326 Transactions. 



From the examination of sections of the cerebrum, meduHa. and cord 

 there is evidence of great congestion of these parts in tiitin poisoning. 

 The central nervous system was examined in several cases after death, and 

 congestion of the membranes was found in all. In one case the grey matter 

 of the cord when seen on section was distinctly reddish. Pieces of cord, 

 medulla, and cerebrum were fixed in 8 per cent, formol. and sections were 

 made and stained by Nissl's method, and also by Muir's eosin and methv- 

 line-blue method. On microscopic examination the Nissl granules showed 

 no obvious change, but there was very evident congestion, shown especially 

 well by Muir's method. The capillaries and small vessels seemed more 

 numerous than normal, because they were rendered visible by being crowded 

 mth red blood-corpuscles. At several places there were collections of cor- 

 puscles, pointing to small extravasations of blood. These changes were 

 present in the grey matter of the cord, medulla, and cerebral cortex. The 

 appearance at once suggested that more or less permanent damage would 

 have resulted had the animal lived. It has been observed in cases of tutu 

 poisoning that sometimes the victim does not completely recover, a per- 

 manent mental alienation remaining as an after-effect. 



Lauder Lindsay (3). in one case of poisoning he records, in which con- 

 vulsions were a prominent symptom, notes that the subject never com- 

 pletely recovered, " there remaining to this day a peculiar form of nervous 

 irritability not observable prior to this toot-poisoning." The present 

 writer has knowledge of another case, although, unfortunately, no authentic 

 details are available, where two children were poisoned by tutu. They were 

 both very seriously ill, and one died. The other recovered, but incom- 

 pletely, mental enfeeblement and a squint remaining as after-effects. 

 Sequelee of these kinds may possibly be explained as resulting from per- 

 manent damage done to the nervous tissue by the extreme congestion and 

 the small haemorrhages which occur in the cerebral cortex as well as through- 

 out the whole grey matter of the central nervoiis system. 



Sympathetic Nervous System. — This was not speciallv examined b} ex- 

 perimental methods, but that the nerve-cells here were also affected was 

 shown by the viscid character of the saliva secreted by cats, by the dilata- 

 tion of the pupil that occurred during convulsions, and by the erection of 

 the hairs of the tail. 



In short, it is probable that tutin affects every kind of nerve-cell ; the 

 fact that the medulla is seen to be specially affected being due to the sen- 

 sitiveness of the cells in that region. 



Effect on the Pupil and Conjunctiva. — When dropped into the eye of a 

 rabbit, tutin solutions cause no local irritation and no change in the size 

 of the pupil (Exps. 160, 161). The same holds good for the cat (Exp. 162) 

 and for the excised eye of the frog (Exp. 163). During convulsions in the 

 cat and in pigeons dilatation is well marked. 



The action of coriamyrtin was studied in the same way. because it is said 

 by Riban (15) to cause contraction of the pupil in rabbits when applied 

 locally. It was found to cause contraction in the excised eye-ball of the 

 frog, but the results of applying it to the eye of a rabbit and of a cat were 

 negative (Exps. 164, 165). 



(f/.) Action of Tutin on General Nutrition. 



It is not an uncommon opinion among farmers that animals that eat 

 the plant in moderation thrive well on land where tutu abounds. To test 

 whether tutin had any injurious influence on general nutrition, a young 



