LEVINE: Two SPECIES OF POISONOUS MUSHROOMS 195 
It is quite evident that infusions of P. venenosus and P. retirugis 
have a distinct effect on the blood pressure of a cat. Whether 
the decrease and increase is due to localized or general dilatation 
or constriction of the blood vessels, I did not attempt to deter- 
mine. It is evident, however, that the changes in the blood pres- 
sure are not due to the heart-beat. Ав far as my experiments go, 
they tend to show that the heart-beat is accelerated by Panaeolus 
infusion in small quantities and this effect is quite lasting. The 
acceleration may be due to the paralysis of the vagus termina- 
tions, as later experiments tend to show. As noted below, applica- 
tions of Panaeolus infusions to exposed hearts of frogs and turtles 
show no effect. In this respect the infusions I have used are like 
cocaine (Mosso, 1887, 1890) and nicotine, coniine, and piperidine 
(Moore and Row, 1898). 
THE EFFECT OF PANAEOLUS INFUSION ON MOTOR NERVES 
In these experiments the sciatic nerve and the gastrocnemius 
muscle of frogs weighing 45-50 gm. were used. The muscle was 
excised in the manner described above so that the skin was left as 
a covering about it. The muscle was then attached to a writing 
lever and the sciatic nerve was stretched over two pairs of elec- 
trodes thoroughly protected from currents of air. Single induc- 
tion shocks were used to stimulate the nerve. After a number of 
normal contractions of the gastrocnemius muscle were recorded by 
stimulating the nerve, infusion No. 13 (P. venenosus) was applied 
to thecentral end of the nerve by means of a camel's-hair brush. 
` Immediately after this the nerve was stimulated and normal con- 
tractions of the gastrocnemius muscle were obtained. After 5 to 
IO applications of the extract to the nerve in a period of 3 to 5 
minutes, stimulating by the make shock failed to produce a 
contraction of the muscle and the effects of the break shock 
became less and finally disappeared. On stimulating the nerve 
through the peripheral electrodes normal contractions were ob- 
tained by both make and break shocks. Moving the central 
electrode successively from its original place to 14, 9, and 34 of 
the distance between it and the peripheral electrode and stimu- 
lating the curve at each point gave in each case normal contrac- 
tions of the muscle, while stimulating the nerve centrally to the 
first central point gave no reaction. 
