VEGETABLE POISONS. 51 



of the animal lay perfectly quiet and motionless 

 on the table; the heart acted regularly 100 

 times in a minute. Ten minutes afterwards the 

 pulse rose to 140 in a minute ; the peristaltic 

 motion of the intestines was much increased, 

 and the voluntary muscles in every part of the 

 body were thrown into repeated and violent 

 spasmodic action. The joints of the extremities 

 were alternately bent and extended ; the muscles 

 of the spine, abdomen, and tail alternately re- 

 laxed and contracted, so as to turn the whole 

 animal from one side to the other. I have ob- 

 served, in other instances, spasmodic actions of 

 the muscles, where the circulation was kept -up 

 by artificial respiration, after the removal of the 

 head, but not at all to be compared, either in 

 strength or frequency, with those which took 

 place on this occasion. I made pressure on the 

 abdominal aorta for more than a minute, so as 

 to obstruct the circulation of the blood in the 

 lower extremities ; but the muscular contrac- 

 tions were not lessened in consequence, Half 

 an hour after the injection of the infusion, the 

 artificial respiration was discontinued. The heart 

 continued to act, circulating dark-coloured blood ; 

 and the muscular contractions continued, but 

 gradually diminishing in strength and frequency. 

 I tied a ligature round the vessels at the base 

 of the heart, so as to stop the circulation ; ne- 

 vertheless the muscular contractions continued, 

 though less frequent and forcible than before, 



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