162 



C. G. Williams and W. H. Waters. [May 12, 



May 12, 1881. 



GENERAL STRACHEY, R.E., C.S.I., V.P., in the Chair. 



The Presents received were laid on the table, and thanks ordered 

 for them. 



Pursuant to notice Gabriel Angnste Daubree, Jean Charles Marignac, 

 Carl Nageli, and Carl Weierstrass were balloted for and elected 

 Foreign Members of the Society. 



The following Papers were read : — 



I. " On the Physiological Action of j3 Lutidine." By C. Greville 

 Williams, F.R.S., and W. H. Waters, B.A., Demonstrator 

 in the Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge. Received 

 April 23, 1881. 



In studying the physiological action of /3 lutidine the greater 

 number of our experiments were made upon the frog, and more par- 

 ticularly related to the action of this substance upon the heart and 

 central nervous system ; our other experiments upon the different 

 organs being for the better interpretation of the action upon these 

 two. 



Heart. 



In all cases we first destroyed the brain and spinal cord of the frog 

 by pithing, and with the smallest possible loss of blood. Hence none 

 of the results obtained could be due to the central nervous system. 



The experiments were made upon the heart to study the effect of 

 the /3 lutidine with regard to its — 



(1.) Tonicity; 



(2.) Time of beat ; 



(3.) Nerve supply. 



It may be stated at once, that the pure alkaloid applied to the sur- 

 face of the heart causes that organ at once to shrink up, turn pale, 

 and cease to beat. At times it was found possible to restore these 

 beats by washing with normal saline solution (0'75 per cent, sodium 

 chloride), but in no case did they ever reach their former activity. 



(1.) Tonicity of the Heart. — We made use of several methods during 

 our experiments to ascertain the effect of this poison upon the heart's 

 tonicity. 



