THE ACTIONS OF PHYSOSTIGMA AND ATROPIA. 549 



respirations still retained their previous frequency. In six minutes, the rate of 

 the heart's impulse was 28, and that of the respirations 21, in ten seconds ; the 

 fibrillary twitches had become rather more frequent and marked ; and move- 

 ments of the mouth and lips occurred, which were of such a kind as to suggest 

 that some substance was being moved from the anterior part of the mouth and 

 swallowed. There was no other symptom present, and the rabbit sat quietly 

 on the elevated table on which it had been placed. In eight minutes, however, 

 uneasiness was manifested by some restless movements, which at first were 

 somewhat unsteadily performed, and by-and-by were attended with stumblings 

 and occasional slight tremors. The latter symptoms appeared to be caused by 

 an undue extension rather than by flaccidity of the limbs. In ten minutes, the 

 four limbs were in almost complete extension, and the rabbit either stood 

 unsteadily, or went about stiffly and with stumblings on the limbs thus extended. 

 The pupils measured ^§ths x iHjths of an inch ; and moist sounds frequently 

 accompanied the slightly accelerated respiratory movements. No marked 

 change occurred in the condition of the rabbit for several minutes ; but at 

 fourteen minutes after the injection, the extended state of the anterior extre- 

 mities had almost entirely disappeared, and the thorax not infrequently rested 

 on the table, while the pelvis and posterior parts of the body were elevated on 

 the still extended posterior extremities. The pupils had now contracted to 

 ^ths x ihjths of an inch, and the heart's rate had decreased r to 22 beats in ten 

 seconds. In eighteen minutes, the rabbit lay on the abdomen and chest, with 

 the head drooping, and occasionally resting on the table ; the respirations 

 occurred 25 times in ten seconds, and were accompanied with noisy bubbling 

 sounds ; frothy saliva was escaping from the mouth ; and fasces, of a green 

 colour and semi-liquid consistence, were being passed. Soon, the respiratory 

 movements became laboured, less frequent, and often greatly obstructed by 

 accumulations of frothy fluid in the mouth and air-passages ; and the rabbit 

 was extended on the abdomen, with the head resting on the table, from which 

 it was raised, though with difficulty, whenever the respiratory movements were 

 much impeded. In twenty minutes, some general struggling movements 

 occurred, obviously due to obstructed respiration, and the rabbit fell over on 

 the side. The cardiac impulses were now at the rate of 18 in ten seconds ; 

 the pupils measured ^ths x 5 5 oths of an inch ; and the fibrillary twitchings were 

 very frequent, and affected the whole surface of the animal. The difficulty in 

 the performance of the respiratory movements gradually became greater, until, 

 in twenty-nine minutes, only one very laboured, gasping respiration occurred 

 every ten seconds. Soon afterwards, two or three series of weak tremors affected 

 the animal, and at the termination of the last of these the respirations alto- 

 gether ceased, and death took place — thirty-one minutes after the commence- 

 ment of the first injection. 



VOL. XXVI. PART III. 7 D 



