VEGETABLE POISONS. 231 



apparently dead. One minute and a half afterwards, the heart 

 was found contracting regularly one hundred times in a minute. 



It appears from this experiment, that the juice of aconite, when 

 injected into the intestine, occasions death by destroying the func- 

 tions of the brain. From the analogy of other poisons, it is render- 

 ed probable that k it acts on the brain through the medium of the 

 nerves, without being absorbed into the circulation. This opinion 

 is confirmed by the following circumstance : if a small quantity of 

 the leaf of aconite is chewed, it occasions a remarkable sense of 

 numbness of the lips and gums, which does not subside for two or 

 three hours. 



Infusion of Tobacco, 



Exp. 8. -Four ounces of infusion of tobacco were injected into 

 the rectum of a dog. Four minutes afterwards he retched, but 

 did not vomit ; he then became faint, and lay motionless on one 

 side ; at the end of nine minutes from the time of the injection, the 

 heart could not be felt ; he gasped for breath at long intervals ; 

 and in another minute there was no appearance whatever of life. I 

 immediately laid open the cavities of the thorax and abdomen. 

 The heart was much distended, and had entirely ceased to contract; 

 there was no peristaltic motion of the intestines. 



Exp. 9. An ounce of very strong infusion of tobacco was in- 

 jected into the rectum of a cat. Symptoms were produced similar 

 to those which occurred in the last experiment, and the animal died 

 at the end of seven minutes from the time of the injection. On 

 opening the thorax immediately after death, the heart was found 

 extremely distended, and to have entirely ceased acting, with the 

 exception of a slight tremulous motion of the auricles. 



Exp. 10. Three ounces of infusion of tobacco were injected 

 into the rectum of a dog. He was affected with symptoms similar 

 to those in the former experiments, and died at the end of ten 

 minutes. On opening the thorax immediately after death, I found 

 the heart much distended, and to have entirely ceased con- 

 tracting. 



Exp. 1 1 . r-Three ounces of infusion of tobacco were injected 

 into the rectum of a dog. Immediately there took place tremu- 

 lous contractions of the voluntary muscles. Five minutes after- 



84 



