EXPERIMENTS OF WEDCMEYER AND EMMERT. 967 



In accordance with the foregoing facts, we are 

 informed by Miiller, that in the experiments of 

 Wedemeyer, the strongest prussic acid produced 

 no sudden effect when applied to the nerves so 

 as not to enter the circulation : that when Em- 

 mert amputated the extremities of animals, leaving 

 them connected with the trunk by the nerves 

 only, and then introduced poison into the feet, 

 no general effect resulted ; nor even when applied 

 to the nervous trunks themselves: that Viborg 



shoulder, with an arrow point coated with the ticunas, (which has 

 been supposed to have the property of paralysing the voluntary 

 muscles, and thus of arresting spasmodic action,) when apparent 

 death was produced in ten minutes ; but that on keeping up 

 artificial respiration four hours, re-animation so far took place, 

 that the animal rose up, seemed perfectly recovered, and eagerly 

 partook of hay and corn, without any return of tetanus; yet 

 died the next day. Mr. Morgan relates the case of an ass affected 

 with tetanus, that was treated in the same way, with similar 

 results ; from which he was induced to recommend inoculation 

 with the ticunas as a remedy for tetanus. But as it is certain, 

 that nearly all the active poisons produce convulsions, I am fully 

 convinced that, in the above cases of tetanus, the relief arose 

 from the employment of artificial respiration, in spite of the 

 deadly poison : for it will be shewn hereafter, that in all the 

 worst forms of tetanus and hydrophobia, the natural process of 

 respiration is nearly suspended. I am the more disposed to attach 

 the highest importance to artificial respiration, aided by the warm 

 bath, in all spasmodic diseases, from the fact that they are always 

 attended with difficult respiration, and a dissolved or greatly 

 vitiated state of the blood, which is the proximate cause of all the 

 most fatal forms of disease, and should be counteracted by res- 

 toring the process of respiration, by which the blood is formed 

 and purified. 



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