STROPHANTHUS SARMENTOSTJS : ITS PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION. 



371 



Experiment XL VIII. — continued. 









Minimum Single-break Shock required. 







Muscles. 



Nerves. 



Interval. 







Notes. 



A. 



B. 



B. 



A. 





mm. 



mm. 



mm. 



mm. 





After Poisoning. 













150 minutes . 



190 



110 



60 



200 





155 „ 







190 



120 



50 



180 





160 „ 







190 



90 



30 



170 





170 „ 







140 



80 







150 





180 „ 







140 



80 







160 





190 „ 







130 



80 







160 





200 „ 







120 



80 







150 





210 „ 







160 



90 







150 





220 „ 







140 



80 







150 





230 „ 







140 



70 







150 





240 „ 







110 



70 













245 „ 







90 



60 













250 „ 







80 



40 













260 „ 







70 



60 













270 „ 







70 



60 













280 „ 







70 



60 













340 „ 







100 



80 













385 „ 







110 



70 













425 „ 







90 



60 













30 hrs. 15 min. 





70 

















34 „ 45 „ 





60 















Both muscles are distinctly acid to litmus 













paper. 



The above experiment shows that, where a muscle and its nerve-ends are acted 

 upon by S. sarmentosus, the response of the muscle to direct electrical stimuli is soon 

 diminished in comparison with the response elicited from a non-poisoned muscle, and 

 disappears completely some hours before the non-poisoned muscle ceases to respond to 

 direct stimulation. Further, it is seen that electrical stimulation of the nerve-trunk of 

 the poisoned muscle fails to cause any contraction in its muscle within three hours of 

 poisoning, and causes only a modified response within two hours ; while, on the other 

 hand, electrical stimulation of the nerve-trunk of a non-poisoned muscle elicits a 

 contraction of its muscle for a considerable time after the poisoned muscle has ceased to 

 respond to stimulation of its nerve-trunk. As in experiments in which the extract was 

 subcutaneously administered, the poisoned muscle responds to direct electrical stimula- 

 tion of its fibres for several hours after stimulation of its nerve-trunk is ineffective. 

 The production of fibrillary twitches is specially evident in experiments of this kind 

 (Experiment XL VIII.). The next experiment was made in order to determine whether 

 these twitches result from an action on the nerve-ends in the muscle or from a direct 

 action upon the muscle-fibres. 



