By DR. T.L. PHIPSON.
Some time ago, Dr. Napias, of Paris, who devotes much of his time to
matters connected with hygiene, took up the subject of the hygiene of
the photographer, and published in the _Moniteur de la Photographie_ a
series of papers which were afterward translated into English and
published by Messrs. Piper & Carter, of London. In them the worthy
author has considered the action on the economy of the various
poisonous substances which pass daily through the hands of our
readers, and the best means of counteracting their influence.
Since then--in fact, quite recently--attention has been called in the
medical journals to certain properties of pyrogallic acid which were
perfectly unknown, and show that this substance, even when applied
externally, may act as a violent poison causing death by its great
affinity for oxygen. I published a short note upon the subject in the
_Journal of Medicine_, etc., for April last, and it may perhaps be
useful to reproduce the facts here. Physicians who were unacquainted
with this energetic deoxidizing property of pyrogallic acid have
proposed it as a substitute for chrysophanic acid in the treatment of
skin diseases; but Dr. Neisser has made known a case of poisoning by
an ointment of pyrogallic acid, which at once shows that considerable
danger attends its use for this purpose. A man of strong constitution
was admitted into one of the wards of the Breslau Hospital to be
treated for general psoriasis. He appears to have been submitted to a
kind of experimental treatment in order to test the curative
properties of pyrogallic acid as compared with chrysarobine. He was
treated by friction with chrysarobine (in the form of a pomade of
alcoholic extract of rhubarb, containing one-twentieth) on the
one-half of the body, while the other half was treated in the same
manner by a pomade containing ten per cent. of pyrogallic acid. Six
hours after the application the patient had violent shivering with
vomiting and intense collapsus. Death occurred on the fourth day.
Experiments were at once undertaken on rabbits, and proved that this
catastrophe was due entirely to the pyrogallic acid pomade, and that
the chrysarobine was innocuous. In some instances the rabbit died
within two hours. It was also found that in the case of the patient in
the Breslau Hospital the pyrogallic acid had acted by its extreme
avidity for oxygen when in contact with alkaline fluids. The blood had
been affected, and the red corpuscles were destroyed and turned brown.
Very little urine was voided, but it presented a most extraordinary
character, being dark brown and very thick; it contained no blood
corpuscles, but a considerable amount of hæmoglobine (the coloring
matter of the corpuscles), which was recognized by the absorption
bands it gave in the spectroscope. The kidneys were uniformly bluish
black. The blood had a dirty brownish red tint, and contained an
abundance of _detritus_ of red corpuscles.
This case points out once more that photographers cannot use too much
prudence in dealing with chemical products which are in daily use by
them, and the noxious properties of which, they are apt to
forget.--_Photo News._
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