184 A Manual of Veterinary Physiology. 



rapid. Stimulated by Colin's researches, I have for years 

 administered certain alkaloids by the trachea rather than 

 by the skin.* Colin showed that potassium ferrocyanide 

 could be detected in the blood 2 minutes after being 

 injected into the trachea, and that it appeared in the blood 

 before it was found in the chyle. The same salt was also 

 found in the urine 8 minutes after being introduced 

 into the trachea. A solution of mix vomica injected into 

 the trachea produced tetanic symptoms in 3 minutes ; 

 turpentine, alcohol, and ether were also rapidly absorbed, 

 but oil could not be taken up, and it was rejected by the 

 nostrils. 



Such drugs as morphia, pilocarpine, physostigmin, etc., 

 are all rapidly absorbed ; according to my observations they 

 produce their therapeutical effect in a shorter time than 

 when simply injected under the skin. The absorption of 

 water from the trachea is also remarkably rapid. Colin 

 introduced 6 quarts of water per hour into the trachea of 

 a horse; the animal was destroyed at the end of 3?, hours, 

 and no fluid was found in the bronchi ; he also poured into 

 the air-passages one pint of water at a time, repeating this 

 without intermission : in this way he poured in 74 pints of 

 water before he caused death. A horse may be placed 

 under chloroform almost instantaneously by an intra- 

 tracheal injection of the drug.f 



The rapidity of absorption from the respiratory passages 

 is therefore remarkable; and, further, the lungs have the 

 power of absorbing certain poisons like curare, which are 

 not absorbed when introduced into the digestive canal. 



Absorption from the Cellular Tissue is very active ; ferro- 

 cyanide of potassium injected into the face was detected in 

 a carotid lymphatic in 7 minutes, though in order to 



* It is interesting to observe that the injection of Liquids into the 

 trachea (either high up or as low as its bifurcation) excites the reflex 

 act of swallowing, probably due to stimulation of the recurrent or 

 other laryngeal nerve. 



■\ It is not intended here to recommend the intra-tracheal adminis- 

 tration of chloroform. 



