1873.] of the Poison of some Indian Venomous Snakes. 367 



immediately. There were large extravasations of blood under the skin 

 of abdomen and thorax, and under the skin of the left hip. Heart 

 beating vigorously. 



The muscles contracted on direct irritation. The foot twitched when 

 the sciatic nerve was exposed and irritated by an interrupted current. 

 The peristaltic movements of the intestine were active after the abdomen 

 was opened. 



Experiment III. 



Dissolved 5 milligrammes of dried cobra-poison which had collected 

 round the stopper of the bottle containing it in 1| cubic centimetre of 

 water, and injected it under the skin of the left hip of a guineapig, 

 weighing 790 grammes. 



In | of a minute after the injection the animal became restless and 

 uneasy and began to cry. 



1| minute it began to give little starts. 



3|'. The starting motions became greater, the hind quarters of the 

 animal being jerked upwards, and the chin drawn in towards the body ; 

 continues to cry. 



4J\ Passes water. 



7'. Less restless. 



15'. "Washed out the watch-glass in which the cobra-poison had been 

 placed with about \ a cubic centimetre of water, and injected it as 

 before. Immediately afterwards the restlessness increased. 



24'. Seems to be trying to vomit. 



27'. It cannot walk rightly. 



28'. The hind legs are paralyzed and spread out laterally from 

 beneath it. 



29'. Eespiration very slow and deep. The animal lies quiet, but con- 

 vulsive twitches of the limb follow almost every respiration. 

 Eespiration 8 in | a minute. 



30'. Cornea insensible. Eespiration has ceased. Post-mortem 

 examination made immediately. The left ventricle was much dilated, the 

 right ventricle empty. There were two beats of the left auricle for every 

 one of the ventricle, and the ventricular beat was weak and imperfect. 



Experiment IV. 



Dissolved 1 centigramme of a substance like gum, and labelled 

 " alcoholic extract of cobra-poison," in 1 cubic centimetre of water. It 

 dissolved easily and formed a somewhat opalescent solution. 



Injected about ^ of this (equal to 3j milligrammes of the dried 

 extract) under the skin of the thigh of a rabbit weighing about a 

 kilogramme. 



4 minutes after the injection there was no apparent effect ; so a similar 

 quantity was again injected, making the total amount received by the 



