326 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
malian heart should have a most important bearing upon the 
question of resuscitation, after death from haemorrhage, chloroform 
poisoning, and other forms of syncope, and we determined to make a 
series of experiments with the view of clearing up some points still 
under discussion. As yet we have had opportunity of making but 
one of these experiments, but we hope ere long to be able to com- 
municate further observations. Immediately after we had formed 
this resolution an opportunity presented itself, but before we had 
made the necessary arrangements as to recording apparatus. The 
observation is of the roughest kind, but appears to us to be of 
sufficient importance to put on record. 
An animal condemned for pig typhoid was killed as in the other 
case. It was noticed that the animal “ bled ” very slowly. 
The heart was removed as rapidly as possible, and whilst all the 
cavities were still beating. In the meantime defibrinated sheep’s 
blood, mixed with 2 parts of f per cent, salt solution had been 
raised to a temperature of 99° Fahr. 
A cannula (too small) was tied into one of the pulmonary veins, 
and connected by about 9 inches of elastic tubing with a similar 
cannula in the pulmonary artery. A third cannula was tied into 
the inferior vena cava, and another was fastened into the aorta. 
The superior vena cava was firmly ligatured at a distance of about 
three-quarters of an inch from the auricle. All these tubes were 
first filled with the blood mixture, as was also a “ Higginson’s ” 
syringe, which was fitted on to the cannula in the inferior vena 
cava. These operations occupied 20 minutes, and by the time they 
were completed the ventricles had ceased to contract, and the 
auricles were beating very intermittently and feebly. 
Warm blood solution was now pumped slowly and steadily into 
the right ventricle, and the heart was suspended in the same fluid. 
This was almost immediately followed by a full and regular con- 
traction of both auricles, the beats being, as far as we could deter- 
mine with the eye, quite synchronous. This went on regularly from 
12.40 to 12.55, when the right auricle suddenly ceased to beat at 
all regularly, and only a few irregular contractions could be obtained 
on stimulating with the point of a needle. Whilst the auricle was 
contracting, the lower part of the superior vena cava (that part 
below the ligature) was also contracting regularly and firmly. This 
