778 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
During the next hour the animal had a succession of tonic and 
clonic spasms, which brought on a condition of complete exhaustion, 
in which it was insensitive to external stimuli. The pupil was 
fully dilated from an early period. Respiration became very 
irregular and slow ; the heart’s action was only slightly affected. 
Death from general exhaustion, with failure of respiration, 
occurred at 6.15 p.m. The rigor mortis came on very early, and 
was very marked. Blood w^as venous, and the large veins 
congested. Ventricles were both empty. The viscera, generally 
speaking, were deeply congested. 
The small intestine presented a remarkable appearance. It was 
firmly contracted, and had a moniliform appearance, owing to the 
contraction being more intense at some places than at others. It 
was very anaemic, the lumen was occluded, and all the parasites had 
been expelled. The bladder was also firmly contracted and empty. 
The muscles and sciatic nerves did not respond to the interrupted 
current. 
The unwillingness to move, and the contracted state of the small 
intestine and bladder, show that both the voluntary and involuntary 
muscles are profoundly affected, while the spinal symptoms are also 
of the most marked character. The violent diarrhoea and vomiting 
are no doubt due to the increased intestinal peristalsis. 
A much more extended investigation than I have yet been able 
to make would be necessary to determine the exact relationship 
between the dose and the degree in which different systems are 
affected. 
In conclusion, it may be interesting to point out shortly the 
chief differences between the action of cocain and benzoylecgonin. 
In frogs cocain in very small doses (J mgrm.) produces a short 
stage of excitement followed by general paralysis, while with larger 
doses paralysis supervenes almost at once, accompanied by failure 
of the heart and respiration. Ho tetanus is induced, and the 
striped muscles are unaffected. One of the most prominent actions 
of cocain — viz., paralysis of sensory nerves — is quite absent with 
benzoylecgonin, as is also paralysis of motor nerves. 
In the case of mammalia the general action is strikingly different. 
The convulsions produced by cocain are dyspnoeic from paralysis 
of the respiratory centre, and come on almost immediately with a 
