ACTION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND EYES. G7 



sions ;* and in other cases, and perhaps more frequently in dogs, 

 at least there is stagt^ering as if giddy, and convulsive move- 

 ments of the extremities. 



In smaller doses it produces giddiness, headache, tinnitus 

 aurium, disturbed vision, dazzling, weariness, languor and 

 general prostration, and in some cases a kind of intoxication, 

 weakening of the intellectual faculties, and hallucinations and 

 delirium, or even symptoms of acute mania. In some few cases 

 digitalis acts as a soporific. I am not sure whether to attribute 

 it to the digitaline or look upon it merely as a coincidence ; but 

 on March 5, after taking 12 milligrams of Morson's digitaline, 

 I experienced a remarkable sleepiness at night, which continued 

 till the 12th, when symptoms of abdominal irritation began to 

 manifest themselves, and these increased till vomiting occurred. 

 On the 14th I felt great languor and prostration, and either on 

 this day, or at least while the languor continued, the mental 

 faculties seemed enfeebled, as, while reading for an examina- 

 tion, the eye glanced over the words, but the mind refused to 

 receive or retain their import. The derangement of sight 

 which I noticed was of two kinds — 1st, a general mistiness 

 of objects, such as is seen before fainting; and 2nd, a large 

 bright spot advancing before me, which sometimes resembled a 

 ring showing prismatic colours faintly, and similar in character 

 to, though less distinct than, that seen round a light when digi- 

 taline has been introduced into the eye. The headache occa- 

 sioned by digitalis sometimes, as in the case of Daniel G., 

 persists for some time after the medicine has been disused. 



The motor nerves of musclesf have their power impaired by 

 digitalis, as the muscles of the limb of a frog, which was 

 prevented by a ligature from receiving the poisoned blood 

 circulating through the rest of the body, preserved their excita- 

 bility from eight to sixteen hours longer than the other limbs. 



Action on the Eyes. — When digitaline is introduced into the 

 eye, it causes smarting and profuse lachrymation, which passes 

 off in a short time, and nothing more is felt, except perhaps an 

 occasional rough feeling of the conjunctiva, till four or five 



* Bernard, Leqons de la Fhysiologie. 



t Mem. de la Soc, de Biologie, tome 3, ser. 3, p. 97. 



F 2 



