242 



" 2nd. I administered to a large dog half a draclim of the extract. Fifteen 

 minutes aftei, breathing hurried, fceces expelled, vomited several times so 

 severely that I was perfectly persuaded that the poison had been expelled. At 

 the expiration of thirty minutes, tremors and slight twitching of the muscles of 

 the extremities and very much afraid to move out of one position. Then 

 a severe paroxysm of convulsions, gnashing of teeth and frothing at the 

 mouth, the paroxysm lasting about four minutes, then a remission of ten or 

 twelve minutes, which was followed by the most severe and final paroxysm. 



" In the above two cases, the extract had been prepared but two days. 



" 3rd. On the afternoon of the third day after the preparation of the extract, 

 I administered the same quantity to a similarly sized dog. At the expiration 

 of thirty minixtes, it having produced no effect, repeated the dose in a Jluid 

 state. The double dose merely produced sickness and slight tremor. 



" On the fourth day the extract had become very thin and watery, which 

 led me to suppose that spontaneous decomposition had destroyed its poisonous 

 property. I therefore increased the dose to two drachms, yet no symptom of 

 poisoning. 



" A few days after the above mentioned experiments were made, I, with 

 the assistance of Mr. Hughes, administered about a drachm of fresh extract 

 to two dogs. To one of the dogs the extract was given in a mixture of lime 

 and water. It remained in the stomach for several minutes before vomiting 

 commenced. After the expiration of half an hour from the cessation of 

 vomiting, we determined to administer a drachm of the extract alone, being 

 merely dissolved in a little water. This he retained for twenty minutes 

 without any vomiting taking place. We then administered to him a quantity 

 of lime mixture. He never showed the slightest symptom of poisoning. 

 To the other dog the extract was given in a quantity of water merely. A few 

 minutes after administration, symptoms of poisoning commenced, and in twenty 

 minutes he had a regular attack of pure tetanic convulsions. Immediately 

 after the first paroxysm, we emptied into the stomach a quantity of the lime 

 mixture, after which he had one severe fit, from which he recovei^ed rapidly, 

 and in the course of a very short period he was perfectly free from all symp- 

 toms of poisoning. 



" We administered to a rabbit about thirty grains in the solution of lime, 

 it never evinced the slightest symptom of poisoning.* 



"In every case in which we administered the lime mixture the animal 

 recovered rapidly, and when the extract was active it invariably gave fumes 

 of ammonia on being mixed with lime. 



* Tutu does not act as a poison upon rabbits. I kept two of them for two days 

 feeding upon tutu leaves, and afterwards gave tliem several large doses of the poisonous 

 extract. I thought one of them appeared a little stupefied, but it would eat well enough 

 notwithstanding. 



