Lead poisoning and lead absorption : $b The symptoms, pathology and prevention, with special reference to their industrial origin, and an account of the principal processes involving riskLegge, Thomas Morison, Sir
Science
Lead poisoning and lead absorption : $b The symptoms, pathology and prevention, with special reference to their industrial origin, and an account of the principal processes involving risk
Legge, Thomas Morison, Sir
Lead poisoning
The experimental work therefore carries us very considerably forward
in correlating the symptomatology and pathology of lead poisoning. The
symptoms produced in susceptible animals by the actual inoculation
of a lead compound differ only in degree and rapidity of onset from
those produced in animals submitted to inhalation with similar
compounds. Feeding, on the other hand--that is, ingestion by way
of the gastro-intestinal canal--even in large quantities, did not
produce poisoning to any great extent, except when some material such
as alcohol was added, thereby breaking down the animal’s resistance.
Another interesting fact is given--that if lead is taken by the mouth
in addition to milk a great deal of the poisonous effect is got rid
of; thus of two animals--Nos. 46 and 47--which received lead nitrate
in their food, the one in water and the other in milk, the one
which received it in milk showed no effects even after four months’
experiment, whereas at the end of four months the animal which was
receiving the compound in its water died. This brings out a point
already insisted upon--namely, that in all lead factories it is highly
important that no work should be undertaken first thing in the morning,
before the workers have had a proper meal, and that in the absence of
a proper meal milk is the best substitute. It is highly probable that
the soluble lead salt becomes united in some form of albuminate which
is dealt with later, and perhaps turned into a sulphide and excreted
without absorption. There is no possible doubt, from the large series
of experiments which I have performed, that lead inhaled is far more
poisonous than when absorbed in any other way; further, that the
amount of poisoning produced differs somewhat according to the type of
compound inhaled, and the experiments, moreover, give some suggestion
as to the dose which is likely to produce poisoning. It is seen, where
the animal is inoculated with white lead, the dose required to produce
symptoms is below 1 gramme per kilogramme of body weight, but above 0·2
gramme per kilogramme of body weight. In feeding, 0·8 gramme, and even
1 gramme, per diem for eighteen months produces no effect, although the
same quantity plus an excess of alcohol rapidly produces the disease.
On the other hand, as small a dose as 0·1 gramme of nitrate of lead
given in water for four months produced death.
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