4fQ. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1731. 



common water warmed, into the anus of a small bitch. In the space of 4 

 minutes she began to breathe with difficulty. He let her loose, but she was 

 not able to stand, or walk, without stumbling. The muscles that extend the 

 head were convulsed, and her fore-legs were affected for 3 or 4 minutes with a 

 tetanus, but had no convulsive motion. She vomited and purged plentifully. 

 She did not yell, nor seem to suffer much pain, nor did she lose her senses all 

 the time. In -i- an hour she recovered. 



Exper. 8. — The next day he injected a drachm of the water into the external 

 jugular of the same bitch. She was seized with convulsions as violent as the 

 former, before he could untie her. They lasted about 5 minutes; after which 

 she recovered gradually, and continued well. 



Exper. g. — Nov. 20, he injected 4 oz. of the water by the anus, without 

 any dilution, into a strong dog of a middling size. He was seized with con- 

 vulsions and difficulty of breathing, in less than '2 minutes after the injection. 

 He fell to the ground as soon as his convulsions began, and never once at- 

 tempted to rise ; nor were his convulsions in any sort so violent, neither did 

 they continue so long as in the former instances. He bled at the nose about 4 

 spoonfuls. The blood was of a very bright florid colour. His convulsions 

 lasted about 4 minutes; after which he became entirely paralytic, and died in 3 

 minutes more. 



Dr. M. found the stomach, intestines, liver, &c. in the same state as those 

 abovementioned. On cutting about an inch from the lower part of one of the 

 lobes of the lungs, the blood flowed from it in great plenty, and appeared more 

 florid and fluid than usual. 



Exper. 10 — Dec. 14, he gave 5 oz. of laurel-water by clyster to a dog, 

 somewhat of the size and shape of the Italian greyhound. He seemed at first 

 to be no way afi'ected with it, but in about 5 minutes he began to droop, and 

 lose the use of his limbs. He did not once yell, or struggle as the others had 

 done, but sunk gradually, till he became at last entirely paralytic. He had no 

 convulsion, except a kind of spasmus cynicus, a few minutes before he died, 

 which happened in -l an hour after the injection of the clyster. 



On opening the abdomen, Dr. M. found the veins much distended with blood, 

 as were also the veins and sinuses of the brain. 



Exper. 11. — Dec. ig, he gave 3 oz. of the water in the same manner to a 

 cur of the lap-dog size. He died in 7 minutes, without any convulsion, ex- 

 cept a tetanus in the muscles that extend the head. 



The lauro cerasus being an ever-green, and abounding with a warm essential 

 oil, Dr M. imagined that other ever-greens might partake of the same poisonous 

 quality. Accordingly he made trial of a water distilled in an alembic from the 



