548 DR THOMAS R. FRASER ON THE ANTAGONISM BETWEEN 



was still further indicated by the head being often kept up, without any 

 trembling, for several seconds, and by the back being again arched ; but the 

 limbs were still sprawling helplessly, and no general movement could be accom- 

 plished. The cardiac impulse was now found to recur 47 times in ten seconds, 

 and the pupils to measure -5-Jths x i^yths of an inch, while only rarely a weak 

 twitch in some portion of the panniculus camosus muscle could be detected. 

 The observations were now interrupted until six hours and thirty minutes after 

 the injection of physostigma, by which time a very great improvement had taken 

 place in the condition of the animal. A normal sitting posture had been 

 resumed ; paralytic symptoms had almost disappeared, and the rabbit was able 

 to go about without much difficulty ; and neither general tremors nor fibrillary 

 twitchings occurred. The rate of the heart's action was 31 in ten seconds ; the 

 respirations were irregular, being 20 in one period of ten seconds, and 27 in 

 another ; and the pupils measured i^jths x ^ths of an inch. It was seen that in 

 the interval during which no observations were made a large quantity of fasces, 

 having normal characters, had been passed ; but no urine had yet been voided. 



On the following clay, the rabbit was found going about actively, and freely 

 consumed the food that was given to it. The cardiac impulse was at the rate 

 of 27, and the respirations were at that of about 12, in ten seconds ; but the 

 latter were very irregular. The pupils measured i^jyths x -|-&ths of an inch. 



On the third day, the cardiac impulse was at the rate of 37, and the respira- 

 tions (now pretty regular), were at that of 24 in ten seconds ; and the pupils 

 measured J^ths x i^yths of an inch. 



On the fifth day, the cardiac impulse was at the rate of 40, and the respira- 

 tions were at that of 23, in ten seconds ; and the pupils measured A-g-ths x 

 ^§ths of an inch. By this time, therefore, every appreciable effect of the ex- 

 periment had disappeared. 



On the ninth day, a dose of extract, weighing only one-third of that which 

 had been given in this experiment, was administered to the same rabbit ; and 

 the results of this administration will now be described. 



Experiment 42- b — The rabbit now weighed three pounds and five ounces ; 

 and immediately before the administration, the rate of the heart's impulse was 42, 

 and that of the respirations 21, in ten seconds. One grain and three-tenths 

 of extract of physostigma was mixed with 20 minims of distilled water, and 

 the mixture injected under the skin at the right flank. The syringe was then 

 washed out with a few drops of distilled water, and the washing in its turn 

 injected under the skin at the right hip. Within one minute and thirty 

 seconds thereafter, faint fibrillary twitchings occurred, at rare intervals, at the 

 right flank. , These gradually increased in frequency, until they became a pro- 

 minent symptom, within four minutes from the commencement of the injection. 

 At this time, the heart's rate had diminished to 33 in ten seconds ; but the 



