184 REPORT— 1868. 
perfect insensibility. The peculiarity of action is slowness. When the sleep 
has been produced, it lasts a considerable period, and is undisturbed, but 
the respiration is slow and heavy. There is no marked excitement and no 
yomiting. Ifthe action were less prolonged, methylal would rank amongst 
the best of anesthetics. It is a very agreeable vapour to inhale. 
ForMIAtTE oF Eruyt. 
The last agent which I tested was the formiate of ethyl. The composition 
of the formiate is C,H, O,, the boiling-point 130°, the vapour-density 37°. 
It is made by distilling alcohol with formic acid. In the vapour of this 
substance animals fall into a stupor, but do not actually sleep. They have 
considerable muscular excitement, and vomiting is easily excited. The 
vapour is also irritating to the throat and to the air-passages of the lung. 
My chief object in testing the formiate of ethyl was to compare its action 
with that of the acetate of methyl, with which it is isomeric. The action of 
the two is different; the acetate produces deep stupor without muscular ex- 
citement. 
On THE NEUTRALIZATION OF some Potsons BY THE Merny AND Ernyn Serres. 
The last line of research to which I shall refer in this Report relates to the 
employment of the members of the methyl and ethyl series for the purpose 
of neutralizing alkaloidal poisons. From the fact that iodide of potassium 
and iodide of methyl produce very definite curative effects in some forms of 
disease, it occurred to me that possibly they underwent change of constitution 
in the body, forming, with a foreign and injurious agent, a new compound, 
This view was confirmed by an observation made some years ago while con- 
ducting experiments on the synthesis of cataract. I found then, and recorded 
the fact in Brown-Sequa~d’s Journal in 1860, that while chloride of potassium 
and chloride of sodium would produce a synthesis of cataract, the correspond- 
ing iodide salts would not. Hence I concluded that the iodides, even in 
organisms so low as frogs, were decomposed. The question, therefore, came 
before me, whether the iodides would neutralize in the organism the action 
of some of the better known poisons of the alkaloidal type. 
To test this the following research was made; it dated from the 24th of 
October last year, 1867. 
Three solutions were prepared. One consisted of 2 minims of iodide of 
ethyl, mixed with 30 of water. Two consisted of 30 minims of water and 
alcohol, holding the 51, of a grain of strychnia. Zhree consisted of 3, of a 
grain of strychnia with 2 minims of iodide of ethyl and 30 of alcohol and 
water. 
A frog was injected with the solution number 1. It became tetanic in 
one minute anda half. Another frog was injected with the solution num- 
ber 3, 7. é. the solution of strychnia and iodide of ethyl. This frog also be- 
came tetanic in one minute and a half. 
The frog number 1 was now injected with a solution containing 5 minims of 
the iodide of ethyl; within ten minutes the spontaneous tetanus had ceased, 
and spasm produced under the influence of irritation was very much less. In 
twenty minutes there was entire relaxation, but with faint twitches when the 
skin was touched. i 
The frog number 2 was next injected with a solution containing 1 minim 
of iodide of ethyl. There was immediate relaxation of the tetanic spasm, and 
irritation brought on no spasm. 
One hour after this the frog number 1 still twitched when touched, while 
