DR THOMAS R. FRASER ON STROPHANTHUS HISPIDUS. 409 



4.51. Heart still motionless in extreme ventricular diastole. On touching the heart, 4 contractions occurred, 

 and then the heart became motionless in the above condition, and it continued so until 5.0. 

 On the following day, at 



11 a.m. The heart was still motionless, but the ventricle was less distended than when the observations 

 were stopped on the previous day. Mechanical irritation produced no movement of ventricle 

 or auricles. 



Experiment CXII. — Weight of frog, 662 grains. 0*003 of sulphate of atropine, 



followed by 1 minim of 0'05 grain strophanthin in 100 minims ( = 0'0005 grain), applied 



to heart. 



11.4. Brain destroyed. 



11.9. Heart exposed, and pericardium removed. 



11.11 to 11.13. Heart's contractions 23 per 30 sec. Abrupt diastole, relatively prolonged systole. 



11.14. Applied to heart's surface 0'003 grain of sulphate of atropine in - 2 per cent, solution. 



11.15 to 11.16. Heart's contractions 22 per 30 sec. 



11.17 to 11.25. Heart's contractions 21 per 30 sec. 



11.27 to 11.29. Heart's contractions 22 per 30 sec. 



11.30. Applied to surface of heart 1 minim of - 05 grain of strophanthin in 100 minims ( = 0'0005 grain). 



11.32. Heart's contractions 22 per 30 sec. 



11.33 to 11.38. Heart's contractions 19 per 30 sec. Abrupt diastole, relatively prolonged systole of ventricle. 



11.40 to 11.47. Heart's contractions 18 per 30 sec. Do. 



11.49 to 11.52. Heart's contractions 16 per 30 sec. Do. 



11.53 to 11.58. Heart's contractions 15 per 30 sec. Slight interruption in early part of ventricular diastole. 



12.0. Heart's contractions 13 per 30 sec. 



12.2 and 12.3. Heart's contractions 10 per 30 sec. 



12.4. Heart's contractions 9 per 30 sec. Diastole of ventricle slow, with slight pause in complete diastole ; 



systole powerful, complete, and deliberate. 

 12.6 to 12.9. Heart's contractions 8 per 30 sec. Do. 



12.13 to 12.22. Heart's contractions 7 per 30 sec. Do. Ventricle is very large and dark in complete 



diastole, and distinct pause then occurs. 

 12.29. Heart's contraction 5 per 30 sec. Do. ; regular. 



12.33. Heart's contractions 4 per 30 sec. Irregular ; distinct pauses of ventricle in complete diastole 



12.34. Heart motionless for 1 min. in complete ventricular diastole. 



12.35. Heart's contractions 8 per 30 sec. Irregular pauses. Once two auricular contractions occurred for 



one ventricular. 

 12.37. Pause for 40 sec. in complete ventricular diastole; then a contraction followed by a pause for 40 



sec. ; then a contraction followed by a pause for 30 sec. ; and heart so continued to contract, 



with varying pauses in extreme diastole of ventricle, till 

 1.5. When ventricle ceased to contract spontaneously, and remained at rest in extreme diastole. The 



auricles continued to contract with diminishing rate and strength till 1.40. 

 1.41. Slight mechanical irritation of the ventricle or of either auricle was followed by a single feeble 



contraction of the chamber irritated. After the contraction the heart became motionless, with 



the ventricle in extreme diastole, and the auricles in a moderately dilated condition ; and no 



further spontaneous contractions occurred. 

 3.15. The ventricle is not quite so large as at time of previous note. The heart was excised, and sections 



of the ventricular walls gave with red litmus-paper a distinctly alkaline reaction. 



In these five experiments, therefore, the previous administration of atropine did not 

 prevent, nor, indeed, in any conspicuous manner modify, the production by Strophanthus 

 of the changes in the heart's contractions which have been shown to follow its application 

 to frogs to whom no atropine had been administered (Experiments LXXV.-LXXVIIL). 



