THE PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION OF HARMINE. 95 
H. Action on THE UTERUS. 
Rabbits were used for these experiments. They were anzsthetised as for blood- 
pressure experiments and kept during the experiment in a bath of saline solution at 
38° C., enough of the body being submerged to ensure that the uterus was never 
exposed to the air. The abdomen was then opened in the middle line, and the uterus, 
isolated from the surrounding viscera, was connected with a lever writing on a slowly 
revolving drum. 
Haperiment 26 (figs. 12 to 14).—Rabbit, 2350 grammes, parous, non-pregnant. 
Slight spontaneous contractions occurred reeularly at the rate of about 2 per minute. 
Hatrint, Hel. 
tq 9002 gm. far Kile 
Fic, 12. 
At 11.0, 0°002 gramme per kilogramme of harmine hydrochloride was injected intra- 
venously, and this produced a marked augmentation of the uterine contractions, which, 
however, soon passed off. At 11.15 a second injection of twice the former amount was 
fay as 
es a 
aM me Hee 2 
Ws 0-004 gm. ber Kilo. 
Fic. 13. Fic. 14. 
given, and this produced very powerful uterine contractions (fig. 13), which were 
repeated at intervals afterwards (fig. 14). The resting tone of the uterine muscle was 
also increased. 
It is evident, therefore, that harmine exerts a decided stimulating effect on the 
uterine contractions. 
GENERAL SUMMARY. 
The minimum lethal dose of harmine hydrochloride per kilogramme by subcutaneous 
injection is, for the frog, 0°6 gramme ; for the guinea-pig, 0°12 gramme ; for the rabbit, 
0°23 gramme ; for the rat, 0'2 gramme; and for the pigeon, 0°15 gramme. 
In frogs, lethal doses of harmine paralyse the mid-brain, medulla oblongata, and 
TRANS. ROY. SOC. EDIN., VOL. XLVIII., PART I. (NO. 4). 15 
