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444 METALS—THE NOBLER.
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leaden
coffin ; but the noxious custom of putting the dead in leaden cases,
liable to bulge out because of the lethal gases generated within, and
then to burst, thus throwing out into the church above these deadly
gases, has now been abolished; except, that is, in rare instances, when
embalmed royalty, or the mortal remains of some great man, become
consigned to a last resting-place in Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's
Cathedral, or the Chapel Royal at Windsor.
Sweetmeats
which are suspected to contain Lead as their colouring pigment may be
subjected to a glowing heat together with charcoal, in the bowl of a
tobacco pipe; when, after a time, the metallic Lead will finally become
apparent, either in minute globules diffused through the small lump of
charcoal, or collected in a larger quantity at the bottom of the bowl.
Animal
albumen is sometimes found to contain a certain small amount of
sulphur; (the presence of which may be readily shown by dissolving, for
instance, some white of egg in a solution of caustic potash, and adding
some Acetate of Lead also in solution, continuing to do this as long as
the precipitate which is seen to form becomes soon redissolved. Then on
boiling the clear solution, it will instantly become black by the
separation of Sulphuret of Lead, thereby disclosing unmistakably the
presence of free sulphur.) Seeing that the human hair is intimately
allied to albumen in its composition, and likewise is known to contain
free sulphur, for this reason leaden combs are frequently used to
darken the colour of the hair ; and likewise a hair-dye composed of
Litharge (red Lead) and cream of lime has been employed for changing
red hair to a black hue.
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