PRODUCED BY ATROPIA IN COLD-BLOODED ANIMALS. 469 



On the following day — twenty-two hours after the administration — this state 

 of flaccidity was present everywhere, except in the right (non-poisoned) leg, which 

 was extended somewhat stiffly. The skin of this leg, below its upper third, was 

 also paler than that of any other part of the body, and, occasionally, spasmodic 

 contractions occurred spontaneously in the right foot, the rest of the body remain- 

 ing motionless. When the skin of any region — poisoned or non-poisoned — was 

 touched, a sudden and violent tetanic convulsion occurred in the right (non- 

 poisoned) leg, continuing in it sometimes for four seconds, and at others for from 

 six to eight seconds ; while at the same time merely feeble twitches occurred in 

 the left leg and in the two anterior extremities. After several such attacks had 

 been excited in rapid succession, a repetition of the excitation still caused well- 

 marked tetanus of the right leg, but it did not cause any movement whatever 

 in the poisoned regions. The heart was now contracting only twelve times in the 

 minute, and the respirations were very infrequent. 



On the third day— fifty hours after the administration — the anterior extre- 

 mities had become flexed, so as slightly to raise the head; there was some 

 improvement in the character of the respiratory movements ; and tetanic con- 

 vulsions, which frequently lasted for ten seconds, could be excited in the right 

 (non-poisoned) leg, while merely clonic spasms appeared in the other extremities. 



On the fourth day — seventy-two hours after the administration — a slight 

 irritation of the skin was followed by a general tetanic convulsion, during which, 

 however, the right (non-poisoned) leg was very slightly affected. A weak inter- 

 rupted galvanic current applied to the right sciatic nerve, below the ligatures, 

 excited only some faint movements in that limb, while it excited a violent attack 

 of tetanus in the rest of the body (poisoned regions). 



For several days afterwards, tetanic convulsions could still be excited ; but 

 now the right posterior extremity took no part whatever in these — the stoppage 

 of the circulation having obviously destroyed the vitality of its structures. 



Experiment XLV. — Immediately after ligaturing the right sciatic artery and 

 veins of a frog, weighing 322 grains, I injected a solution of three-tenths of a grain 

 of sulphate of atropia, in four minims of distilled water, under the skin of the 

 left flank. 



On the second day — at forty-five hours after the administration — faint reflex 

 movements could everywhere be excited by gentle stimulation of the skin ; but 

 these movements were most marked in the right (non-poisoned) posterior extremity. 



On the third day — at forty-five hours after the administration — the reflex 

 movements rarely occurred anywhere but in the right posterior extremity. On 

 the same day, at fifty-one hours, the right (non-poisoned) posterior extremity 

 became extended in violent tetanus when stimulation was applied to any portion 

 of the skin, while everywhere else only feeble reflex movements occurred. 



On the fourth day — seventy-three hours after the administration — stimulation 



VOL. XXV. PART II. 6 E 



