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faction. I do not intend examining any other influence of poisons 

 except that which is due to the production of convulsions. I have 

 made a great many experiments on this point, and the result has con- 

 stantly been in harmony with the law now under consideration. The 

 principal poisons employed were strychnine, nicotine, picrotoxine, 

 atropia, morphia, oxalic acid, and the cyanide of mercury. I have 

 ascertained that when death is produced almost at once by these 

 poisons, there is hardly any effect to be observed on the time of access 

 and duration of cadaveric rigidity and putrefaction ; but when con- 

 vulsions have existed for a long time before death, the influence is 

 most remarkable. I will mention the results of but one experiment. 

 Three dogs, as much alike as possible, and apparently in perfect 

 health, were poisoned by the acetate of strychnine. One of them 

 had a dose of 2 grains, another half a grain, and the third one-fourth 

 of a grain. The first dog died at once, the second after 12 minutes, 

 during 7 of which it had convulsions, the third after 21 minutes, 

 during 1 1 of which it had convulsions. 



Durat. of muse, irrit. Durat. of cad. rigid. Putrefaction. 



1st dog .... 8 hours 19 or 20 days slow. 



2nd dog . . . . 2 1 5 days rapid. 



3rd dog .... | less than a day very rapid. 



In rabbits, guinea-pigs, cats and birds, as well as in dogs, I have 

 ascertained that when they are killed by poisons causing convulsions, 

 the more violent and the more frequent the convulsions are, the 

 sooner cadaveric rigidity sets in and the less is the time it lasts ; the 

 sooner also does putrefaction appear, and the quicker is its progress. 



I come now to the conclusion of this lecture. The facts I have 

 mentioned show that when the degree of muscular irritability at the 

 time of death is considerable, either in consequence of a good state of 

 nutrition, as in persons who die in full health from an accidental 

 cause, or in consequence of rest, as in cases of paralysis, or on account 

 of the influence of cold, cadaveric rigidity in all these cases sets in 

 late and lasts long, and putrefaction appears late and progresses slowly. 

 The facts mentioned also clearly show that when the degree of mus- 

 cular irritability at the time of death is slight, either in consequence 

 of a bad state of nutrition, or of exhaustion from over-exertion, or 

 from convulsions caused by disease or poison, cadaveric rigidity sets 



