220 Transactions of the Canadian Institute. [Vol.VIL 



tory, poisons, hence it could not be useful when the respiration was 

 already paralyzed by chloroform. He concluded by saying that " It 

 would be useful if Professor Hobday could give an account of the effects 

 of the dose he recommends on a healthy animal." The argument that 

 because H.C.N, is the most powerful of all respiratory poisons in fatal 

 doses, therefore it could not do good in any dose, was so obviously open 

 to criticism that I determined to take advantage of Dr. Wilson's sugges- 

 tion to Professor Hobday and to try the effect of the drug in non-lethal 

 doses on a healthy animal. 



Ex. I. — A healthy mongrel collie dog, weighing thirty-three pounds, 

 was given hypodermically in the back 9 yj minims of Acid Hydrocyan. 

 Dil. (equal to 4 5-7 minims of Scheele's Acid, i.e., i minim of Scheele's 

 Acid to every seven pounds of body weight) at 2.48 p.m. The room was 

 at 58° F. Notes were made every thirty seconds of his condition. They 

 may be summarized by saying that in two minutes the animal was 

 breathing hard and rapidly, with mouth open as if after exertion. This 

 continued for five minutes and then he vomited. The breathing 

 gradually became normal again. He vomited once more at 3.1 p.m. 

 and then all symptoms disappeared and he remained well. 



The effect then of a dose of i minim of Scheele's acid to every 

 seven pounds of body weight is, very briefly, first, great stimulation of 

 the respiration ; second, vomiting ; third, recovery. 



In order to note the effect of the drug on the blood pressure, pulse 

 and respiration, several dogs were used. They were previously given 

 some morphia hypodermically and afterwards just enough chloroform 

 to keep them quiet so that there should be no struggling to mar the 

 results. 



765 



Tracinu XXXV.— 1/4.— Effectof small dose of H.C.N. Dog sligrhtly under Morphia and Chloroform 

 and horizontal, s Five minims dilute H.C.N, into fauces. 6 Respiration more ample. 7 Pulse raised 

 from 87-106. Recovery. 



Tracing 35 illustrates the effect of a small dose of the drug. The 

 animal had been given V2 grain of morphia hypodermically half an hour 

 before the experiment began. He weighed about seventeen pounds. 

 At 5 he was lying horizontal and breathing quietly, twelve to the 

 minute, with a pulse of eighty-seven, and was slightly under chloroform. 



