Water absorbs the gas with avidity, 100 volumes of water absorbing 48,000 volumes of the gas, and becoming 142 volumes. The solution has all the properties of strong hydrochloric acid, specific gravity 1·21. The dilute hydrochloric acid of the Pharmacopœia should have a specific gravity of 1·052, and be equivalent to 10·58 per cent. of HCl.
§ 69. Statistics of Poisoning by Hydrochloric Acid.—The following tables give the deaths, with age and sex distribution, due to hydrochloric acid for ten years (1883-92):—
DEATHS FROM HYDROCHLORIC ACID IN ENGLAND AND WALES DURING THE TEN YEARS ENDING 1892.
| Accident or Negligence. | |||||||
| Ages, | Under 1 | 1-5 | 5-15 | 15-25 | 25-65 | 65 and above | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males, | 1 | 16 | 2 | ... | 26 | 3 | 48 |
| Females, | ... | 8 | ... | ... | 9 | 1 | 18 |
| Totals, | 1 | 24 | 2 | ... | 35 | 4 | 66 |
| Suicide. | |||||||
| Ages, | 5-15 | 15-25 | 25-65 | 65 and above | Total | ||
| Males, | ... | 2 | 73 | 8 | 83 | ||
| Females, | 1 | 8 | 42 | 65 | 116 | ||
| Totals, | 1 | 10 | 115 | 73 | 199 | ||
In 1889 a solitary case of the murder of a child is on record from hydrochloric acid; hence, with that addition, the total deaths from hydrochloric acid amount to 266 in the ten years, or about 26 a year.
§ 70. Fatal Dose.—The dose which destroys life is not known with any accuracy. In two cases, adults have been killed by 14 grms. (half an ounce) of the commercial acid; but, on the other hand, recovery is recorded when more than double this quantity has been taken. A girl, fifteen years of age, died from drinking a teaspoonful of the acid.[85]
[85] Brit. Med. Journ., March, 1871.