THE ANALYST. 31 1 POISONOUS ICE CREAMS. A LETTEB, dated from the vague address '' Belgravia," has appeared in the Times, calling attection to certain alleged cases of poisoning by ice creams. Unfortunately the letter, like moat of its class, indulges in generalities such as '' poisoning by some metallic irritant," and talkfj about the poisonous nature of the coloura used, but the one specific step which the writer might have taken, namely, to submit a sample to the public analyst, has of course, been omitted, hence we are not likely to know what the metallic poison was.It seems well to point out t o public analysts that there are two possible ways in which metallic poisons may be introduced into ices. It is well known that a good many samples of magenta do contain arsenic, and magenta is certainly used in some cases for colouring ices ; here then is a possible, though we think improbable, source of metallic poisoning.Again, the metal of which the freezing cans are made is often of very bad quality, and when acid i R used to give the tartness of flavour, which is desired in some ices, it is quite possible that some lead, and perhaps some antimony also may be dissolved.The danger from this source is certainly greater than from the one previously mentioned. It is, however, much more probable that any injurious effects which have been produced, are due either to the indiscriminate use of ices by children when heated by over exertion, or surfeited with a quantity of indigestible food, or to the use of decaying fruit in the making of the ices.Analysis could do nothing in either case, for even microscopical examination would fail to detect damaged strawberries after they had been smashed and semi-frozen. No doubt samples will soon be purchased and submitted for analysis, and we have therefore pointed out what in our opinion are the points to which examination should be directed. A correspondent writes to the Tifitea to point out the dangers of poisonous ice creams, He says (6 that these tempting delicacies are not harmless, two cases lately under my observation prove.In one case, the L L patient, a child about seven yeare of age, was seized with alarming symptoms of poisoning by some '( metallic irritaut, which at one time threatened to prove fatal. In the other case also, a child, similar '' symptoms manifested themselves, though of a milder type.In both cases the cause was the subject of a '' searching investigation, and waa ultimately clearly traced to the children having partaken of cdoured ices '' at a street barrow. The colours represented in these ices are usually red, pink, yellew, and green, and in '' some instances blue. How the various colours are imparted to the article, sold at so low a price, and 6' usually consisting of a maximum of ice with a minimum of what in the East-end is called oream, is a '' secret possessed probably only by the manufacturer himself, Whatever its nature may be, the abore 6' ilistances show that not ordly is it not harmless, but in some cases absolutely poisonous."