Fig. 37.
The same individual may also show variations in susceptibility and this has also been studied by Marshall.
“The effect of exercise and sweating was investigated. A number of individuals were given vapor burns (one to five minutes exposure) and then exercised until in a profuse sweat, and then the same exposure to vapors made. In all cases the burn produced after exercising was more severe. Sweating produced by having the subjects place their feet in hot water, produced the same increase in susceptibility. That the moisture on the skin produced by sweating is at least partly, if not entirely, responsible for the increased susceptibility, was shown in the following way: An area of the forearm was kept moist for a few minutes with wet cotton. The sponge was then removed and two vapor tests made, one over the moist area and one over normal, dry skin. In all cases the moist burn was the more severe, in one, producing a blister where the control did not.
“The skin of different areas of the body is undoubtedly somewhat different in its susceptibility. All our tests have been applied to the forearm. The hands are considerably more resistant than the forearm. Tests made by the oil method on the forearm, chest, and back, however, indicate very little difference in susceptibility of these areas. The skin in the neighborhood of old burns has been shown to be more susceptible.
“In general, the same individual does not become more susceptible to skin burns from continued exposure to the vapor. The great number of tests which have been made on the same individual at different times and under the same conditions, indicate a remarkable constancy in reaction. A series of men who were tested at various times during a period of four months, revealed slight changes from time to time in some of the men. No man who originally reacted to only the 1 per cent solution ever reacted to the 0.01, and likewise, no man who originally reacted to the 0.01 ever failed to react to the 0.1 per cent.
“Susceptibility of skin of animals. The paraffin oil test was used on a number of animals and indicated that differences in susceptibility exist in different species and in different individuals of the same species.”
| Species | Number Tested | Percentage Positive to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Per Cent | 0.1 Per Cent | 0.01 Per Cent | ||
| Horse | 1 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Dog | 91 | 83 | 35 | 0 |
| Goat | 11 | 55 | 36 | 0 |
| Rat | 10 | 30 | 20 | 0 |
| Mouse | 7 | 70 | 14 | 0 |
| Rabbit | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Guinea-pig | 12 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| Monkey | 9 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
The horse appears to be the most sensitive and the monkey and guinea-pig the most resistant species, while the dog would seem to have a sensitivity as near man as any of the species studied. No animal has yet been found which will give a blister from the application of mustard gas.
Smith, Clowes and Marshall[22] have studied the mechanism of absorption by the skin. They find that it is quite evident that the mustard gas is at first rapidly taken up by some element on, or adjacent to, the surface of the skin and for two to three minutes it may be completely removed, and for ten to fifteen minutes partially removed by prolonged washing With an organic solvent, and to a lesser extent with soap and water.