Swallowed glass. Glass and enamel, both in fragments and in powder, have occasionally been swallowed, with different results. These bodies are insoluble in the fluids of the body, and, consequently, any injurious action they may exert upon the system whilst they are retained in it must entirely depend upon mechanical attrition or irritation. As treatment, we must administer an emetic, and assist its action by thick mucilaginous liquids, and afterwards have recourse to antiphlogistics, if necessary.
Anal.—a. A portion of the sample for examination is heated to dull redness, and then suddenly thrown, whilst still hot, into a vessel of cold water. It is next dried, and reduced to fine powder in an agate or hardened-steel mortar.
b. 100 gr. of the prepared powder is thoroughly mixed with 200 gr. of pure potassic hydrate, and the whole is exposed to heat in a silver or platinum crucible or capsule until perfect fusion takes place; when cold, the crucible and its contents are boiled in about half a pint of distilled water; nitric acid is added to the resulting solution, in excess, and the mixture, together with any sediment, is evaporated to dryness, after which the heat is gradually increased to 400° or 500° Fahr.; the dry residuum is next reduced to powder, and digested in water acidulated with nitric acid, until exhausted of soluble matter; the insoluble portion is then carefully dried, gently ignited and weighed. The weight in grains represents the per-centage of silica in the sample examined.
c. The mixed liquid and washings of b is next acidulated with nitric acid, and treated to a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen, which, if it produces a precipitate, is continued for some time; the precipitate is collected on a very small filter, washed, and dried; the filter with the precipitate next placed in a beaker glass, and strong fuming nitric acid is cautiously added, drop by drop, until complete solution takes place; after boiling the solution for a few minutes, diluting with distilled water, and allowing it to cool, it is precipitated with sulphuric acid, in excess; this precipitate (sulphate of lead) is washed, dried, slightly ignited in a porcelain crucible, and weighed. The weight in grains, multiplied by ·7369, gives the per-centage of oxide of lead or litharge.
d. The filtered liquid from c is evaporated to dryness, and redissolved in water acidulated with hydrochloric acid, and treated with a solution of ammonium chloride, and afterwards with ammonia, in excess; the precipitate (alumina and oxide of iron) is collected, washed, and boiled in a solution of potassium hydrate; the undissolved portion is collected on a filter, washed with boiling water, ignited, and weighed. This gives the per-centage of peroxide of iron.
e. The liquid filtered from the oxide of iron holds the alumina (if any) in solution; a solution
of carbonate of ammonium is dropped in; the resulting precipitate is washed, dried, ignited, and weighed. This gives the per-centage of alumina.
f. The filtrate from the alumina and oxide of iron (see d), after being evaporated to dryness, is redissolved in a large quantity of distilled water, and is treated with a solution of oxalic acid (a solution of oxalate of ammonium is preferable when no baryta is present); the precipitate is washed, dried, gently ignited, and weighed. The weight of the resulting carbonate of calcium, in grains, multiplied by ·56292, gives the per-centage of lime required.
g. The filtrate from f is now mixed with carbonate of potassium, in considerable excess, and boiled for a long time; the resulting precipitate (if any) is then collected on a filter, slightly washed with hot water, dried, and exposed to a full red heat for some time (say 2 hours); the residuum of the calcination is then weighed. This furnishes the per-centage value of the sample in magnesia.
h. The filtrate from f is treated with dilute sulphuric acid or the solution of a sulphate, as long as a precipitate falls; the precipitate (sulphate of barytum,) is washed, dried, gently ignited, and weighed. The weight, in grains, multiplied by ·6589, gives the per-centage of baryta in the sample.