POISONS. 229 



large Imsln, into which I then poured sea-water 

 until the level was the same inside and outside the 

 breaker, i.e. until the two bodies of water all but 

 met over the brim. Having divided the medusa 

 across its whole diameter, with the exception of a 

 small piece of marginal tissue at one side to act as 

 a connecting link between the two resulting halves, 

 I transferred one of these halves to the water in the 

 basin, leaving the other half still in the beaker — 

 the marginal tissue which served to unite the two 

 halves being thus supported by the rim of the 

 beaker. Over the minute portion of the marginal 

 tissue which was thus of necessity exposed to the 

 air, I placed a piece of blotting-paper which dipped 

 freely into the sea- water. Lastly, I poisoned the 

 water in the beaker with successive doses of curare 

 solution. 



The results obtained by thi,s method were most 

 marked and beautiful. Previous to the adminis- 

 tration of the poison both halves of the medusa 

 were of course contracting vigorously, waves oi 

 contractile influence now running from the half in 

 the beaker to the half in the basin, and now vice 

 versa. But after the half in the beaker had become 

 effectually poisoned by the curare, all motion in it 

 completely ceased, the other, or unpoisoned half, 

 continuing to contract independently. I now 

 stimulated the poisoned half by nipping a portion 

 of its margin with the forceps. Nothing could be 

 more decided than the result. It will be remem- 

 bered that when any part of Staurophora laciniata 

 is pinched with the forceps or otherwise irritated, 



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