664 
Proceedings of the Boyal Society 
bases — that is, of the salts formed by the union of an ether with 
the nitride of one or more alcohol radicals. Thus — 
(CH 3 )' 3 N 
Trimethylamine 
(Nitride of Methyl). 
+ CHJ 
Iodide of Methyl. 
(CH 3 ) 4 NI 
Iodide of Tetramethyl- 
ammonium. 
(C 8 H 14 )" (CH 3 )N 
Methylconia 
(Nitride of Methyl and (C 8 H l4 )"). 
+ CH S I = 
Iodide of Methyl. 
(C 8 H 14 )"(CH 3 ) 2 NI 
Iodide of Dimethylconium. 
(C^NOXN + CHJ = (C a H 22 NOJ'(CH 3 )NI 
(Nitride ofToaH^NO,)'”). IoaWe of MethyI ' Ioaiae of M^ylstryclmimn. 
The examination of the physiological action of such salts proved 
that, while differing from one another in many respects, there are 
two points in which they agree — they all paralyse the end-organs 
of the motor nerves, and none of them possess that stimulating 
action of the spinal cord w r hich we observe in such a substance as 
strychnia. 
Some years ago Yon (Efele discovered that the sulphide of ethyl 
forms a compound with the iodide of ethyl, exactly as the nitride 
of ethyl (triethylamine) does. To this new salt he gave the name 
of iodide of triethylsulphin, and from it obtained the hydrated 
oxide and various other compounds of triethylsulphin. The num- 
ber of known salts of this type has been increased by Cahours and 
Dehn. 
As there are two ways in which the salts of the ammonium bases 
may be represented, — 1st, as molecular compounds of nitrides with 
ethers ; and 2d, as compounds of pentad nitrogen, — so the salts of 
the sulphin bases may be represented, either, 1st, as molecular com- 
pounds of sulphides with ethers; or, 2d, as compounds of tetrad 
sulphur. 
As our physiological observations had led us to prefer the second 
mode of representing the constitution of the salts of the ammonium 
bases, it appeared to us that it would be of interest to examine 
the physiological action of the salts of the sulphin bases. We have 
accordingly commenced with the simplest salts of this type, viz., 
the salts of trimethylsulphin, and have made a number of experi- 
ments with the iodide and the sulphate of that radical. The iodide 
was employed in the form of pure white crystals; the sulphate, 
