98 
Scientific Proceedings (43). 
(curarin) was found to produce tetanic symptoms. It was found 
further that when the right aorta has been ligated and the tissues 
of one leg or of both were firmly contracted, under the exclusion 
of the sciatic nerves (Claude Bernard), curarin produced in most 
cases a stage of definitely increased reflexes and even of short 
tetanic attacks. 
59 (584) 
On the convulsant action of acid fuchsin (Abel and Barbour) 
in cardiectomized frogs. 
By DON R. JOSEPH and S. J. MELTZER. 
[From the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the 
Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.] 
In experiments carried out in this laboratory it was shown that 
in the absence of the cardiovascular mechanism alkaloidal solu- 
tions are well distributed through the body; that, for instance, in- 
jections of adrenalin cause dilatation of the pupil and injections of 
strychnine cause the development of spasms. It was further found 
that the action of some substances may be even greatly accelerated 
and more effective in cardiectomized than in normal frogs. Mor- 
phine, for instance, may cause a tetanus in 40 to 50 minutes. 
In a recent communication of Abel and Barbour it was re- 
ported that an injection of a comparatively large dose (one mgr. 
and more per grm. body-weight) of acid fuchsin into a frog may 
cause after many hours (even as much as 20) the appearance of a 
series of convulsions. These investigators discovered further that 
in frogs in which the anterior third of the cerebral lobes was 
removed, such convulsions may appear very soon, 13 minutes and 
less, after an injection of only a small dose of the fuchsin, e. g., 
0.35 mgr. per grm. body-weight. With the consent of Professor 
Abel we investigated the behavior of fuchsin in cardiectomized 
frogs in which the brain remained intact. The following is a brief 
preliminary report of the results. 
Observations were made so far on about forty frogs. In all 
cases in which fuchsin was injected into the dorsal lymph sac of 
cardiectomized frogs, convulsions never failed to appear and the 
time of appearance was never longer than half an hour after the 
