178 DRS CRUM BROWN AND FRASER ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN 



even an extremely feeble reflex movement. In twenty-four minutes, no move- 

 ment followed irritation of either the skin or eyeball, and the respirations were 

 mere gasping jerks. In thirty-two minutes, a series of feeble twitches occurred 

 in the face-muscles, and then the respirations entirely ceased. 



We immediately exposed the sciatic nerves, and examined their condition : 

 when they were stimulated with galvanism, slight movements followed in the 

 hind limbs at one minute after death ; but no movement could be excited at 

 one minute and thirty seconds. The heart was found to be contracting in 

 regular rhythm, at the rate of eighty-two in the minute. Forty-five minutes 

 after death, the body was perfectly flaccid, and there was not the slightest ap- 

 pearance of muscular rigidity. 



We may best display the marked differences between these physiological 

 effects and those that are caused by codeia, by describing an experiment in which 

 the rabbit that survived the administration of fifteen grains of iodide of methyl - 

 codeium, was quickly killed by the subcutaneous injection of one grain of codeia. 

 Experiment LXXXIX. — We dissolved one grain of codeia in some warm 

 distilled water, to which a few drops of rectified spirit had been added, and in- 

 jected the solution into the subcutaneous tissue of the rabbit, which was some 

 days previously the subject of Experiment LXXXIV. In fifteen minutes, faint 

 twitches occurred in some of the muscles of the back ; and, soon after, a slight touch 

 excited a violent start. Spontaneous spasmodic starts now followed each other, 

 until one hour and eleven minutes, when a violent tetanic convulsion of an opis- 

 thotonic character occurred. For some time before this, it was observed that 

 the hind limbs trailed slightly when movements were attempted, indicating, 

 apparently, a slight degree of motor paralysis. The first tetanic convulsion was 

 followed by trismus, which lasted for a few seconds, and by a succession of slight 

 spasms ; and soon after its occurrence, unsuccessful efforts were made to recover 

 a normal position. In one hour and thirty minutes, a second violent tetanic con- 

 vulsion took place, and this presented the character of emprosthotonos rather 

 than of opisthotonos. Such convulsions now recurred after intervals of a few 

 minutes, and at the termination of one of them, one hour and forty-five minutes 

 after the administration of the poison, the rabbit died. In fifteen minutes after 

 death, strong rigor mortis was present. 



We introduced iodide of methyl-codeium into the stomach of rabbits on two 

 occasions. In one of these, fifteen grains were thus administered, and in the other, 

 thirty grains ; but no effect was produced by either dose. Codeia itself, how- 

 ever, is by no means a violent poison when given to rabbits in this manner. We 

 made a considerable number of experiments, but did not succeed in causing death 

 even with fifteen grains. In the following experiment we employed ten grains. 



Experiment XCIV. — By means of a gum-elastic catheter, we injected ten 

 grains of codeia, dissolved in warm distilled water to which a few drops of 



