the Action of Poisons on the Animal System. 2S1 



fnd of another hour the circulation had entirely ceased. 

 During this time there was no appearance of returning 

 sensibility. 



The circulation of the blood may be maintained in an 

 animal from u honi the brain has been removed tor a con- 

 siderable, but not for an unlimited time. We mav con- 

 clude, that in the last of these experiments the animal did 

 nat recover, because (he influence of the poison continued 

 beyond the time during which the circulation may be main- 

 tained without the brain, 



III. On the Eff'ects of Arsenic. 



When an animal is killed by arsenic taken internally, the 

 stomach is found bearing marks of inflammation ; and it 

 is a very general opinion, l.that this inflammation is the 

 cause of death: 2. that it is the consequence of the actual 

 contact of the arstnic with the internal coat of the stomach. 

 But in several cases I have found the mflammation of the 

 stomach so slight, that on a superficial examination it 

 might have been easily overlooked ; and in most of my ex- 

 periments with this poison, death has taken place in too 

 short a time for it to be considered as the result of inflam- 

 mation : and hence we may conclude, that the first of these 

 opinions is incorrect; at least as a general proposition. 



Many circumstances conspire to show that the second of 

 these opmions also is unfounded. 



In whatever way the poison is administered, the in- 

 flammation is confined to the stomach and intestines ; I 

 have never seen auy appearance of it in the pharynx or 

 cesophagus. 



Mr. Home informed me, that in an experiment made by 

 Mr. Hunter and himself, in which arsenic was applied to a 

 wound in a dog, the animal died in twenty-four hours, and 

 the stomach was found to be considerably inflamed. 



I repeated this experiment several times, taking the pre- 

 caution always of applying a bandage to prevent the animal 

 lieking the wound. The result was, that the inflammation 

 of the stomach was commonlv more violent and more im- 

 mediate, than when the poison was administered internally,, 

 and thai it preceded any appearance of inflammation of the; 

 wound *. Some experiments are already before the public, 



• since the greater part of my experiments on this subject were made, I 

 have seen an account ol' an inau^'ural Disscrlaiion on the HlTect!. cif Arseni/c, 

 by Dr. J-ii-ger, of Stuttgard Dr. Jatijjer has come to conclusions similar to 

 those nliovc ttated. that in an animal killed by arsenic, the innamniaiion, of 

 the litomach is not the caute ol death, and that the pois n does not produce 

 its fatal ciTects until it has entcicd the circula'ii n. I have to rcjjret lb,at 1 

 kavc had no opportunity of sccirg the original ol tlii» DissertatJou. 



which 



