CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION. 165 



It remained on the side when so placed, but unsuccessful resistance was niade to 

 this change of position. In three hours and thirty-eight minutes, the flaccid 

 state was even more marked, the position was changed without any resistance 

 on the part of the rabbit, severe pinching only occasionally excited a reflex 

 movement, but the respiratory movements were at the rate of sixty-eight per 

 minute. These symptoms continued for other twenty minutes, when some volun- 

 tary movements were made, and soon after, the flaccid condition had nearly dis- 

 appeared. On the following morning, the animal appeared to be perfectly well. 

 In the experiment we next give, a fatal dose was administered. 



Experiment XLI. — We injected, in all, eighteen grains of iodide of methyl- 

 brucium, suspended and dissolved in warm distilled water, into two subcu- 

 taneous cavities formed over the abdomen of a rabbit, weighing three pounds 

 and twelve ounces. No result was observed until twenty-seven minutes, when 

 uneasiness was manifested by restless movements, and slight quivers were 

 seen in the muscles of the neck. In thirty minutes, there was great difficulty in 

 supporting the head, which shook tremulously, and frequently fell on the table, 

 where it eventually remained at thirty-two minutes. The body was still supported 

 on the limbs, though by no means steadily. In thirty-seven minutes, it lay on 

 the table and remained on the side, unresisting and flaccid. The respirations 

 were, at this time, at the rate of forty-eight per minute, and were occasionally 

 interrupted by faint quivering movements, but these had no spasmodic char- 

 acter. In forty-five minutes, the respirations were thirty-six per minute, and 

 the heart's contractions 160 per minute. In one hour, the respirations were 

 twenty-five per minute ; and irritation of the conjunctiva did not now cause any 

 movements of the eyelids. In one hour and seven minutes, the respiratory 

 movements were irregular and shallow, only about sixteen occurring in the 

 minute, while the heart was contracting at the rate of 120 per minute. The 

 limbs were perfectly flaccid and motionless. The respiratory movements gra- 

 dually became less apparent, a series of feeble quivers occurred in the muscles 

 of the face, and death immediately afterwards occurred, one hour and thirteen 

 minutes after the administration. 



In the autopsy, the cardiac action was found to be regular and rhythmical, 

 though only at the rate of seventy-four per minute. In three minutes after 

 death, galvanism of the sciatic, phrenic, and other nerves, did not produce any 

 muscular contraction ; while it was found by direct galvanism that the muscles 

 retained their contractibility for many minutes afterwards. Rigor mortis did 

 not occur until more than one hour after death. 



For the purpose of contrasting these symptoms with those that are caused by 

 brucia itself, we shall describe, very briefly, an experiment in which the rabbit, 

 that recovered after the administration of fifteen grains of iodide of methyl- 

 brucium, was rapidly killed by a somewhat large dose of brucia. 



