VEGETABLE POISONS. 241 



the cellular membrane. The lymphatic vessels in the left axilla 

 were distended in a very remarkable degree ; and on dividing them, 

 not less than a drachm of lymph issued from the divided ends. 



Since neither the division of the nerves, nor the obstruction of the 

 thoracic duct, interfere in the slightest degree with the effects of the 

 woorara, there is presumptive evidence that it acts on the brain by 

 entering the circulation through the divided veins. I endeavoured 

 to ascertain, by experiment, whether this is really the case. 



To apply ligatures to the large vessels of a limb only, would lead 

 to no satisfactory conclusion, since the anatomosing vessels might 

 still carry on the circulation. The only way which I could devise 

 of performing the experiment was to include all the vessels, small 

 as well as large, in a ligature. 



Exp. 27- In order to make the experiment more satisfactorily, 

 1 exposed the sciatic nerve of a rabbit in the upper and posterior 

 part of the thigh, and passed under it a tape half an inch wide. I 

 then made a wound in the leg, and having introduced into it some 

 of the woorara mixed with water, I tied the tape moderately tight 

 on the fore.part of the thigh. Thus I interrupted the communica- 

 tion between the wounds and the other parts of the body, by means 

 of the vessels, while that by means of the nerves still remained. 

 After the ligature was tightened, I applied the woorara a second 

 time, in another part of the leg. The rabbit was not at all affected, 

 and at the end of an hour I removed the ligature. Being engaged 

 in some other pursuit, I did not watch the animal so closely as I 

 should otherwise have done ; but twenty minutes after the ligature 

 was removed, I found him lying on one side, motionless and insen- 

 sible, evidently under the influence of the poison ; but the symptoms 

 were less violent than in most instances, and after lying in this state 

 he recovered, aud the limb became perfectly warm, and he regained 

 the power of using it. 



Exp. 28. I repeated the last experiment with this difference, 

 that after having applied the poison, I made the ligature as tight as 

 I could draw it. I removed the ligature at the end of an hour and 

 twenty minutes, but the animal was not at all affected either before 

 or after the removal of the ligature, and on the following day he 

 had recovered the use of the limb. 



Exp. 29 I repeated the experiment a third time, drawing the 

 ligature very tight. At the end of forty-five minutes the animal 



vol. v. R 



