130 ON THE NATURE AND ACTION OF THE CROTALUS- POISON 



expedient to ascertain if the more complete oxygenation by the 

 undihited gas would be more efficacious, as it seemed might be 

 possible ; accordingly the following experiment was made on 

 the 24th April, 1874. 



ICxperiment XXIX. 



J of a grain of dried cobra-poison dissolved in distilled water 

 was injected into a rabbit with the hypodermic syringe. 



Symptoms of poisoning were rapidly manifested. A tube 

 had been previously introduced into the trachea, and respiration 

 was commenced as soon as poisoning was manifest. 



Artificial respiration, with oxygen contained in a large bag, 

 was steadily continued for 2 hours, but with no better effect 

 than in other similar cases where atmospheric air was used for 

 the same purpose. At the expiration of 2 hours, apparent 

 death had occurred ; the heart continued to beat for about 

 2 minutes after the respiration ceased. 



Beyond a very florid condition of the blood, there was no 

 obvious difference between the effect of oxygen and that of 

 common air. It did not indeed appear that, as far as the effects 

 produced by the poison were concerned, it differed in its action 

 from common air. 



Experiment XXX. 



November, 1874. — A little cobra-poison, dissolved in water, 

 was added to water containing some cells scraped from the 

 mantle of a freshwater mussel. Among these was a large 

 ciliated cell, which, before the addition of the poison, had been 

 moving slowly, although its cilia were moving actively. Imme- 

 diately after the addition of the poison the cell began to spin 

 round on its own axis with extraordinary rapidity. In about 

 three or four minutes its motions began to be languid, the 

 ciliary motion ceased, the cell itself elongated, contracted, and 

 then slowly resumed its former shape and became perfectly 

 motionless. 



Experiment XXXI. 



Water from the interior of a freshwater mussel, and 



