62 EFFECTS OF 



inserted. On opening the thorax, the heart was 

 found to have entirely ceased contracting. It 

 was much distended with blood ; and the blood 

 in the cavities of the left side was of a scarlet 

 colour. On irritating the heart with the point 

 of the scalpel, the ventricles contracted, but not 

 sufficiently to restore the circulation. 



EXPERIMENT XXIV. 



About a grain of the upas antiar was inserted 

 into a wound in the side of a rabbit. He was 

 affected with symptoms similar to those before 

 described, and died in 10 minutes after the 

 poison was applied. On opening the thorax im- 

 mediately after death, the heart was found to 

 have ceased contracting, and the blood in the 

 cavities of the left side was of a scarlet colour. 



It appears, from these experiments, that the 

 upas antiar, when inserted into a wound, pro- 

 duces death (as infusion of tobacco does when 

 injected into the intestine) by rendering the heart 

 insensible to the stimulus on which its action 

 depends, and stopping the circulation. The heart 

 beats feebly and irregularly before either the 

 functions of the brain, or the respiration appear 

 to be affected. Kespiration is performed even 

 after the circulation has ceased ; and the left side 

 of the heart is found after death to contain scarlet 

 blood, which never can be the case, where the 

 cause of death is the cessation of the functions of 



