DR THOMAS R. FRASER ON STROPHANTHUS HISPIDUS. 383 



tractile and alkaline. On the following day, the nerves and muscles in the non-poisoned 

 as well as in the poisoned regions were entirely inactive, and slight rigidity was now 

 present in the right (ligatured) pelvic extremity also. 



In these two experiments, therefore, the muscles to which Strophanthus had direct 

 access became non-contractile, rigid, and acid, in from two and a half to three and a half 

 hours ; whereas, in the same animals, the muscles protected from the direct contact 

 influence of Strophanthus remained contractile, non-rigid, and alkaline for many hours 

 longer. 



The long duration of the state of muscular rigidity, with acid reaction of the muscles, 

 is illustrated in Experiment LIX., where these conditions persisted for six days. 



The similarity of the muscular rigidity induced by Strophanthus to the ordinary 

 muscular rigor of death is displayed not only in an acid reaction of the muscles 

 being common to both, but also in the circumstance that the rigidity and acid reaction 

 persist in both until flaccidity with alkaline reaction take their place, on the occurrence 

 of putrefactive decomposition. 



These various characteristics of the muscle action of Strophanthus, which, in this 

 section, have been investigated by means of experiments on frogs, are also manifested 

 in warm-blooded animals, and they have been described in connection with them in 

 previous sections (see Experiments VIII. , IX., XVIII. , XXXV, and XXXVI. ). 



In order still further to examine the action on muscle, and at the same time to 

 record the changes that are produced in its condition, a number of experiments were 

 made with single detached muscles immersed in solutions of Strophanthus, and attached 

 to a lever connected with a revolving cylinder. For this purpose, an ordinary prepara- 

 tion of the gastrocnemius muscle of the frog was made, and the muscle was placed in a 

 small glass cylinder, which was closed by a cork at its lower end so as to retain the solu- 

 tions, but was left open at its upper end so as to render easy their introduction into, or 

 removal from, the cylinder. The muscle was fixed by its tendon to a small steel or 

 platinum S-shaped hook at the bottom of the cylinder, which was connected with a wire 

 passing through the cork, and leading to one of the poles of an induction apparatus. 

 One end of a similar hook was passed through the tendon at the knee-joint, and the 

 other end was attached, by means of a fine wire in electric connection with the other 

 pole of the induction apparatus, to a light lever adjusted for marking on smoked 

 paper covering a revolving cylinder. The muscle could thus be directly stimulated by 

 galvanism, and its stimulated or its spontaneous movements could be recorded by the 

 lever. In several of the experiments, the nerve-trunk was left attached to the muscle, 

 and arrangements were made to allow of its being stimulated independently of the 

 muscle. Single opening shocks from a Daniell's cell and Du Bois Keymond's apparatus 

 were used for stimulating either the muscle or the nerve. 



The usual procedure was to place 0'6 per cent, solution of common salt in the cylin- 

 drical reservoir so as to surround the muscle, and after having recorded the movements 

 and stimulated contractions of the muscle, to substitute for the simple saline solution 



VOL. XXXVI. PART II. (NO. 16.) 3 N 



