JQO Expenmenis and Ohservaliovs on 



nutes : so that it appears that this poison acts on the heart 

 as well as on the brain ; but that its principal action is on 

 the latter. Both the voluntary and involiintarv muscles 

 may be made to contract after death, by means oF Voltaic 

 electricity. The stomach sometimes bears the marks oi' 

 inflammation ; but at other times it has its natural appear- 

 ance. I have never seen any appearance of inflammation 

 of the intestines. The length of time which elapses from 

 the application of the poison to the death of the animal, 

 varies. In some instances it is not more than three quarters 

 of an hour; but in others it is two or three huurs, or even 

 longer. 



When a solution of emetic tartar was injected into the 

 stomach of a rabbit, the same symplonis took place as 

 when it was applied to a wound. 



VI. On the Effects of the Corrosive Sublimate. 



When this poison is taken internally in very small and 

 repeated doses, it is absorbed into the circulation, and pro- 

 duces on the system those peculiar effects which are pro- 

 duced by other preparations of mercury. If it passes into 

 the circulation in larger quantity, it excites inflammation 

 of some part of the alimentary canal, the termination of 

 which may vary accordingly as it exists in a greater or less 

 degree. When taken in a larger quantity still, it occasions 

 death in a very short space of time. I had found, that if 

 applied to a wounded surface, it produced a slough of the 

 part to which it was applied, without occasioning any af- 

 fection of the general system. This led me to conclude 

 that the effects of it, taken internally aitd in a large quan- 

 tity, depended on its local action on the stomach, and were 

 not connected with the absorption of it into the circulation. 

 The following experiments appear to confirm this opinion. 



Experiment 8. — Six grains of corrosive sublimate, dis- 

 solved in six drams of distilled water, were injected into the 

 stomach of a rabbit, by means of an elastic gum tube. No 

 iiimiediate symptoms followed tiie injection ; the animal 

 made no expression of pain ; but in three minutes he be- 

 came insensible ; was convulsed, and in four minutes and 

 an half, from the time of the injection being made, he died. 

 Tremulous contractions of the voluntary n)uscles continued 

 for some tinie afterwards. On opening the thorax, the 

 heart was found to have entirely ceased acting, and the 

 blood in the cavities of the left side was of a scarlet colour. 

 The stomach was much distended. The pyloric and cardiac 

 portions were separated from each other by a strong mus- 

 cular 



