399 
wu. Phys.: also Festgabe, C. Ludwig Gewidmet, p. 222), the 
author found that when the ventricle had apparently ceased 
to beat, forcible distension of its cavity with a normal solution 
brought back a temporary series of pulsations ; but this restora- 
tion is possible only within a narrow range of time, and as 
Schmiedeberg himself seems to admit, cannot be regarded as 
shewing that the poison’s chief action consists in preventing the 
normal muscular relaxation following upon each systole. 
Repeating Neufeld’s observation (Stud. Phys. Inst., Breslau, 
Ill. p. 97) the author found that strong solutions of potassium 
cyanide would sometimes restore the beat for a short time— 
but in this case also the phase at which this could be effected. 
was very transient and very frequently failed, and inasmuch as 
such solutions are capable of stimulating muscular tissue di- 
rectly, he was led to the conclusion that the restoration when 
obtained is not due to any relaxing action of the cyanide but to 
its chemical stimulation of the cardiac muscles. 
When the vagus is stimulated in the earlier stages of antiar 
poisoning, inhibition is obtained as usual, but is followed by 
a somewhat lengthened period in which the beats are both 
more rapid and more forcible. 
When the antiar has produced such an effect on the heart 
that its beats are exceedingly feeble and hardly capable of 
being recorded, this secondary action of vagus stimulation 
becomes exceedingly marked, the pulsations during its con- 
tinuance being as forcible or even more forcible than normal, 
and at the same time rapid. 
Lastly, a stage of poisoning may be witnessed when the 
ventricle is apparently at rest (i.e. not pulsating at all as far as 
the eye can judge, though of course in the contracted state so 
characteristic of antiar), where stimulation of the vagus pro- 
duces no inhibition (for there is no beat to stop) but is followed 
by a lengthened series of often very vigorous and rapid pulsa- 
tions. The author could not satisfy himself that during the 
