454 DR T. R. FRASER ON SOME UNDESCRIBED TETANIC SYMPTOMS 



with violent convulsive spasms of the anterior extremities and of the trunk. 

 Moreover, to excite general tetanus, stimuli of a rather more severe, though still 

 slight, character were now required. 



With this modification in the constancy and readiness with which tetanus could 

 be excited, and with a slight diminution in the period during which an attack 

 lasted, the condition of the frog remained unchanged until the twentieth day. 



At this time — four hundred and fifty hours after the administration — the frog 

 had assumed a most extraordinary and ungainly attitude. It lay on the right 

 side, with the head bent downwards, by strong tonic spasm of the muscles of the 

 front of the abdomen, chest, and neck ; with the anterior extremities rigidly 

 clasped against the thorax (the webs being, as before, pressed against the oppo- 

 site elbows) ; and with the right posterior extremity extended, and the left drawn 

 forwards and slightly flexed. The disagreeable appearance resulting from this 

 attitude was greatly increased by the emaciation of the frog, which had gradually 

 increased for several days, until it had so far advanced that the frog now weighed 

 only 385 grains — its weight before the sulphate of atropia was given having been 



455 grains. At this time, excitation usually produced merely stiff and slow 

 movements of the posterior extremities, and increase of the tonic spasm of the 

 muscles in the other regions. Occasionally, however, a short attack of empros- 

 thotonic tetanus could still be excited. 



For other two days the frog remained in this condition; but on the twenty-third 

 day — five hundred and twenty-six hours after the administration — general tetanus 

 could not be excited by any stimulus, however strong. Stimulation only slightly 

 increased the tonic spasm of the muscles of the throat, anterior extremities, chest, 

 and abdomen, and caused slow and feeble movements of the posterior extremities. 



On the following day — the twenty-fourth of the experiment — the frog was 

 found dead and in rigor ; the emprosthotonic curve of the body and the rigid 

 flexion of the anterior extremities being retained in death. 



In this experiment the tetanic stage lasted for seventeen days, which in this 

 investigation is the longest period during which it has been observed to continue. 

 During eight days the attacks were extremely violent and prolonged ; during six 

 days neither could they be invariably excited, nor did they continue for quite so 

 long a period as before ; and during the three days that immediately preceded 

 the death of the animal they could but rarely be produced. 



Loss of weight is by no means an invariable occurrence after a long continu- 

 ance of the tetanic stage. Indeed, I am inclined to think that an opposite effect, 

 namely, augmentation of weight, more commonly occurs. The latter is caused 

 by general anasarca, and is sometimes very considerable. 



Allusion has been made in the general description of these remarkable 

 phenomena to the stage of complete paralysis having continued for several days. 

 In the following experiment its duration was five days. 



