1 78 Gaspard on Helix Pomatia. 



trate of mercury, occasion a copious dense precipitate. Boiling 

 water, sulphuric and nitric acid, coagulate it strongly, like albu- 

 men. 



Lister saw with the microscope in the blood of these ani- 

 mals, the globules which are met with in that of most others; and 

 Messrs. J. L. Prevost, and J. A. Dumas, in confirmation of this 

 remark, have lately ascertained that these globules have a diameter 

 one-third greater than those of man, the dog, the hog, the rabbit, 

 &c. But what is most surprising in the researches of these micro- 

 graphers, is, that they found the globules in the blood of the 

 Snail, spherical, as in the Mammifera ; after having observed them 

 to be elliptical in Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes. 



I was curious to know the effects of this blood when introduced 

 into the circulation of a warm-blooded quadruped. For this pur- 

 pose, on the 26th of August, 1822, I injected three ounces of the 

 blood of the Snails, made tepid, into the jugular vein of a Leveret, 

 weighing about a pound and three quarters, from which 1 had pre- 

 viously taken two ounces of blood. At each injection the respi- 

 ration was accelerated, the animal appeared distressed, and after 

 the experiment it remained for more than an hour, in a state as it 

 were of intoxication or stupor, with the head turned over the left 

 shoulder, and incapable of action. The pulsations of the heart 

 were strong and frequent. These symptoms disappeared by de- 

 grees, and in about three hours, it walked almost naturally, al- 

 though evidently weak, and even recovered its appetite. In the 

 evening, however, the nervous symptoms returned, particularly 

 the contortion of the head, and it died during the night without 

 any alvine evacuation. On opening the body, the brain was 

 found quite healthy, as well as the abdominal viscera, including 

 the gastro-intestinal mucous membrane ; the pericardium filled 

 with reddish serum, the heart and Inngs studded with numberless 

 points and spots of intlammation. Thus, it appears that the ex- 

 treme vessels could not accommodate themselves to the large 

 globules of this blood, and that the result was an inflammatory 

 congestion in the lungs and heart, where it was accumulated 

 in more considerable quantities. On the existence of a similar 

 obstacle in the braiu, doubtless depended the nervous symptoms, 



