PuysroLocicaL AcTION OF NITROBENZENE VAPOR ON ANIMALS 423 
twelve hours. Post-mortem examinations showed dark blood, congestion 
of the brain membranes, and a pronounced odor of nitrobenzene in the 
tissues. All the organs were normal. (it will be remembered that Ollivier 
and Bergeron were unable to detect the odor of the drug in the tissues 
of a poisoned animal.) After introducing 1 mil of nitrobenzene into the 
mouth of a hen, Guttmann observed that the bird closed its eyes and 
had an unsteady gait, but recovered shortly. Later he gave 2 mils to 
the same bird, and it quickly became unconscious and died during the 
night. The brain was hyperemic, as in the case of the rabbits. 
In regard to the action of the vapor, Guttmann states that Charvet 
breathed a “thick vapor ”’ of nitrobenzene for several hours without ill 
effects, altho he had seen complete anesthesia and sleep produced in 
a dog after an exposure of one and a half hours to the vapor. He also 
says that Buisson denies that the vapor has any narcotic effect, and more- 
over that Ollivier and Bergeron killed cats and guinea pigs by exposing them 
to the vapor for from two to three hours. Guttman therefore placed 
pigeons under a bell jar and caused them to breathe the vapor of the 
drug. He observed no effects after an exposure of one hour, but produced 
death by an exposure of from two to three hours. He states that the 
symptoms are the same after vapor inhalation as after subcutaneous 
injections or after ingestion of the liquid. Guttmann did not observe 
convulsions in the animals poisoned, nor did he have a very long latent 
period as described by Letheby. He could not explain the latent period, 
but believed that Letheby’s explanation was not correct, since in rabbits 
killed by ingesting four grams of nitrobenzene he could find no trace 
of anilin in the urine or in the organs. He used the calcitum-hypochlorite 
test. He observes that Bergmann, who also could find no anilin in the 
tissues of the poisoned animals, ascribes the cause of the latent period 
to slow absorption of the drug; but Guttmann points out that this theory 
is not in accord with the cause of the rapid action which is often produced. 
He also found nitrobenzene in the blood of rabbits twenty-five minutes 
after subcutaneous injections. 
- Kulenberg (1876) killed a cat by exposing it to the vapor of nitro- 
benzene under a bell jar. He describes the symptoms as staggering, 
stupor, and soon. He states that the action of the vapor is more rapid 
than the action of the liquid. This contradicts Guttmann, who found 
the action of the vapor slower. Eulenberg could find no trace of anilin. 
