POISONING BY SILVER.
Toxic doses of silver come mostly from materials used in the arts. The photographer uses chiefly the nitrate, iodide, bromide, cyanide and chloride. Taken into the stomach the silver salts are less poisonous because they are largely precipitated as insoluble chloride or albuminate. The chloride and albuminate are, however, soluble in solutions of alkaline chlorides and hence even they may poison.
Symptoms. Colic, emesis in vomiting animals the vomited matters blackening in the light, diarrhœa, great muscular weakness, paresis, weak clonic spasms, and disturbed respiration. The nervous symptoms are very prominent (Rouget and Curci). Chronic poisoning produces emaciation and fatty degeneration of liver, kidneys and muscles (Bogoslowsky).
Lesions. Patches of congestion and of white corrosion on the buccal œsophageal and gastric mucous membrane, the presence of the curdy white chloride of silver adherent to the gastric mucosa. In chronic cases the visible mucosæ and white skin may have a slaty color.
Treatment. Emetics in vomiting animals. White of egg, common salt largely diluted and followed by milk as antidotal, demulcent and nutritive agent.