HOME CURES FOR POISONS.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1639, 6 January 1883, Page 6

HOME CURES FOR POISONS.

|T^ cUBe^|j"cop]per;ye^lB\'for^re^ c U8e^|j"cop]per;ye^l8\'for^re^ (lia^led to many cases of p.oisqiuQg,' tntvugfeiy

carefully cleaned, and foMhvhieh bji|been cooked in them' is hot allo ; wed.^o6lnd in them till cooled, they may bo iS*ed safely enough. This, however, ought not to be left to ther care of servants, who, not taking scientific views of such matters, find it difficult to understand how the utensil, which. was clean when food put into it to be cooked, may be (qhemi&ally) unclean when the food is taken out of it. To this must be added, that copper vessels, however clean, are not fit utensils for cooking, or keeping any food of an acid nature. The practice of putting copper coins into pickles, to give them a pretty green colour, used to be considered by some house-keepers of former times, a rather clever thing. This colour was derived from the verdigris (or subacetate of copper), formed by the combination of acetic acid and the oxide of copper — and it is hardly necessary to say that verdigris is a poison ; but the v green of the pickles was very pleasant to look at; Probably, now that copper coins are scarce, the practice of adding copper in this cheerful manner, to poison our pickles, is not so common as it used to be. It should be added, that tinning the interior of -coppers, is ' only a protection so long as the tinning remains entire. Arseniate of copper (Scheele's green, or mineral green), is formed from the combination of arsenious acid with oxide of copper. Sulphate of copper (blue vitriol, blue copperas, or blue-stone) is made in large quantities for dyeing and colouring purposes. It is not very likely to be taken by accident, as it has 'a most unpleasant metallic taste.

SYMPTOMS. The symptoms of poisoning by any of the salts of copper are vomiting, violent colic, convulsive movement of head, metallic taste in the mouth, pains in the thighs, leg, cramps, laboured breathing, followed by lethargy. But sometimes lethargy and partial insensiblity are among the first symptoms noted, the symptoms of irritation coming later. Yellowness of the skin, as in jaundice, is a characteristic feature of poisoning by copper, at least so far as metallic poisons are concerned. In some cases, slow poisoning by copper occurs, where copper vessels, for instance, are used daily with insufficient precautions. In these cases death often follows, and it is then found, in post-mortem examination, that copper has accumulated in the liver. HOME BEMEDIES. In cases of copper poisoning, the vomiting caused by the poison should be encouraged by copious draughts of tepid water, in which much sugar has been dissolved. Afterwards whites of eggs dissolved in water, six to the half-pint, should be freely administered. Milk or wheat flour may be put in the water if there are no eggs in the house. Sugar may bo added to whatever draughts are thus taken, and everything acid, especially vinegar, is to be- avoided. The time between sending for a Doctor (which should be done at once) and awaiting his arrival, can hardly be better employed than in following the above instructions.