942 C. J. MARTIN. 
Feoktistow on the other hand, experimenting with the venoms : 
of Crotalus and Vipera berus, found that even when complete — 
paralysis of the extremities had occurred, faradisation of the — 
peripheral end of a nerve produced perfectly normal contractions : 
of the muscles, and he was unable to find any interference with ; 
the passage of nerve impulses to voluntary muscles. (No curare : 
effect). P 
These venoms produced a gradual paresis, involving, asa rule, — 
the hinder extremities first, and soon passing into a condition of — 
complete paralysis. The reflexes disappeared either before, or at : 
the same time as the onset of paralysis. He was unable to restore — 
the diminished or lost reflex activity of the cord by even intra- 
venous injections of strychnine ; nor could he produce any move 
ment of the opposite limb by faradaic stimulation of the central 
end of the sciatic nerve, even when the paralysis of the hind limbs 
was still incomplete. During the later stages of poisoning he 
observed dilation of the pupil. 
Ragotzi' has-recently, by an extensive series of experiments — 
frogs, confirmed the results obtained by Brunton and Fayrer, 8 4 
the action of cobra venom on the peripheral termination of the 
motor nerves. He has also by some ingenious experiments shown — 
aoe 3 “ 5 
Re mi i etl ti tT ns 
that the same occurs in mammals, and is of opinion that to this — 
peripheral paralysis the nervous symptoms are almost entirely due. : 
In summing up the results of his experiments he says—“Ieh 
glaube daher, dass durch das Najagift eine specifische primaire 
Lahmung der nervésen Centra nicht hervorgebracht wird. Tn 
sie irgendwo in die Erscheinung, dann ist sie wohl nur secundarer 
Natur, d. h. die Folge von schweren Circulationstérungen.” 
When Pseudechis venom is introduced into an animal, after?” 
period of uneasiness which varies according to the amount injected, 
it becomes sleepy and lethargic, and if a dog, it vomits. bret 
lethargy increases, and is succeeded by weakness, which is at — ) 
most_manifest in the hind quarters. The animal remains quiet, — 
20 
I Loc. cit. 
