NITRIC ACID. This is even more frequently used by suicides than the sulphuric, and has also been often taken accidentally so as to produce death. From its large use in many arts, it is often at hand, and too easily obtained for either of these purposes.
Its effects on the animal economy are extremely vio lent. The symptoms are burning heat in the throat and stomach, with violent eructations, nausea, and hiccup, pains in the throat and epigust•ium, vomiting, diarrhoea, tension and pain of the abdomen, and most other of those symptoms which attend the metallic poisons. The mouth and tongue are of a pale white or yellowish colour, and sloughs come away from them. It appears that the pains arc most severe when the dose has been least : when very large, immediate destruction of all the sensible parts is the consequence. The vomiting is most violent when the pains are greatest.
When death is not immediate, it sometimes occurs at many days' or weeks' interval ; and the parts then slough away before the patient dies. Sometimes the patients
continue to live, but in extreme ill health, and subject to pains and burning heats.
The appearances after death are the yellow colour of the parts affected, the teeth loosened, with inflammation, sloughing or gangrene, and perforations of the alimentary canal.
Treatment of the patient. Pure magnesia, diffused in water, ought to be administered immediately in consider able doses, and the vomiting is to be encouraged by mu cilaginous drinks. If magnesia is not at hand, soap dis solved in water may be used. Oil has also been ft:hind useful, if given in large quantities. If the poison has been taken in small quantities, or has had time to act on the parts, the emollient method is alone of use ; and the antiphlogistic practice is to be adopted wherever the symptoms require it.