270 



BR JAMES A. GUNN ON 



In the case of sub-lethal doses the fall of temperature is comparatively slight, e.g. 

 the temperature of a rabbit which received four-fifths of the minimum lethal dose fell 

 from 39° C. to 37° C. in 1^ hours. The fall is greater in the case of lethal doses ; e.g., 

 the temperature of a rabbit which received 1^ minimum lethal dose fell from 38° C. to 

 34° C. in one hour. However, the extent of the fall of temperature is not proportional 

 to the dose in the case of lethal doses. The fall is progressive, and is the greater 

 the longer the animal lives after injection. Thus, as was seen in the account of 

 Experiment 12, the temperature of a guinea-pig which received a minimum lethal dose 



Fig. 17. 



was as low as 21° C. before death, which occurred 7§ hours after injection. Simpson 

 and Herring * have shown that with such a low temperature a warm-blooded animal 

 is narcotised by cold, and that when the temperature falls below 24° C. the animal 

 cannot recover unless artificially warmed. Therefore in this case the profound fall of 

 temperature is probably a contributory cause of death. 



H. Action on the Uterus. 



In view of the employment of harmaline in India to procure abortion, it was 

 interesting to ascertain whether experimental evidence could be found of an action on 

 the uterine muscle. In some experiments made for this purpose the following method 

 was used. 



* Journal of Physiology, 1905, p. 305. 



