This acid has been so frequently swallowed in France, for the purpose of committing suicide, that it has enabled the pathologists of that country to afford a very satisfactory account of its operation, and effects. To _M. Tartra_ we are particularly indebted for a very full and interesting investigation of the subject, and we shall avail ourselves upon the present occasion, of the many facts and observations with which his treatise[323] abounds. In describing the symptoms occasioned by the ingestion of this acid, _M. Tartra_ establishes four different gradations, viz. 1. When the death is speedy, for it is never sudden, it commonly takes place from the _primary_ effects in about twenty-four hours, varying from six to forty-eight hours. 2. When it proves fatal from its _secondary_ effects, at different intervals, from fifteen days to several years. 3. When death does not take place, but the recovery is imperfect. 4. When a perfect cure is sooner or later obtained. The first case is illustrated by the following example, which will serve to convey a very just idea of the progress and intensity of the symptoms. “A man, driven by distress to commit suicide, under the greatest agitation of mind, and upon an empty stomach, swallowed, at a draught, two ounces of concentrated nitric acid. Instantly he was seized with the most excruciating pains and agitation, and could not lie in bed, but rolled himself upon the floor. Vomiting came on, accompanied by a general sensation of coldness, especially in the extremities. Every time he vomited, the matter effervesced upon the pavement. A solution of soap and oil was administered to him, and in two hours he was brought to the hospital, often having vomited, and stopped on the road to drink. On his arrival, he had emollient drinks, especially linseed tea, in great abundance. He was in continual agitation, and his countenance was greatly altered. He now vomited every instant a blackish glairy matter; he opened his mouth easily, and his tongue was white, with a tinge of yellow; he complained of acute pains in his mouth, along the œsophagus, and in his stomach. His belly, slightly tense, could not bear the slightest pressure, without great torment. The surface of the body was cold; the pulse small and frequent; he had hiccup, and the respiration was laborious.