CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION. 183 



and, however unnatural the position might seem to be, if it were consistent with 

 rest, sleep immediately occurred. In three hours, there was some difficulty in 

 rousing it, and when this was done, it remained awake for a few seconds only. In 

 six hours, the respirations had fallen to the slow rate of twenty-six in the minute. 

 This condition lasted, altogether, for about forty-eight hours, when spasms made 

 their appearance, which, by-and-by, assumed all the characters of epileptiform 

 convulsions. These epileptic fits frequently recurred, and could be excited, at any 

 time, by pinching the skin. They consisted of tonic spasms of the limbs and of 

 the abdominal muscles, followed by twisting of the head to the right, grinding 

 movements of the lower jaw, and violent opisthotonos. The rabbit was found 

 dead on the morning of the third day after the administration. 



The two subcutaneous cavities into which the morphia had been introduced 

 were laid open, and a small quantity of unabsorbed morphia was found in both. 

 The cavities into which iodide of methyl-morphium had been introduced were 

 also laid open, but none of this substance was found. 



We were unsuccessful in producing any symptoms by the internal administra- 

 tion of iodide of methyl-morphium. Thirty grains was found to be perfectly 

 inert when exhibited by the stomach, while the same rabbit was decidedly 

 narcotised with five grains of morphia similarly exhibited. It is interesting, for 

 the purpose of comparison, to give a short account of these two Experiments. 



Experiment CVI. — We suspended thirty grains of finely-powdered iodide of 

 methyl-morphium in distilled water, and injected the mixture into the stomach 

 of a rabbit, weighing three pounds and twelve ounces. It was observed for more 

 than two hours, but no symptoms could be detected. 



Experiment CVII. — We suspended five grains of finely-powdered morphia in 

 distilled water, and injected the mixture into the stomach of the rabbit that was 

 used, two days previously, in Experiment CVI. In one hour and six minutes, 

 the rabbit was observed to be sleepy, and it soon after laid its head on the table. 

 This sleepy condition became gradually more marked : in one hour and twenty- 

 five minutes, the rabbit Could be placed in almost any position, and slept thus ; 

 while about the same time, a condition resembling that of catalepsy was present, 

 for when we placed the rabbit on the back and raised the fore legs perpendicu- 

 larly upwards, it remained in this extraordinary attitude for several minutes. In 

 two hours and forty-one minutes, it was observed that the pupils, which 

 were small, did not contract on the approach of a bright light, nor did this 

 stimulus excite any movement of the body ; but the common sensibility was not 

 lost. The condition of cataleptic-like hypnotism lasted, altogether, about three 

 hours and twenty minutes. Soon after this, some voluntary movements were 

 made, and the rabbit gradually recovered to a perfectly normal state. 



Any conclusion drawn from experiments on such animals as rabbits, with a 

 substance whose predominating action is a soporific one, are always liable to 



VOL. XXV. PART I. 3A 



