THEIE NATUEE AND EPPEOTS. 107 



1.53 P.M. Heart's action irregular; pupils widely 

 dilated. 



1.56 P.M. Eye no longer sensitive. 



1.58 P.M. Commenced artificial respiration ; eyes at 

 once became sensitive, and the heart's action, which was 

 before weak and slow, became strong and rapid — the 

 heart was beating nearly 200, but on stopping artificial 

 respiration it fell to 80, and gradually failed. 



2.11 P.M. Dead. 



Here there was gradual general paralysis, with spe- 

 cial paralysis of the tongue, vomiting, salivation, and 

 the convulsions of asphyxia and death. The mucus 

 vomited was at one period stained with blood, but this 

 ceased. In fact, in all essential particulars it is a well- 

 marked case of colubrine-poisoning. There is not a 

 sufficiently well-recorded case of snake-poisoning by a 

 Hoplooephalus or Pseudechis in the human subject to 

 quote here ; but it may be said, from the symptoms of 

 those cases that have been published, that they resemble 

 in their course the ordinary features of colubrine-poison- 

 ing, as seen with the cobra, but with a few minor 

 differences. There is a much greater tendency to vomit- 

 ing, which is very often stained with blood, as if this 

 was a special efiiect of the poison. Dilatation of the 

 pupil is very generally mentioned, often, also, swelling 

 of the parotid gland, but this occurs ajso in cobra- 

 poisffning. From certain remarks made about the 

 vision of the victims, I should not be surprised to find 



