Cases and observations in medical jurisprudence / by Alfred S. Taylor.

  • Taylor, Alfred Swaine, 1806-1880.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases and observations in medical jurisprudence / by Alfred S. Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    The post-mortem examination showed the body to be well nourished, not at all wasted, and the muscles of a normal red colour. The brain and spinal cord were carefully examined, and appeared to be quite healthy. The lungs, heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys, presented no morbid appearance, so that, unless it had been for the history of mercurial poisoning, it would have been difficult to assign the cause of death. Chemical analysis.—Soon after the admission of this patient his urine was submitted to a chemical examination. I found that it had the usual characters of healthy urine, excepting in the fact that the lithates were rather more abundant. Twelve ounces were evaporated, and the residue carefully tested, both by copper and by a gold and zinc pile, for the presence of mercury, but not the slightest trace of the metal could be detected. It was obvious, therefore, that if mercury was in the act of being eliminated at all by the kidneys, it could only be in infini- tesimal quantity. After death the brain, liver, and kidney, were examined. Six ounces of each organ were dried, and one half of the dried residue was digested in one part of pure hydrochloric acid and four parts of water until the organic substance was entirely broken up, and a thin liquid was obtained in each case. This was concentrated by evaporation, and, while slightly warm, a pile formed of a slip of thin gold-foil, twisted round a slip of zinc-foil, was suspended in each of the acid mixtures properly diluted, and allowed to remain immersed for twentv-four hours. In the acid liquid from the kidney, the gold had by this time acquired a slight white tarnish, while the zinc had become dis- solved. The gold-foil was washed, dried, and heated in a reduction-tube, and a well-marked sublimate of globules of mercury was obtained. These were visible by the aid of a lens, and still more perfectly under a low power of the microscope. The gold which was suspended in the acid liquids of the brain and liver received no deposits, and, on being heated, it yielded no sublimate of mercury. About a quarter of a square inch of fine copper gauze was now introduced into the acid liquids ob- tained from the three organs; the liquids were gently heated, and the copper allowed to remain in contact forty-eight, hours. At the end of this time, the copper from the liquid of the kidney