218 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



produced accelerated respiration, followed in a short time (fifteen 

 minutes) by paralysis of the respiratory centre. There is dimin- 

 ution in the action of the heart, which continues to beat after 

 breathing has stopped. By means of artificial respiration life 

 can be prolonged for about two hours spontaneous breathing 

 even begins again ; but eventually it stops once more, and the 

 animal dies quietly after slight convulsions. 



According to PHISALIX and BERTRAND,* 0-3 mgrm. of the 

 venom of Viper a aspis will kill a guinea-pig, the symptoms 

 being hypothermia, dilatation of the blood-vessels, and areas of 

 haemorrhage. 



VALENTIN observed a diminution in the amount of oxygen 

 absorbed. 



The heart is not directly affected. As far back as 1873 it 

 was proved by PANCERI and GASCO 2 that the isolated heart of 

 an axolotl continued beating as before in their preparation of 

 the venom of Naja eyiziana. This venom resembles cobra poison 

 in its action, but is weaker. 



According to ELLIOT, 3 cobra venom in very dilute solutions 

 (1:10 millions) has a stimulative action upon the isolated heart 

 of the frog, while a solution of 1 : 500,000 causes paralysis. In 

 the case of mammals the heart is only brought to a standstill 

 by very large doses, and the poison acts primarily upon the 

 respiratory centre. 



Enhydrina venom does not act upon the isolated heart and 

 the smallest vessels, but upon the respiratory centre and the 

 peripheral nerves. 



ROGERS 4 found that the venom of enhydrina produced para- 

 lysis of the respiratory centre and of the motor nerves. It is 

 thus analogous to cobra venom. 



The pressure of the blood does not change during artificial 

 respiration. Apart from this, the initial increase in the pres- 

 sure is, of course, followed by a decrease, as was shown by 

 ALBERTONi. 5 KAUFMANN, 6 too, observed a diminution in the 

 case of the venom of Pelias berus. 



1 Phisalix and Bertrand, "Toxicite du sang de la vipere," Comptes 

 Rend., cxvii., 1099, 1893. 



2 Panceri and Gasco, " Agli effetti del veleno della Naja egiziana," Atti 

 Acad. Heale Napoli, 1873, 73, quoted by Mosso, loc. cit. 



3 Elliot, "Action of Cobra Poison," Proc. Roy. Soc., Ixxiii., 183, 1904. 



4 Rogers, "On the Physiological Action of the Poison of the Hydro- 

 phidse," Proc. Roy. Soc., Ixxii., 305, 1903. 



5 Albertoni, "SulFazione del veleno della vipera," Lo Sperimentale, 

 1879, quoted by Mosso. 



8 Kaufmann, Soc. BioL, xlviii., 860, 1896. - 



