240 Mr. Pereira on the Physiological Effects 



the whole of it. The animal had been kept twenty-four hours 

 without food, except that just before the experiment it eat a small 

 piece of cabbage leaf very voraciously. After the extract had been 

 put into his mouth, he made no attempt to eat a piece of cabbage 

 leaf which was placed before him, although he approached it as if 

 for the purpose of doing so. The only effect that we observed to 

 be produced by the poison, was continued chewing as if the animal 

 was ruminating, and which lasted for about an hour. 



Remarks.' — Although I anticipated that a comparatively slight 

 effect only would be produced when the poison was introduced into 

 the stomach, yet I was surprized to find no remote effect whatever 

 (at least as far as we could judge) produced. 



Exp. 6. — Two grains and a half of the spirituous extract, soft- 

 ened by two or three drops of rectified spirit, were placed in a 

 small brass stop-cock tube, inserted into the jugular vein of a strong 

 and good-sized dog. To this tube was afterwards attached a small 

 syringe containing tepid water, so that by pressing on the piston 

 rod, the water would be expelled, and passing into the tube, would 

 drive the extract before it into the vein. The greatest precautions 

 were taken to prevent the introduction of air. That part of the 

 tube below the stop-cock, and which was within the vein, had been 

 filled with water previous to its introduction into the vessel. That 

 part of the tube above the stop-cock was filled by the softened ex- 

 tract, and the nozzle of the syringe. All the persons present were 

 satisfied that no air was introduced into the vein. All the fluid 

 (including the softened extract of the tepid water) thrown into the 

 vein, did not exceed two drachms. Immediately after the injec- 

 tion the animal began to struggle violently. In one minute violent 

 convulsions came on ; the respiration became difficult ; and the 

 contents of the bladder and rectum were evacuated. In three mi- 

 nutes the animal was dead. 



Dissection imviediately after Death. — The jugular vein was dis- 

 sected down to its junction with the subclavian. On puncturing 

 it, a whitish-looking fluid mixed with blood escaped, followed by a 

 clot of blood. The right side of the heart was distended with 

 blood : the left quite empty. The inferior and superior venae cavae, 

 and the pulmonary artery, were also distended. The blood was 

 partially coagulated. The muscles of the chest quivered under the 

 dissecting knife. The lungs were of a florid red colour. 



Remarks. — The whitish-looking fluid found in the lower part of 

 the jugular vein, was evidently formed by the mixture of the spi- 

 rituous extract with the water of the syringe and the blood. That 

 the symptoms and death of the animal arose from the peculiar ac- 

 tion of the poison, I think can hardly be doubted. Yet there are 

 three circumstances which may be brought forward against this in- 

 ference. ] . The possible introduction of air ; 2. The small quan- 

 tity of spirit mixed with the extract ; 3. The water thrown into 



