Virulence of Lead Poison. -- in the celebrated case of the accidental poisoning of the ex-royal family of France, a Claremont, by lead which was taken up in the drinking water, the amount was found not to exceed one grain of metal to the gallon of water. From cases which have since been observed, it would appear that the habitual use of water containing 1/10 or even 1/20 of a grain per gallon, is sometimes attended with danger. In his investigation into the cause of that curious disease, as it was formerly considered, the Devonshire colic, Sir George Baker, who discovered that it was only a form of lead poisoning due to the drinking of cider fermented in lead lined vats and troughs, found that 18 bottles of cider he examined contained four and a half grains of lead, or a quarter of a grain to each bottle.
The poisoning of the French aristocracy may not have originated in France. Some researches believe that lead lined vats may have played a contributing role in the decline of the Roman empire.
Well-to-do Romans painted their walls a rich Pompeian red, which owed its color to a salt of lead or mercury. Lead was used for water pipes, cups, toys, statues, cosmetics, coffins, and roofs, but the most significant source may have been the wine of the wealthy class.
S. Columba Gilfillan proposed a theory for Roman decay in 1965 that involved "poisons esteemed as delicious by the ancient well-to-do." Spoilage was a problem in ancient Rome, and vintners discovered that wine tasted better and lasted longer if it was mixed with a concentrated grape syrup called sapa.
Some enterprising Roman probably started up a nice home business making wine ‘taste better’ and in so doing brought about the wasting of the upper class and the possible downfall of Rome as a whole.
Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:
- VIEW OF THE LARGE BLOOD-VESSELS, SPLEEN, KIDNEYS AND BLADDER
Blood Vessels of the Body.–The blood-vessels of the human body consists of heart, arteries, veins and capillaries. the heart and its wonders we have already referred to. In this magnificent chart we are enabled to form some idea of the larger blood-vessels. We see the main arterial tube of the body — the aorta — from a point where it unites with the arch of the aorta; and in its dissent downward along the spinal column it gives off numerous branches.
The Arteries.–opposite the fourth lumbar vertebra is seen to split in two, and these divisions are called, from their position, the right and left iliac arteries. These are seen to divide again into the internal and external iliac arteries, the former of which is distributed to the walls and this are contained in the pelvis, then proceeding to the lower limbs after sending two important branches to the abdominal walls. The arch of the aorta gives off the innominate artery, which divides and to the right carotid and right subclavian arteries; the left carotid and left subclavian spring direct from the arch of the aorta. Each carotid artery divides into the external and internal carotid arteries, the former being distributed to the external parts of the face and head; the latter supplies the brain and internal parts of the cranium. The subclavian arteries supply the upper extremities with blood.
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These sections are fairly descriptive and provide an apt description of these initial areas covered. The word innominate did throw me for a loop and I had to go look it up on Wikipedia.
As a processing point for this blog, I’m going to attempt to speed up my coverage of the book. So for things to be going a little too slow for my own tastes and I don’t want to grow stale on the topic. I hope you’ll bear with me, but this may lead to if you additional incorrect translations of the spellings from the book. I feel the need to get through the book and I suspect I will be making additional passes back to the book at later dates. If you come across anything that just doesn’t make sense and I haven’t covered already please feel free to leave a comment, I’ll reference again in the book and determine if I’ve made in an accurate translation or if it’s just a peculiar topic as it’s covered in the book itself.
I don’t expect any extreme mistakes or extra peculiar things to come up such as substituting strange words into context in the book are ascribing people wearing an animal costume or who knows what, but I am using Dragon NaturallySpeaking to translate the book and the software does upon occasion make some strange substitutions and words.
- Goitre in Switzerland
Goitre in Switzerland. — Dr. Coindet, a Geneva Switzerland, asserts that Goitre is speedily produced in persons who drink the hard pump water in the lower parts of that town, whilst in other parts of Switzerland the use of spring water has been followed by the development of augmentation of Goitre in a very few days. In India also it has been shown conclusively to prevail, to any marked extent, only where the magnesium limestone rocks underlie the soil; but whether it is the line and magnesium salts or whether, as has been suggested, it is the presence of sulfide of iron and the bedrock formation, which is the direct cause of the development of Goitre, has not yet been positively determined. It appears certain however, that Goitre is originated by some water and purity, and that this contamination is of an inorganic and not of an animal or vegetable nature.
So it would appear, that English not the only ones that were hung up on this magnesium and salt issue causing Goitre. They were frankly barking up the wrong tree, and here is yet another reference to an unknown Doctor. For my new and make it to the fitness section of this book, it’s not follow any of the prescriptions for fitness nor consider constructing any of the fitness equipment. They couldn’t even figure out table salt after all. Our poor ancestors…
- Cause for Bright’s Disease
Cause for Bright’s Disease. — it has long seemed probable that the increasing prevalence of that terribly fatal malady, "Bright’s disease," especially in cities and large towns, maybe due to the poisonous effects of exceeding minute quantities of lead, dissolved from the lead pipes so generally employed as service conduits, notwithstanding the protective coating, which usually forms so promptly upon them.
In the year 2008, this paragraph would seem like something rather obvious. But it is remarkable to look back in time and see how people consider the potential for this problem to exist, before science had proven it out. We sometimes forget that our knowledge is built on many many different precursors and actions that were taken before we came to be. Humanity learns its lessons from the people that come before it and the actions that they take. Sometimes they learn those lessons quickly, and sometimes they learned those lessons very slowly, whether they are trying to understand lead poisoning or come up with better egg nog recipes. This is one of the reasons why history is so important for us to study, not only do we get to learn some of the items from the past to avoid making the same mistakes, we get to learn how people in the past recognize the problem and dealt with it so that we can recognize and deal with new problems today.
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