pupils to expand.
Use warmth and friction, and
if possible prevent sleep for some hours,
for which purpose the patient should
be walked about between two persons.
Finally, as a last resort, use artificial
respiration, persistence in which will sometimes
be rewarded with success in apparently
hopeless cases. Electricity should
also be tried.Cooley advises as follows: Vomiting
must be induced as soon as possible, by
means of a strong emetic and tickling the
fauces. If this does not succeed, the
stomach pump should be applied. The
emetic may consist of a half drachm of
sulphate of zinc dissolved in a half pint
of warm water, of which one-third should {96}
be taken at once, and the remainder at
the rate of a wineglassful every 5 or 10
minutes, until vomiting commences.
When there is much drowsiness or stupor
1 or 2 fluidrachms of tincture of capsicum
will be found a useful addition; or
one of the formulas for emetic draughts
may be taken instead. Infusion of galls,
cinchona, or oak bark should be freely
administered before the emetic, and
water soured with vinegar and lemon
juice, after the stomach has been well
cleared out. To rouse the system
spirit and water or strong coffee may be
given. To keep the sufferer awake,
rough friction should be applied to the
skin, an upright posture preserved, and
walking exercise enforced, if necessary.
When this is ineffectual cold water may
be dashed over the chest, head, and
spine, or mild shocks of electricity may
be had recourse to. To allow the sufferer
to sleep is to abandon him to destruction.
Bleeding may be subsequently
necessary in plethoric habits, or in
threatened congestion. The costiveness
that accompanies convalescence may be
best met by aromatic aperients; and the
general tone of the habit restored by stimulating
tonics and the shower bath.
The smallest fatal dose of opium in the
case of an adult within our recollection
was 4 1/2 grains. Children are much more
susceptible to the action of opium than
of other medicines, and hence the dose of
it for them must be diminished considerably
below that indicated by the common
method of calculation depending on
the age.
Oxalic Acid.—See Acids.