180 PLANT RESPONSE 



is not a distinctive effect of the action of anaesthetics as such, 

 since hydrochloric acid and various other chemical reagents 

 give a similar result. It would be premature to pronounce 

 on the significance of this very suggestive phenomenon. 



A plausible suggestion, which offers itself, is that the 

 approach of molecular rigidity concomitant with death, 

 which here appears imminent by the action of the reagent, 

 as seen in the preliminary spasm, is tided over, or counter- 

 acted, by the molecular mobility conferred on the tissue, 

 through the rising temperature of the bath. Should this 

 inference prove to be correct, these experiments might 

 throw an interesting light on an ancient practice, still current 

 in India amongst an old class of quack-doctors, by which 

 cases of snake-bite are said to. be cured, under a treatment 

 whose essential feature is the application of hot water and 

 steam, with accessory incantations ! The same principle 

 may also be the basis of the alleged hot- water and steam 

 cures of more modern practitioners. 



The duplication of the rigor-point by the action of ether 

 is also noticeable in the thermo-mechanical curve given 

 by a radial organ. Thus, in a curve given by the style of 

 Datura, the preliminary rigor-point was found to be at 

 36*5° C, the second being at 53 C. 



As has been said, the effect produced by various poison- 

 ous reagents depends on the tonic condition of the tissue, as 

 well as on the nature of the drug. In those cases in which 

 the rigor is not duplicated, there is a translocation of the 

 death-point, which, as far as I have yet seen, is invariably 

 lowered. Thus, in an experiment already described with 

 the style of Datura, I found this translocation, under the 

 action of dilute copper sulphate solution, to be from the 

 normal 6o° to 57 C. 



Death-response not due to coagulation. — From the 

 experiments which have been described, it is evident that the 

 death-response, like other modes of excitatory response, is 

 appropriately modified by all those influences which affect 



