354 



Dr. A. J. Wall On the 



[June 16, 



animal dying very soon, or respiration may recommence, but com- 

 plete general paralysis is found to have supervened, and the animal 

 dies of consequent asphyxia. It may happen that, for a short time, 

 the victim recovers completely from the convulsions, walking about 

 for a few minutes as if nothing had occurred, but the fatal paralysis 

 is only delayed for a short time. 



It appears as if daboia poison acted somewhat differently in different 

 classes of the animal kingdom. Birds are most easily affected, and 

 next to them come the Lacertilia. 



Experiment XVII. 



About 0'4 cub. centim. of fresh daboia was injected beneath the 

 skin of the upper surface of the tail of a large specimen of Galotes 

 versicolor. 



The respirations were 54 per minute. 



3.49 p.m. Injection. 



3.51 p.m. Convulsions. 



3.52 p.m. Quite paralysed. 



3.53 p.m. Respirations 12 per minute. 

 3.56 p.m. Respirations 4 per minute. 

 3.59 p.m. Dead. 



Mammals also are very easily affected by the convulsion-producing 

 property of the poison, whereas the Amphibia only have symptoms of 

 gradual paralysis. 



Experiment XVIII. 



A medium sized frog {liana tigrina) had 1 cgrm. of dried daboia 

 poison in solution injected into its dorsal sac. 

 1.12 p.m. Injection. 

 4.30 p.m. Violent respiratory efforts. 

 4.39 p.m. East becoming paralysed. 

 4.53 p.m. Completely paralysed. 

 5.11 p.m. Dead. 



Though birds are so sensitive to the agent in the poison that pro- 

 duces these nervous discharges, that it is difficult to poison them at 

 all without the occurrence of primary convulsions — 1 mgrm. often 

 producing them — yet by heating daboia poison in solution to 100° C. 

 it loses completely the power of causing this symptom even in them. 



Experiment XIX. 



5 cgrms. of dried daboia poison in solution were heated for a short 

 .time to 100° C. The solution was then injected subcutaneously into 

 the leg of a fowl. 



12.27 p.m. Injection. 



12.34 p.m. Seems drowsy ; eyes closed. 



