[ 171 ] 



XXXIV. Experiments and Observations on the different 

 Modes in which Death is produced by certain vegetable 

 Poisons. E]] B. C. Brodie, Esq. F.R.S. Cornmuni- 

 cated by the Society for promoting the Knowledge of 

 Animal Chemistry. 



[Concluded from p. 94.] 



Experiments with the Empyreumatic Oil of Tobacco* . 



Exp. 13. -L/Ess than a drop of this oil was applied to the 

 tongue of a youns; cat. Instantly violent convulsions took 

 place in all the muscles, and the respirations became very 

 frequent. In five minutes after the application, she lay on 

 one side insensible, with slight spasmodic actions of the 

 muscles. At the end of eleven minutes she retched, but 

 did not vomit. In a quarter of an hour she appeared to be 

 recovering. I repeated the application of the poison, and 

 she was again seized with violent convulsions, and became 

 insensible, breathing at long intervals ; and in two minutes 

 from the second application respiration had entirely ceased, 

 and she was apparently dead. On opening the thorax, I 

 found the heart acting with regularity and strength, circu- 

 lating dark-coloured blood. I introduced a tube into the 

 trachea, and produced artificial respiration; the contractions 

 of the heart became augmented in force and frequency, and 

 there was no evident diminution in six or seven minutes, 

 during which the artificial respiration was continued. 



On dissection, nothing remarkable was found in the ap- 

 pearance of the tongue or brain. 



The symptoms and mode of death, in this experiment, 

 did not essentially diflerfrom those produced by the essential 

 oil of almonds. I was surprised to find the effects of the 

 empyreumatic oil so entirely different from those of the in- 

 fusion of tobacco. Supposing that this difference might 

 arise from the poisop being more concentrated in the oil 

 than in the infusion, I made the following experiments. 



Exp, 14. A drop of the oil of tobacco was suspended in 

 an ounce and a half of water by means of mucilage of gum 

 arabic, and the whole was in'je.-tcd int;) the rectum of a dog. 

 In two minutes afterwards he became faint, retched, but did 

 not vomit. He appeared to be recovering from this state, 

 and in twenty-five minutes alter the first injection it was 



• I wns furnished with the empyreumatic ail of tobacco by Mr. \V. Brande. 

 It may be procured by subjecting the leaves of tobacco lo distillation in a 

 lieat ab'.ive that of boiling water: a quantity of watery fluid comes over, on 

 the eurfacc of which is a thin film of unctuous substance. 



repeated 



