The
laboratory report compiled for Colonel
O'Callaghan in February 1895 by Walter
Thorp attributes the cause of death in
the case of the particular bullock under
examination to be due to arsenic poisoning.
[page
2]
2 ½ lbs avoird of the contents of the stomach were
extracted with hydrochloric acid and the usual methods
employed for the removal of organic matter.
The liquid extract was treated with washed
sulphuretted hydrogen gas (perfectly free from arsenic
and prepared from pure materials) for 12 hours and
the precipitate collected and purified from organic
matter. The residue after purification was dissolved
in hydrochloric acid and treated with sulphuretted
hydrogen. The precipitate was then filtered, washed,
and treated with ammonium carbonate solution
which dissolved out the sulphide of arsenic. On
adding hydrochloric acid to the ammonium carbonate
extract sulphide of arsenic was again precipitated
and was collected and weighed in the usual way.
It was found to weigh 0.77 grain equal to
0.62 grain oxide of arsenic.
The sulphide when heated in a narrow tube gave
a white sublimate of oxide of arsenic.
The total amount of food in the stomach cannot have
been less than 60 lbs and assuming the poison to
have been fairly distributed amongst the mass
there must have been at least 12.4 grains of oxide
of arsenic present in the stomach at death.
All the materials used in this investigation
were specially tested and found free from
arsenic.
W Thorpe
30 3 95