STROPHANTHUS SARMENTOSUS : ITS PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION. 



387 



Experiment LVII. — continued. 



Interval. 



Contractions in 10 seconds. 



Notes. 



Auricles. 



Ventricle. 



After Strophanthus. 

 30 minutes . 



35 „ . . 



37 „ . . 



38 „ . . 



40 „ . . 



47 „ . . 



50 „ . 



62 „ . . 



... 



... 



Four auricular and four ventricular contractions in 30 seconds ; 

 in systole the ventricle is very small and pale, in diastole it 

 becomes mottled and does not expand much ; the auricles 

 fail to drive their contents into the ventricle ; at times long 

 pauses occur during which the ventricle is in moderate 

 diastole. 



A pause of more than 30 seconds occurred, during which the 

 auricles were dilated and the ventricle contracted, then the 

 whole heart gave a single contraction after a general struggle, 

 and resumed the pause. 



Another general struggle followed by a single contraction of 

 the heart. 



Another general struggle ; this time the heart did not con- 

 tract, but remained with auricles dilated and ventricle 

 contracted. 



Unchanged ; another general struggle occurred, but did not 

 affect the heart. 



Heart still arrested ; general reflexes elicitable. 



The ventricle of the heart is not acid on section. 



The ventricle is distinctly acid to litmus paper. 



These experiments indicate that, when the characteristic effects of S. sarmentosus 

 have been developed in the heart, subsequent paralysis of the vagus by atropine does 

 not modify them nor prevent the further development of the Strophanthus action. 



Strophanihus after Atropine. 



Experiment LVIII. — 0*000025 gram of sulphate of atropine, followed by 0*0002 

 gram of extract of S. sarmentosus (Rana temporaria). 



Interval. 



Contractions in 10 seconds. 



Notes. 



Auricles. 



Ventricle. 



Before Strophanthus. 

 13 minutes . 



10 „ . . 



5 „ 



After Strophanthus. 

 3 minutes . 



8 

 8 



8 



8 



8 



8 



Contractions regular and powerful; ventricular systole 



occupies two-thirds of the cycle. 

 000025 gram of atropine sulphate in Ringer's solution 



inserted within the pericardial sac. 

 As first described. 

 0002 gram of extract of Strophanthus dissolved in 



Ringer's solution inserted inside the pericardial sac. 



Unchanged. 



