102 Messrs. T. L. Bmnton and J. Fayrer on the [Jan. 22, 



pletely from the chloroform. Bowels acted. He is very unsteady on his 

 legs. Looks drunk. 



12.44. Dog vomits freely. 



12.45. Both vagi divided. The vomiting ceased, the breathing became 

 very slow, and the head was thrown up with the nose in the air. 



12.53. Has become very quiet. Falls down on his side. The vomiting 

 has not recurred. 



12.55. Dead. Artificial respiration commenced. 



1.12. On laying bare the skull and trephining, slight reflex movements 

 occurred in the limbs. 



1.17. Micturated. On irritating the exposed cerebrum by a Faradic 

 current no contractions occurred in the limbs. 



1*47. The spinal cord was exposed and irritated by a Faradic current. 

 No contractions occurred in any of the muscles, except those to which the 

 current was conducted, even when the strongest was employed. On 

 exposing the sciatic nerves and dividing one of them and applying a 

 Faradic current, no effect could be perceived when the electrodes were 

 applied to either the central or the distal end of the nerve. The motor 

 nerves were thus seen to be paralyzed. 



The heart continued to beat vigorously all the time. On laying 

 open the abdominal cavity, the intestines and peritoneum were found in 

 a state of intense congestion. Electrodes applied to the lumbar nerves 

 caused no contraction anywhere. 



Thorax opened. The heart was beating vigorously. The lungs were 

 normal. A Faradic current applied to the phrenic nerve caused no con- 

 traction of the diaphragm ; but when applied to that muscle directly, it 

 caused vigorous contractions. 



The left vagus was divided and its peripheral end stimulated by a Faradic 

 current. The pulsations of the heart were at once arrested, but again com- 

 menced; and no further irritation of the vagi had any effect on the heart. 



2.2 P.M. Stomach removed. Its coats were intensely congested, as 

 though some irritant had been swallowed. It contained much bile. The 

 blood was florid and formed a firm coagulum. 



This experiment clearly shows that cobra-poison produces paralysis of 

 the motor nerves in warm as well as in cold-blooded animals, the sciatics 

 being so completely paralyzed that they did not respond to the strongest 

 irritation, although respiration was efficiently kept up and the circula- 

 tion continued unimpaired. In almost all the other experiments, when 

 the nerve was irritated immediately after death, contractions were pro- 

 duced ; but the same is the case when the animal is poisoned with curare, 

 and the contractions are due to the poison not having had sufficient time 

 to exert its full action. 



The complete cessation of vomiting after division of the vagi seems to 

 indicate that the poison produces emesis by acting on the peripheral 

 terminations of the vagi, and not on any nerve-centre. 



