﻿32 
  

  

  ( 
  With 
  a 
  Note 
  on 
  Atropine 
  by 
  K. 
  Markbreiter.) 
  

  

  (Eeceived 
  February 
  22, 
  1919.) 
  

  

  I 
  possess 
  comparatively 
  few 
  data 
  concerning 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  drugs 
  upon 
  

   " 
  Emotivity 
  " 
  or, 
  to 
  put 
  it 
  more 
  specifically, 
  upon 
  the 
  electrical 
  resistance 
  of 
  

   the 
  palm 
  of 
  the 
  hand. 
  Except 
  as 
  regards 
  atropine, 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  

   many 
  observations 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  sudo-motor 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  reaction, 
  I 
  find 
  in 
  my 
  

   notes 
  only 
  one 
  satisfactory 
  observation 
  upon 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  drugs 
  : 
  

   alcohol, 
  chloroform, 
  morphia, 
  which 
  I 
  will 
  transcribe. 
  Obviously, 
  a 
  single 
  

   observation 
  of 
  any 
  drug 
  can 
  give 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  facet 
  of 
  its 
  action 
  under 
  the 
  

   particular 
  conditions 
  of 
  experiment. 
  It 
  will, 
  however, 
  be 
  clear 
  that 
  the 
  

   results 
  have, 
  in 
  each 
  instance, 
  been 
  such 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  anticipated 
  on 
  general 
  

   principles 
  with 
  one 
  notable 
  exception, 
  viz., 
  atropine. 
  

  

  Experiment 
  1 
  : 
  Alcohol. 
  — 
  A 
  healthy 
  subject, 
  F. 
  G., 
  aged 
  30, 
  with 
  an 
  initial 
  

   hand 
  conductance 
  = 
  17v 
  (= 
  60,000 
  ohms) 
  gave 
  emotive 
  reactions 
  = 
  37 
  to 
  the 
  

   threat 
  of 
  a 
  burn 
  (match 
  struck) 
  and 
  2y 
  to 
  an 
  actual 
  slight 
  burn, 
  immediately 
  

   before 
  and 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  ingestion 
  of 
  50 
  c.c. 
  of 
  whisky. 
  The 
  

   conductance 
  remained 
  unaltered 
  at 
  177. 
  

  

  50 
  c.c. 
  of 
  whisky 
  or 
  12£ 
  fl. 
  3 
  is 
  the 
  normal 
  "nightcap" 
  quantity 
  to 
  which 
  

   the 
  subject 
  is 
  accustomed, 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  produced 
  any 
  marked 
  physiological 
  

   effect. 
  Experiments 
  with 
  larger 
  amounts 
  of 
  alcohol 
  are 
  required, 
  but 
  are 
  

   postponed. 
  

  

  Experiment 
  2 
  : 
  Chloroform. 
  — 
  The 
  same 
  subject, 
  F. 
  G., 
  inhaled 
  chloroform 
  at 
  

   2 
  per 
  cent, 
  for 
  one 
  minute, 
  inducing 
  what 
  he 
  estimated 
  subjectively 
  as 
  the 
  

   first 
  degree 
  of 
  anaesthesia. 
  The 
  conductance 
  of 
  his 
  hand 
  was 
  20y 
  (50,000 
  

  

  40- 
  

  

  10- 
  

  

  

  

  1 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  3 
  mms. 
  

  

  Yiq. 
  1. 
  — 
  Inhalation 
  of 
  chloroform 
  during 
  first 
  half 
  of 
  second 
  minute. 
  

  

  