ACTION OP POISONS ON THE ANIMAL SYSTEM. 3 1 



Jiour. I never by these means succeeded in restoring the ani- 

 mal to life, although the experiments were made with the 

 greatest care, and in a warm temperature. In some instances, 

 after the artificial respiration had been kept up for some 

 time, there were signs of the functions of the brain being in 

 some degree restored ; but the pulse notwithstanding conti- 

 nued to diminish in strength and frequency, and ultimately 

 ceased. I shall detail one of these experiments,* as it serves to 

 illustrate the double action of this poison on the nervous and 

 vascular systems. 



Experiment 7. Some muriate of barytes was applied to a Ex P- 7 - Actio* 

 ' ... - , , . mi - .i of the muriate 



wound in the side of a rabbit. The usual symptoms took of -j ar tes oa 



place, and at the end of an hour the animal was apparently tbe nervous 



dead • but the heart still continued to contract. He was placed svstelrTilhis- 



in a temperature of 80°, and a tube being introduced into the trated. 



nostril, the lungs were artificially inflated about thirty-six times 



in a minute. 



When the artificial respiration had been maintained for four 

 minutes, he appeared to be recovering ; he breathed voluntarily 

 one hundred times in a minute, and showed signs of sensibi- 

 lity. The artificial respiration was discontinued. The volun- 

 tary respiration continued about nine minutes, when it had 

 ceased, and the animal was again apparently dead ; but the 

 pulse continued strong aud frequent. The lungs were again 

 artificially inflated. At the end of four minutes the animal 

 once more breathed voluntarily one hundred times in a minute, 

 and repeatedly moved his limbs and eyelids. The pulse be- 

 came slower and more feeble. 



In a few minutes the voluntary respiration again ceased, and 

 the artificial respiration was resumed. The pulse had fallen 

 to one hundred, and was feeble. The animal again breathed 

 voluntarily j but he ceased to do so at the end of five minutes. 

 The lungs were inflated as before ; but he did not give any 

 sign of life, nor was the pulse felt afterward. On opening the 

 thorax, his heart was found to have entirely ceased acting. 



A probe having been introduced into the spinal marrow, it 

 was found, that by means of the Voltaic battery powerful con- 

 tractions might be excited, not only of the voluntary muscles, 

 but also of the heart and intestines ; from which it may be iji Keafie | l | c 

 inferred, that the muriate of barytes, like arsenic, affects the it renders the 



circa* 



