is produced hy certain vegetable Poisons. 1 75 



as before, was inserted into a wound in the thigh of a young 

 cal. She appeared languid in two minutes after the poison 

 was inserted. The symptoms which took place did not 

 essentially differ from those which occurred in the last ex- 

 periment, except that there were some convulsive motions 

 of the limbs. At eight minutes after the poison was in- 

 serted, she lay on one side motionless and insensible, the 

 heart could Tiot be felt, but the respiration had not entirely 

 ceased. On opening into the thorax, I found the heart to 

 have ceased contracting. It was much distended with blood : 

 and the blood in the cavities of the left side was of a scarlet 

 colour. There were two full inspirations after the incision 

 of the thorax was besfun. On irritating the heart with the 

 point of the sgalpel, slight contractions took place in the 

 libres of the appendices of the auricles, but none in any other 

 part. 



Exp. 93. The experiment was repeated on a rabbit. The 

 symptoms produced were similar to those in the last experi- 

 ment; but the animal did not vomit, and. the convulsive 

 motions were in a less degree : he died eleven minutes after 

 the poison was inserted. On opening the chest, the heart 

 was found to have entirely ceased contracting; it was mucb 

 distended with blood ; and the blood in the cavities of the 

 left side was of a scarlet colour. On irritating the heart 

 with the point of the scalpel, the ventricles contracted, but 

 nol sufficiently to restore the circulation. 



Exp. 24. About a grain of the upa=; antiar was inserted 

 into a wound in the side of a rabbit. He was affected with, 

 symptoms similar to those before described, and died in ten 

 minutes after the poison was applied. On opening the 

 thorax immediately after death, the heart was found to have 

 ceased contracting, and the blood in the cavities of the left 

 side was of a scarlet colour. 



It appears from these experiments, that the upas antiar, 

 when inserted into a wound, produces death (as infusion of 

 tobacco does when injected into the intestines) by rendering 

 the heart insensible to the stimulus of the blood, and stop- 

 ping the circulation. The heart beats feebly and irregularly 

 before either the functions of the nimd or the respiration 

 appear to be affected. Respiration is performed even after 

 the circulation has ceased ; and the left side of the heart is 

 found after death to contain scarlet lilood, which never can 

 be the pase where the cause of death is the cessation of the 

 functions of the brain or lunus. The convulsions which 

 occur when the circulation has nearly ceased, probably arise 

 from the diminution of the supply of blood to the brain, 



reseniblinir 



