]lj PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Biolog. 



experienced. Repeated the dose. The pulse continued at from eighty to eighty- 

 four till 5 p. m., when it began to rise. At 7 it was ninety-three. After 

 the third dose the narcotic effect was well marked, but was not greater than 

 wSuld have been produced by a grain of opium. The principal feeling was a 

 pleasant lassitude, a desire for quiet, and an indisposition for either mental or 

 physical exertion. 



When the first dose was taken his bowels were slightly loose, and there was 

 some little griping. Both, however, were relieved, and the following morning 

 'he bowels were somewhat constipated. 



Two days after the foregoing experiments he took, at 10 a. m., one ounce of 

 the tincture. Its effect, marked by a decline in the rapidity and force of the 

 pulse, and the feeling of lassitude above mentioned, was experienced in half an 

 '.our. The narcotic was well marked, and was accompanied with headache and 

 slight nausea. The pleasant feelings, experienced with the smaller doses, did 

 not accompany the action of the larger quantity. The pulse remained at from 

 eighty to eighty-five per minute, till about 4 p. m., when the effects began to 

 wear off, although the face was unusually flushed as late as 7 o'clock the same 

 night. 



Upon careful consideration of the foregoing experiments, we are disposed to 

 onclude : 



1. That sassy bark is a feeble narcotic. 



2. That it is nauseant and emetic. 



;;. That it has a marked astringent effect, and that we have seen nothing jus- 

 tifying the belief in the purgative powers ascribed to it by some writers 



II. Pathology. 



Dr. Mitchell related some curious observations made by him, in the course 

 of experiment, as to the effect of sugar in rendering the eyes of frogs cataractous. 



When a solution of sugar is injected into the stomach of a frog, or thrown 

 into the subcuticular cellular tissue of the animal, it becomes torpid and dies. 

 In these cases the eye was observed by Dr. M. to present a cataractous appear- 

 ance. On extracting the lens, the white appearance was found extending into it 

 more or less deeply, as the death had been more or less slow. When the eye 

 was allowed to macerate in water, the appearance of the lens changed and the 

 opacity disappeared. 



September* 

 I. Anatomy. 



Dr. Schmidt read a communication containing an abstract of the most im- 

 portant points of his researches on the minute anatomy of the human liver. 

 He said : 



During the last 18 months, the greater part of my time has been devoted to 

 the investigation of the microscopic anatomy of the liver. The results of that 

 portion of these investigations which had reference to the minute anatomy of 

 the hepatic lobule, I published in the last January number of the Amer. Journal 

 of Med. Sciences. Continuing my researches, I directed them especially to the 

 general construction of the human liver. Besides having found further evi- 

 dences of the correctness of my observations in reference to the commence 

 ment of the hepatic ducts, I have discovered other interesting facts relating to 

 the liver. These facts, although complicating our idea of the construction of 

 the liver, nevertheless will explain certain phenomena which have been no- 

 ticed long ago by various observers. 



* No meetings were held during the months of July and August. 



[Sept. 



