CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION. 167 



pounds and thirteen ounces and three-quarters. In ten minutes, the animal had 

 obviously some difficulty in moving about, and it could not stand steadily. The 

 limbs soon after yielded, and it lay down on the abdomen, chest, and lower jaw ; 

 while occasional quivering movements occurred in the muscles of the body. 

 In thirty-four minutes, it lay unresisting and quiet on the side, and the respira- 

 tions were at the rate of seventy-four per minute. In forty minutes, the 

 respirations were at the rate of fifty-four per minute. It lay in a perfectly 

 relaxed and quiet condition, and when the skin was severely irritated, only 

 extremely feeble reflex movements followed. In one hour and two minutes, the 

 respirations were at the rate of forty-eight per minute ; and though irritation of 

 the cornea or conjunctiva did not cause any movement of the eyelids, reflex 

 movements could be excited by severe pinching of the skin. This condition of 

 helpless prostration continued for about thirty minutes, during which some faint 

 twitches of the body and jerking movements of the limbs occasionally occurred. 

 Soon after this, however, a marked improvement was observed : the respirations 

 became fuller and more frequent ; irritation of the eyeball was followed by con- 

 tractions of the eyelids ; and, at last, well-directed efforts were made to recover a 

 normal position, and these ultimately proved successful at about two hours after 

 the poison had been injected. The rabbit recovered perfectly. 



Experiment LIV. — Two and a-half-grains of sulphate of methyl-brucium was 

 dissolved in fifteen minims of distilled water, and administered by subcutaneous 

 injection to a rabbit, weighing three pounds and fourteen ounces and a-half. In 

 twenty-two minutes, the animal was lying on the abdomen and chest, but the 

 head was still supported by the muscles of the neck; there was distinct congestion 

 of the ears and conjunctiva. In thirty-five minutes, the head had fallen on the 

 table, and the rabbit was perfectly flaccid, and apparently unable to make any 

 voluntary movements. The respirations were at the rate of eighty-two per 

 minute. In fifty-three minutes, the number of the respirations had diminished 

 to twenty-four per minute, while their character was extremely feeble and 

 shallow. In one hour and two minutes, the respiratory movements occurred at 

 long intervals, and were accompanied with a faint tremor of the body and limbs ; 

 and it was ascertained that the cardiac contractions were occurring regularly, at 

 the rate of 160 beats per minute. In one hour and ten minutes, the respirations 

 altogether ceased, and death occurred. During the progress of the symptoms, 

 the reflex excitability was frequently tested, with the result that not the slightest 

 increase was ever observed. 



The autopsy was immediately made : the heart was found contracting at the 

 rate of 120 per minute ; the vermicular action of the intestines was well marked ; 

 the conductivity of the sciatic nerves was lost three minutes after death ; and idio- 

 muscular irritability persisted for more than twenty minutes afterwards. Rigor 

 mortis had not commenced forty minutes after death. 



VOL. XXV. PART I. 2 U 



