FiTCHETT.—Phjjsiolocjical Action of Tutin. 297 



At twenty-nine minntes the animal was seized with a general convulsion, 

 the tonic stage lasting thirty seconds. From this point the convulsive 

 movements continued almost without intermission until the end. The 

 clonic spasms were the more in evidence, but every now and then a tonic 

 seizure would arrest the movements for a few seconds. Gradually the 

 movements became more and more feeble, the respiration slow, irregular, 

 and gasping, and finally the animal died in a tonic spasm fifty- one minutes 

 after the injection had been given. In this case the symptoms appeared 

 more gradually, and the cerebrum seemed less affected than in the first 

 cat. The animal was less dazed and stupid, and frequently " miaued " 

 in a plaintive way, especially after the twitching began. The twitching 

 was a marked feature ; it began in a small way, affecting only the eyelids 

 and ears, but the attacks increased in frequency and in severity, and 

 gradually more and more muscles became involved. In the earlier stages, 

 when only the face and neck muscles were afEected, the cat at each attack 

 presented the appearance it might have done had it been held and a rapid 

 series of electric sparks discharged close to its face. Later, when the muscles 

 of the shoulders and fore legs were involved, the twitching caused little 

 springs into the air and down again with the fore part of the body, suggesting 

 the appearance of a puppy pouncing at play. When the twitching had 

 got the length of involving the shoulders, it very soon took the form of a 

 general convulsion, and in this case, once convulsions had set in, the svmp- 

 toms which followed were much the same as seen in the first cat. 



In the next experiment (Exp. 3) the dose was considerably reduced, 

 1-7 mlgm. being injected under the skin of a cat weighing 2-394 kilograms. 

 This is equivalent to 0-75 mlgm. per kilo body-w^eight. Nothing was 

 noticed for half an hour, and in that time the cat looked quite normal. It 

 then began to swallow rather frequently, as if swallowing saliva, and then 

 suddenly got up and defsecated. It then began to breathe rapidly, saliva 

 could be seen dripping from the mouth, and it vomited. It again attempted 

 to empty the bowels, and now looked miserable, and kept up a constant 

 complaint, though if spoken to it would come forward and purr. Twitching 

 of the face did not appear till thirty-five minutes after the injection, and 

 the first convulsion occurred at forty-one minutes. It lay on its side for 

 a few minutes after the convulsion, and then got up and walked about the 

 cage. Its condition now was much improved on what it was before the 

 convulsion occurred. The breathing was easy, salivation seemed to have 

 ceased, and the twitching which had so annoyed and alarmed the animal 

 was not noticed ; but the improvement was not for long. In about a quarter 

 of an hour it began to breathe quickly again, and the twitching returned, 

 and gradually got more and more severe till it culminated in a general con- 

 vulsion at seventy minutes after the injection. This was a most severe 

 tonic spasm, which lasted four minutes and a half by the watch, and during 

 that time the animal w^as not seen or heard to draw a breath. From this 

 onwards convulsions continued with intervals of only a few seconds till 

 death occurred, one hour and forty-nine minutes after the injection. In 

 this cat the cerebrum seemed less affected than was the case with the other 

 two. It continued alive to its surroundings almost to the end, and " miaued " 

 voluntarily five minutes before death. It never rose after the second seizure, 

 though it once or twice attempted to do so, and was thrown down by a 

 convulsion. In the intervals between the attacks, running or swimming 

 movements were noticed. 



In the next animal experimented upon (Exp. 4) the dose was reduced 



