G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 237 



PECULIAR EFFECTS OF CURARE POISON. 



In the course of some late experiments by Glase upon the 

 effects of administering small quantities of curare in succes- 

 sive injections, it was ascertained that the animal becomes at 

 each injection more and more sensitive to the poison, and 

 finally reaches a state in which an extremely small quantity 

 produces immediate convulsions, and even death. The injec- 

 tions may be intermitted for days, and yet the animal remain 

 as sensitive as before. The author believes that the system 

 becomes adapted to* the poison in such a way as to absorb it 

 more rapidly, and that an actual change in some of the nerv- 

 ous centres occurs. This can not be considered as a case of 

 so-called cumulative poisoning, since the animal remains per- 

 fectly healthy between the doses. 12 A, Sept. 21, 1871,403. 



REFRIGERATION OF WARM-BLOODED ANIMALS. 



In a series of experiments upon the refrigeration of warm- 

 blooded animals by Dr. Horvath, a young dog was cooled to 

 such a degree that the temperature in the rectum descended 

 to 40 Fahrenheit ; yet the animal, on the application of heat, 

 revived, perfectly uninjured. 



In another experiment, where the same region in a rabbit 

 indicated 45, and in a cat 49, neither the action of the heat 

 nor of the respiratory movement could be perceived. On the 

 restoration of warmth by pouring warm water over these an- 

 imals (which had remained for an hour in a state of appa- 

 rent death), spontaneous contractions of the heart, which had 

 ceased for an hour, were observed.' The electrical current ap- 

 plied directly to the muscles induced energetic contractions 

 in the same muscles which, before the warmth was applied, 

 were insensible to the strongest electrical action. Another 

 interesting and important fact was, that in an animal which 

 was first refrigerated and then warmed, it was not possible 

 to excite the action of the muscles of the skeleton by even 

 the strongest electrical stimulus when applied to its nerves, 

 while the same muscles, on the direct application of the cur- 

 rent, contracted energetically. The fact that we can sepa- 

 rate nervous and muscular energy from each other by this 

 agency, which hitherto it has only been possible to do by the 

 employment of curare, promises to be of good service in fu- 



