210 C. J. MARTIN. 
other times the pressure sank without subsequent rise until death 
ensued. With subcutaneous injection of the venom, the primary 
sudden fall was in most cases absent. 
The tendency in cobra poisoning was to a decided rise of pressure, 
following the primary fall. In five out of six experiments with 
the venom, the primary fall was followed by a rise which went 
above the normal during the asphyxial condition preceding death. 
After section of the pneumogastrics, they found that the same 
alterations occurred in the blood pressure as those observed in 
animals in which these nerves were intact. 
When the cord was severed in the cervical region, the primary 
fall of pressure was not so marked, but the subsequent slow, y* 
deadly fall occurred. ‘In experiments with cobra poison, 02 the 
contrary, even under these conditions, a rise in blood pressute 
usually preceded death, 
Feoktistow found that when a very large dose of the venom of 
Crotalus, or Vipera berus was subcutaneously administered, the 
blood pressure fell as suddenly as when the poison was intr 
venously introduced. After the pressure had been greatly lowerst 
by the poison, he was unable to produce any effect by stimulating : 
the peripheral ends of the splanchnic nerves, from which he con 
cluded that the peripheral ends of these nerves were paralysed 
This he considered was the explanation of the “ collosale 
sinking of the blood pressure. | 
Brunton and Fayrer found that the intravenous injection of 
cobra poison, occasioned a sudden temporary drop in the arterial E 
blood pressure, which, under most circumstances speedily regained 
the previous height. Sometimes, however, this fall was a 
recovered from, and the animal died in less than sixty . : 
from the time of the injection, but the arterial blood 
remained considerably above zero. This was considered noteworthy : 
‘by these authors, and they thought it showed “that the — : : 
or capillaries must have been much contracted, thus opposing | 
barrier to the exit of blood from the arteries into the veins 
