How were arsenic compounds used to preserve animal hides?

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A labeled diagram of the periodic table entry for arsenic, showing its atomic number 33, symbol As, atomic weight 74.921595, electron configuration, and classification as an other nonmetal. Additional icons indicate arsenic is solid at room temperature, has a rhombohedral crystal structure, and weakly acidic oxides. — arsenic Properties of arsenic.

Arsenious oxide (As₄O₆), commonly known as white arsenic, was utilized as a preservative for animal hides. It served as a starting material for the production of various other arsenic compounds and was valued for its preservative properties in this industrial application.1