282 



water. The alcoholic extract has the same effect and action with 

 the seed itself. 



2. Experiments on the Blood, showing the effect of a few 

 Therapeutic Agents on that Fluid in a state of Health 

 and of Disease. By James Stark, M.D., F.R.C.P. 



The author stated that when he commenced these experiments, in 

 1832, his object was to ascertain, _^r5i, what effect different diseases 

 had on the constitution of the blood ; and, secondly, what effect va- 

 rious therapeutic agents had on that fluid in a state of health and 

 of disease. As the experiments of Andral and others, published 

 since these experiments were commenced, had done much to eluci- 

 date many points of the first subject of inquiry, the author limited 

 this communication to a small portion of the latter inquiry. 



The effect of bloodletting on the constitution of the blood in pneu- 

 monia was first described. It was shown that each successive blood- 

 letting increased the proportion of fibrin in the blood, which fibrin 

 was already in excess in consequence of the existence of the inflam- 

 matory disease. Finding that bloodletting had always this effect in 

 inflammation, the author made experiments on the healthy subject, 

 to ascertain whether bloodletting had any effect on the constitution 

 of the blood, and found that it produced an increase in the propor- 

 tion of fibrin as compared with the other solids of the blood. On 

 bleeding sheep rapidly to death, the suddenness of the death pre- 

 vented the increase being very marked ; but when the same animals 

 were bled slowly to death, the fibrin in the last drawn blood was 

 found to be nearly a third greater relatively to the other solids of 

 the blood than in the first drawn blood. 



To illustrate this part of the subject, the author pointed out the 

 bearing of these experiments in the treatment of a few diseases, as 

 inflammations, apoplexy, haemoptysis, purpura, and haemorrhage 

 from a divided blood-vessel; and also their bearing on the pheno- 

 mena of inflammation. 



The effects of alkalies and alkaline carbonates on the blood, and in 

 the treatment of inflammatory affections, was next noticed ; after 

 which the author passed to the consideration of another important 

 therapeutic agent — mercury. 



He showed that when mercury was administered internally, it 



