492 BELLADONNA AND ATBOPINE 



Cattle, according to Hertwig, are as susceptible to the 

 action of belladonna as horses. He states that two to four 

 ounces of the root caused in cows violent symptoms, lasting 

 forty-eight hours, and that large doses are dangerous. 



Dogs receiving full doses of belladonna exhibit less 

 marked cerebral, but more pronounced and prolonged cardiac 

 effects than horses. This apparently depends upon the 

 heart in dogs being more under the regulating influence of 

 the vagi and inhibitory ganglia, which the drug specially 

 paralyses. Harley found that while f grain of atropine 

 sulphate doubled the pulse-rate in horses, J grain trebled 

 it in dogs. Doses of -fa to J grain raised the dog's pulse 

 in a few minutes from 120 to 400, the beats continuing strong 

 and regular ; the pupils were so fully dilated that vision 

 was confused ; the mouth and nose were dry and hot. 

 The larger doses further caused slowness and unsteadiness 

 of movement, but no loss of sense or intelligence. 



A Scotch terrier weighing 16 Ibs. received ^ grain atro- 

 pine sulphate, injected under the skin ; in four minutes 

 the pulse rose from 118 to 280 ; the respirations advanced 

 from 19 to 30; the pupils dilated to their full extent, 

 the mucous membranes were dry, the animal excited 

 and whining ; these effects continued four hours. Dogs 

 weighing 15 Ibs. and 16 Ibs. were killed in three hours 

 by | grain, with symptoms of prostration, rapid and 

 feeble pulse, irregular and shallow respiration, muscular 

 twitchings, and paralysed sphincters, death occurring in 

 convulsions. 



Hertwig found that 30 to 50 grains of the dried herb or 

 root, given to dogs, in thirty minutes dilated the pupil, 

 so that the iris was out of view, and rendered the eye 

 insensible to bright light. Vomiting sometimes occurred, 

 the nose became dry and hot, and the gait tottering from 

 inability to move the hind extremities. In one to three 

 hours the symptoms began to abate, but diminished irrita- 

 bility of the iris remained even after twenty-four hours. 

 Orfila poisoned dogs with 15 grains of extract. Christison 

 found that half an ounce of the watery extract given by 

 the mouth killed dogs in about thirty hours, half that 

 quantity introduced into a wound killed in twenty-four 



