HISTORICAL SKETCH. 25 



caused by the other agents. Moreover, he found the symp- 

 toms to differ from those of typhoid fever, cholera, pysemia, 

 anthrax, and sausage poisoning. He was also in doubt as to 

 whether the poison acted directly upon the nervous system, 

 or whether it acted as a ferment upon the blood, causing 

 decomposition, the products of which affected the nerve- 

 centres ; but he was sure that it could not correspond to 

 the ordinary ferments, inasmuch as it was not decomposed 

 by prolonged boiling nor by treatment with absolute alcohol. 

 Certainly, the putrid poison could not consist of a living 

 organism. 



The symptoms observed by Panum varied greatly with 

 the quantity of the poison used and the strength of the 

 animal. After the intravenous injection of large doses, 

 death followed in a very short time. In these cases there 

 were violent cramps, and involuntary evacuations of the 

 urine and feces ; the respirations were labored, the pallor 

 was marked, sometimes followed by cyanosis, the pulse 

 feeble, the pupils widely dilated, and the eyes projecting. 

 In these cases the autopsy did not reveal any lesion, save 

 that the blood was dark, imperfectly coagulated and slightly 

 infiltrated through the tissue. Post-mortem putrefaction 

 came on with extraordinary rapidity. 



When smaller doses or more vigorous animals were used, 

 the symptoms did not appear before from a quarter of an 

 hour to two hours, and sometimes even later. In these 

 cases the symptoms were less violent, and the animal gen- 

 erally recovered. In all instances, however, the disturbances 

 were more or less marked. 



In addition to the " putrid poison," Panum obtained a 

 narcotic substance, the two being separated by the solubility 

 of the narcotic in alcohol. The alcoholic extract was evap- 

 orated to dryness, the residue dissolved in water and injected 

 into the jugular vein of a dog. The animal fell into a deep 

 sleep, which remained unbroken for twenty-four hours, 

 when it awoke apparently in perfect health. 



Panum's first contributions, which were published in 

 Danish, did not attract the attention which they deserved, 

 until after the lapse of several years. Now, however, their 



