THE ACTIONS OF PHYSOSTIGMA AND ATROPIA. 557 



the fibrillary muscular twitches had somewhat diminished, and accordingly it 

 was possible to ascertain with certainty that the rate of the cardiac contractions 

 was 44 per ten seconds. In one hour and ten minutes a little moisture was 

 seen at the mouth, and soon afterwards moist sounds occasionally accompanied 

 the respiratory movements. It was observed, at this time, that the two pupils 

 had become unequal in size, the right measuring, in full light, ^§ths x ^-§ths, and 

 the left ^ths x i^yths, of an inch. In one hour and fifteen minutes the animal 

 went about quite steadily ; there was no drooping of the head ; the respirations 

 were frequent and no longer accompanied with moist sounds ; the cardiac con- 

 tractions were at the rate of 35 in ten seconds ; and several soft and wet fsecal 

 pellets were passed, and a little urine was voided. The accumulation of mucus in 

 the larynx had not, however, been entirely got rid of ; for, every now and then, 

 a curious discordant sound, cough-like in its character, was heard, which was 

 unmistakably caused by an effort to get rid of some soft substance in the larynx. 

 In two hours these sounds had altogether ceased ; the rate of the cardiac 

 impulses was 41, that of the respiratory movements 22, per ten seconds ; and the 

 size of the right pupil was ^ths x A-^ths, and of the left 1% ths x ^§ths of an inch. 

 But with the exception of infrequently occurring fibrillary twitches, there was 

 no obvious symptom present. 



On the following day — twenty-seven hours after the commencement of the 

 experiment — the rabbit seemed to be perfectly well. The cardiac contractions 

 were occurring at the rate of 31, and the respiratory movements at that of 19, 

 in ten seconds ; and the pupils were still unequal, the right measuring ^-ths x 

 |f ths, and the left ^ths x ^ tns °f an mcn - 



On the third day the most notable change that had occurred was in the 

 rate of the cardiac contractions, which had by that time reassumed a normal 

 rate of 41 in ten seconds. It was not, however, until the seventh day, that the 

 pupils had resumed their previous size of i^g-ths x -^g-ths of an inch. 



On the twelfth day the rabbit was in a state of vigorous health ; its weight 

 was three pounds and two ounces and three quarters ; the rate of the heart's 

 contractions was 41, and that of the respirations 18, in ten seconds ; and the 

 pupils measured i^yths x M tns °f an inch. 



Experiment 46-b. — Two minutes after the last observations had been made, 

 the rabbit received, by subcutaneous injection, two grains and a half of extract 

 of physostigma. In three minutes and thirty seconds the rate of the cardiac 

 impulses had fallen to 36 in ten seconds ; the respirations were normal, and 

 there were no general symptoms except infrequent fibrillary twitches and 

 movements of the lips and mouth. In four minutes and forty seconds, how- 

 ever, the limbs became extended ; and in seven minutes stumbling move- 

 ments were made, while a slight increase in the size of the pupils was 



VOL. XXVI. PART III. 7 F 



