﻿264 
  Drs. 
  Brunton 
  and 
  Fayrer 
  on 
  the 
  Physiological 
  [Feb. 
  18, 
  

  

  permanent 
  fluidity 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  or 
  interfere 
  with 
  its 
  ordinary 
  coagulability 
  

   soon 
  after 
  removal 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  or 
  after 
  death, 
  and 
  why 
  the 
  injection 
  

   of 
  a 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  slowly 
  fatal 
  quantity 
  should 
  interpose 
  no 
  obstacle 
  

   to 
  its 
  speedy 
  coagulation, 
  are 
  questions 
  extremely 
  difficult 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  

   or 
  explain. 
  We 
  can 
  only 
  state 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  case, 
  coagulation 
  

   occurs 
  speedily, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  this 
  coagulation 
  is 
  retarded 
  or 
  altogether 
  

   prevented 
  by 
  some 
  cause 
  at 
  present 
  unknown." 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  experiments 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  physiological 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  

   virus 
  of 
  the 
  rattlesnake, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  comparison 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   cobra 
  and 
  Daboia. 
  

  

  "We 
  are 
  indebted 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Weir 
  Mitchell, 
  of 
  Philadelphia, 
  for 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  

   the 
  virus. 
  He 
  was 
  good 
  enough 
  to 
  send 
  about 
  six 
  grains 
  of 
  the 
  dried 
  

   poison 
  of 
  Crotalus 
  — 
  the 
  species 
  not 
  named, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   Crotalus 
  durissus. 
  

  

  The 
  dried 
  poison 
  supplied 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  6 
  J 
  years 
  old, 
  and 
  was 
  

   dried 
  in 
  July 
  or 
  August 
  at 
  the 
  natural 
  temperature, 
  and 
  has 
  since 
  then 
  

   been 
  preserved 
  in 
  a 
  phial. 
  It 
  was 
  tried 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Mitchell 
  and 
  found 
  

   active 
  three 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  fractured 
  fragments 
  of 
  dried 
  gum-arabic, 
  

   of 
  rather 
  a 
  darker 
  yellow 
  colour, 
  but 
  otherwise 
  resembling 
  the 
  dried 
  

   cobra-virus 
  sent 
  from 
  Bengal. 
  

  

  Experiment 
  I. 
  

  

  June 
  9th, 
  1874. 
  — 
  -015 
  gramme 
  of 
  the 
  dried 
  Crotctlus-ipoisoiL 
  diluted 
  

   with 
  1 
  cub. 
  centim. 
  of 
  distilled 
  water 
  was 
  hypodermically 
  injected 
  into 
  

   the 
  thigh 
  of 
  a 
  full-grown 
  guineapig 
  at 
  11.30 
  a.m. 
  

  

  Bestlessness 
  and 
  muscular 
  twitchings 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  generally 
  soon 
  com- 
  

   menced 
  ; 
  these 
  passed 
  away, 
  but 
  the 
  animal 
  became 
  sluggish, 
  in 
  which 
  

   condition 
  it 
  remained 
  all 
  night, 
  and 
  died 
  at 
  about 
  9 
  a.m. 
  the 
  next 
  

   morning. 
  

  

  The 
  injected 
  limb 
  became 
  much 
  swollen, 
  infiltrated, 
  and 
  discoloured 
  

   with 
  sanguineo-serous 
  effusion. 
  

  

  The 
  intestines 
  were 
  not 
  ecchymosed 
  ; 
  there 
  was 
  much 
  sanguinolent 
  

   fluid 
  and 
  also 
  blood 
  effused 
  into 
  the 
  abdominal 
  areolar 
  tissue. 
  

  

  No 
  convulsions 
  were 
  observed 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  not 
  seen 
  during 
  

   a 
  short 
  time 
  previous 
  to 
  death, 
  they 
  cannot 
  be 
  said 
  positively 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  

   occurred; 
  nor 
  is 
  it 
  known 
  if 
  the 
  heart 
  ceased 
  to 
  beat 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  when 
  

   apparent 
  death 
  took 
  place. 
  

  

  Experiment 
  II. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  drops 
  of 
  watery 
  solution 
  of 
  Crotalus-jyoisoii, 
  of 
  same 
  strength, 
  

   were 
  injected 
  under 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  a 
  guineapig's 
  thigh 
  at 
  12.16, 
  noon. 
  

  

  12.17. 
  Marked 
  twitchings 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  hind 
  legs, 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  

   produced 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  of 
  cobra-poisoning. 
  

  

  12.18. 
  Hind 
  leg 
  (poisoned 
  one) 
  weak. 
  

  

  