﻿274 
  Drs. 
  Brunton 
  and 
  Fayrer 
  on 
  the 
  Physiological 
  [Feb. 
  18, 
  

  

  acted 
  powerfully 
  on 
  several 
  glands, 
  more 
  powerfully 
  than 
  the 
  fresh 
  poison 
  

   from 
  an 
  adder's 
  fang. 
  

  

  "I 
  also 
  immersed 
  three 
  leaves 
  in 
  90 
  minims 
  of 
  the 
  solution 
  ; 
  the 
  ten- 
  

   tacles 
  soon 
  became 
  inflated 
  and 
  the 
  glands 
  quite 
  white, 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  

   been 
  placed 
  in 
  boiling 
  water. 
  I 
  felt 
  sure 
  that 
  the 
  leaves 
  were 
  killed 
  ; 
  but 
  

   after 
  8 
  hours' 
  immersion 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  water, 
  and 
  after 
  about 
  48 
  

   hours 
  reexpanded, 
  showing 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  killed. 
  The 
  

   most 
  surprising 
  circumstance 
  is, 
  that, 
  after 
  an 
  immersion 
  of 
  48 
  hours, 
  the 
  

   protoplasm 
  in 
  the 
  cells 
  was 
  in 
  unusually 
  active 
  movement. 
  Now, 
  can 
  you 
  

   inform 
  me 
  whether 
  this 
  poison, 
  if 
  diluted, 
  arrests 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  

   vibratile 
  cilia 
  ? 
  " 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  dissolved 
  J 
  gr. 
  [of 
  cobra-poison] 
  in 
  3j 
  of 
  water, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  

   to 
  immerse 
  two 
  leaves. 
  It 
  acted 
  as 
  before, 
  but 
  more 
  energetically 
  ; 
  and 
  

   I 
  observed 
  more 
  clearly, 
  this 
  time, 
  that 
  the 
  solution 
  makes 
  the 
  secretion 
  

   round 
  the 
  glands 
  cloudy, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  before 
  observed. 
  But 
  here 
  

   comes 
  the 
  remarkable 
  point 
  ; 
  after 
  an 
  immersion 
  of 
  48 
  hours, 
  the 
  proto- 
  

   plasm 
  within 
  the 
  cells 
  incessantly 
  changes 
  form, 
  and 
  I 
  never 
  saw 
  it 
  on 
  

   any 
  other 
  occasion 
  so 
  active. 
  Hence 
  I 
  cannot 
  doubt 
  that 
  this 
  poison 
  is 
  

   a 
  stimulant 
  to 
  the 
  protoplasm 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  shall 
  be 
  very 
  curious 
  to 
  find 
  out 
  in 
  

   your 
  papers 
  whether 
  you 
  have 
  tried 
  its 
  action 
  on 
  the 
  cilia 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   colourless 
  corpuscles 
  of 
  the 
  blood. 
  If 
  the 
  poison 
  does 
  arrest 
  their 
  move- 
  

   ment, 
  it 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  profound 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   toplasm 
  of 
  animals 
  and 
  of 
  this 
  plant. 
  Therefore 
  if 
  you 
  try 
  any 
  further 
  

   experiments 
  I 
  hope 
  that 
  you 
  will 
  be 
  so 
  kind 
  as 
  to 
  inform 
  me 
  of 
  the 
  results. 
  

   I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  I 
  tried 
  at 
  first 
  1 
  gr. 
  to 
  the 
  §j, 
  as 
  that 
  is 
  my 
  standard 
  

   strength 
  for 
  all 
  substances. 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  certainly 
  very 
  remarkable 
  that 
  the 
  poison 
  should 
  act 
  so 
  differ- 
  

   ently 
  on 
  the 
  cilia 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  protoplasm 
  of 
  Drosera. 
  After 
  the 
  48 
  hours' 
  

   immersion, 
  I 
  placed 
  the 
  two 
  leaves 
  in 
  water 
  and 
  they 
  partially 
  reexpanded. 
  

   I 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  whitened 
  glands 
  were 
  perhaps 
  killed 
  ; 
  but 
  those 
  of 
  

   one 
  leaf 
  which 
  I 
  tried 
  with 
  carbonate 
  of 
  ammonia 
  absorbed 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  

   protoplasm 
  was 
  affected 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  manner. 
  I 
  am 
  very 
  much 
  surprised 
  at 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  poison 
  on 
  the 
  viscid 
  secretion 
  from 
  the 
  glands, 
  which 
  it 
  

   coagulates 
  into 
  threads 
  and 
  bits 
  of 
  membrane, 
  with 
  much 
  granular 
  matter. 
  

   Have 
  you 
  observed 
  whether 
  the 
  poison 
  affects 
  in 
  any 
  marked 
  manner 
  

   mucus 
  or 
  other 
  such 
  secretions 
  ? 
  " 
  

  

  Experiment 
  XXV. 
  

   Action 
  of 
  Cobra-poison 
  on 
  Muscle. 
  

  

  June 
  29th, 
  1874. 
  — 
  A 
  standard 
  solution 
  of 
  cobra-poison, 
  -03 
  gramme 
  

   to 
  4*6 
  cubic 
  centims. 
  of 
  water, 
  was 
  prepared. 
  

  

  1.25 
  p.m. 
  The 
  gastrocnemius 
  of 
  a 
  frog 
  was 
  separated 
  and 
  immersed 
  in 
  

   this 
  solution 
  in 
  a 
  watch-glass 
  ; 
  it 
  immediately 
  contracted 
  considerably. 
  

  

  1.30. 
  The 
  muscle 
  contracts 
  with 
  current 
  at 
  11. 
  

  

  