of Edinburgh, Session 1885 — 86 . 775 
alkaloid then injected into the posterior lymph sac. Curara was 
sometimes used. 
Doses of \ to J grain caused very quickly a slight increase in rate 
(2 to 4 beats per minute), which lasted for about an hour, the heart 
then returning to its original condition. During the increase the 
systole was very marked, while the pause in diastole was appreciably 
shorter than in the normal frog. 
Larger doses (J to 1 grain) have a much more decided effect both 
on the rate and rhythm of the heart. The rate increases almost at 
once 4 to 6 beats per minute, the systolic contraction becomes very 
decided, while the pause in diastole is hardly perceptible. 
The increase in rate passes off in a varying time and is succeeded 
by a slight fall, the systole, however, still remaining marked. After 
an hour or thereabouts, the heart in some cases was observed to 
make long pauses in diastole, often stopping for some seconds, and 
then going on regularly for a few minutes, when another pause takes 
place. There is some resemblance to a digitalis heart in the inten- 
sity of the systolic contraction and the marked manner in which 
bundles of the muscular fibres stand out during it. In one case 
also the base contracted before the apex, giving the latter the 
appearance of pouching. 
The heart stops in diastole. With very large doses the heart is 
rapidly enfeebled. 
Blood-Vessels . — Under the microscope no change could be 
observed in the calibre of the blood-vessels of the web. 
Nervous System — Brain . — It is difficult to decide whether the 
brain is stimulated or not. After medium doses restlessness gene- 
rally lasted for a longer time than the pain of injection could 
account for. 
Spinal Cord . — The late stage at which spinal symptoms supervene 
can only be accounted for on the hypothesis that the alkaloid is 
at once absorbed by the muscles. The results of the direct applica- 
tion of solutions of benzoylecgonin to the exposed spinal cord go far 
to prove this. In the experiments made on this point both species 
of frog were used. 
The posterior portions of one or two vertebrae were removed with 
almost no bleeding, and the animal allowed to rest quietly until it 
had recovered from the effects of the operation. Some drops of a 
