47
314
During the examination of the Polyxene ores, recently discovered by me in Hongkong, (the Platinum Group) I noticed the behaviour of osmium with nitric acid, which I believe furnishes the key to much of the early, and later, sickness in the Colony, such as I have good reason to believe caused:-
1. The abandonment by the Naval Authorities of the site called Navy Bay, at West Point, their first depot,
2. The abandonment of the European Settlements at Wong-nei-chong and Morrison Hill,
3. The great sickness consequent on cutting Wanchai Gap road, leading to Happy Valley.
4. The abandonment of Sai-wan, and afterwards Stanley, as Military cantonments.
5. The sickness of troops sent to the Military Sanatorium at Magazine Gap, where the top was peeled off a hill, and the building placed in the middle, leaving a large area of disintegrated rock round it.
6. The abandonment of Pok-fu-lam as a suburban place of residence in 1862-3.
I consider the disintegration of rocks largely due to the presence of osmium. Hills, formerly covered with forest growth, produced, with their quota of decaying vegetable matter, during a long period of history, ammonia and nitrates. The chemical affinity of nitre for osmium gradually produced effects of disintegration in rocks impregnated with platinum metals, to a depth sometimes, in Hongkong and vicinity, of thirty feet. This disintegrated rock, on being cut into, was ready, when acted upon by hot rays of the sun, at once to produce the poisonous vapour of osmic tetroxide. Once started, the discharge went on day and night for some time,
It has been said that opium was first introduced into China (Tonquin) by Arab Merchants, and used by Chinese as a prophylactic against malarious fever. When burnt it throws off what is known as an "animal" smell, and the process of distillation called smoking, no doubt yields ammonia, amongst other things. Ammonia was formerly obtained by distilling such animal matters as bones, skins, horn &c., and I was struck with the fact told me when travelling in Kwong Tung, in answer to my enquiry why there was no export of hides from the North river districts, as is done in the Yangtze valley, - that these hides &c., had better value for making into factitious opium, which was smoked after mixture with a proportion of genuine.
In metallurgy, during the process of refining platinum metals, the osmium is captured by leading tetroxide vapours, which come off, into a vessel containing ammonia. It would thus appear that the antidote for poisonous vapours of osmium tetroxide is ammonia.
Hongkong 10th February, 1909.
J. GRANT SMITH.
47
314
During the examination of the Polyxene ores, recently discovered by me in Hongkong, (the Platinum Group) I noticed the behaviour of osmium with nitric acid, which I believe Ofurnishes the key to much of the early, and later, sickness in the Colony, such as I have good
reason to believe caused:-
1.-The abandonment by the Naval Authorities of the site called Navy Bay, at West
Point, their first depot,
2. The abandonment of the European Settlements at Wong-nei-chong and Morrison Hill, 3.The great sickness consequent on cutting Wanchai Gap road, leading to Happy Valley. 4.--The abandonment of Sai-wan, and afterwards Stanley, as, Military cantonments.
*
5 ---The sickness of troops sent to the Military Sanatorium at Magazine Gap, where the top was peeled off a bill, and the building placed in the middle, leaving a large area of disintegrated rock round it.
6.-The abandonment of Poke-fo-lumn as a suburban place of residence in 1862-3.
I consider the disintegration of rocks largely due to the presence of osmium. Hills, formerly covered with forest growth, produced, with their quota of decaying vegetable matter, during a long period of history, ammonia and nitrates. The chemical affinity of nitre for osmium gradually produced effects of disintegration in rocks impregnated with platinum metals, to a depth sometimes, in Hongkong and vicinity, of thirty feet. This disintegrated rock, ou being cut into, was ready, when acted upon by hot rays of the sun, at once to produce the poisonous vapor of osmic tetroxide.-Once started, the discharge went on day and night for some time,
It has been said that opium was first introduced into China (Tonquin) by Arab Merchants, and used by Chinese as a prophylactic against malarious fever. When burnt it throws off what is known as an "animal" smell, and the process of distillation called smoking, no doubt yields ammonia, amongst other things. Ammonia was formerly obtained by distilling such animal matters as bones,skins, horn &c., and I was struck with the fact told me when travelling in Kwong Tung, in answer to my enquiry why there was no export of hides from the North river districts, as is done in the Yangtze valley,-that these hides &c., had better value for making into factitious opium, which was smoked after mixture with a proportion of genuine.
In metallurgy, during the process of refining platinum metals, the osmium is captured by leading tebroxide vapors, which come off, into a vessel containing ammonia. It would thus appear that the antidote for poisonous vapors of osmium teroxide is ammonia.
Hongkong 10th February, 1909.
J. GRANT SMITH.
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