Toxic Shoes Hospitalize U-M Students

The dyed shoes looked so nice and new. But when several U-M students put them on before heading to class, things turned dark.

Or rather, blue. The students looked on in horror as their skin acquired a bluish tinge, one sign of cyanosis. Meanwhile, their feet burned with a red rash. Several students suffered to some degree.

Sophomore dental student George Stanford went to the hospital and required a blood transfusion to save his life.

The culprit was "nitro benzole," which is highly toxic and easily absorbed by the skin.

Stocks of the dye were confiscated around Ann Arbor.

--April 10 1924 Ypsilanti Record