THE ADRENALS IN DISEASE AND POISONING. 41 



man paraplegia was produced, while all four extremities were 

 finally paralyzed in animals. Finally, Valentin 87 noted that 

 eel-venom, ichthyotoxin, caused absolute loss of conductivity of 

 sensation in the lower extremities. 



Acetanilid is stated by Bokay 88 to "paralyze motor nerve- 

 endings of the frogs' muscles in a manner similar to curare. 

 . . . In the poisoned animal just before death the muscles 

 respond actively": evidence that the muscular elements them- 

 selves were not affected by the poison, and that the "tonus," 

 of which suprarenal secretion is the recognized source, alone 

 failed them. Aconite is said by Wood to give rise in thera- 

 peutic doses to "a sense of muscular inertia and weakness/' and 

 if the dose administered be larger "the muscular weakness is 

 extreme/' Alcoholic muscular relaxation hardly needs to be 

 insisted upon; the attitudes of drunkards speak for themselves. 

 Antimony in large doses is referred to as causing great mus- 

 cular relaxation, the exhaustion becoming extreme after toxic 

 doses. Antipyrin acts according to the dose administered, 

 causing rigidity in large doses (excessive momentary supra- 

 renal tonus), while "in overwhelming amount/' according to 

 Blumeneau, 89 it causes in frogs "muscular relaxation with loss 

 of reflex activity deepening into complete paralysis and death." 

 Arsenic causes, even in small doses in the frog, cessation of 

 voluntary movement. The muscular weakness, lapsing into 

 complete exhaustion, that follows arsenic poisoning, is a famil- 

 iar clinical picture. 



Belladonna i.e., its alkaloid, atropine is referred to as 

 follows: "When an enormous dose of the alkaloid has been 

 taken, a fatal stupor, with muscular relaxation, may develop 

 at once. . . . Probably, however, in all cases stupor and 

 muscular paralysis finally develop." . . . Bromism, accord- 

 ing to E. H. Clarke, is attended with "muscular weakness which 

 becomes paralysis." Camphor is referred to as giving rise in 

 large doses to a feeling of lassitude, while general paralysis 

 follows the ingestion of poisonous doses. Carbolic acid is stated 

 by Wood to give rise to muscular weakness, but a striking indi- 



.* Valentin: Zeitschrift fur Biologic, 1877. 



"Bdkay: Deutsche med. Wochenschrift, Oct., 1897. 



Blumeneau: St. Petersburger med. Wochenschrift, 1887. 



