1889-90.] Mr Dott and Dr Stockman on Morphine. 
337 
only after some hours. Thus after 6 centigrms. it was five hours 
before the sciatics became completely paralysed, the heart still con- 
tinuing to heat. Much smaller doses, however, cause very evident 
depression. The exhaustion of the nerve terminations, consequent 
on the prolonged tetanus, also contributes to the paralysis, for if 
one sciatic nerve be cut before administering the codeine, we found 
that it did not become so much paralysed as the other which was 
left intact. 
A dose of 2 centigrms. and upwards was fatal in most cases. 
Rabbits . — The action on rabbits is essentially similar to what we 
have seen in frogs. The narcosis is slight, the animal can easily 
be aroused, and when the dose is increased, this, instead of deepen- 
ing the narcosis, causes a condition of increased reflex excitability. 
The animal in consequence gives frequent starts, or may have 
tetanus. As a result of the continual disturbance, the narcosis 
becomes distinctly lighter, although it does not wholly disappear. 
The most typical effects can be got by giving the alkaloid in 
divided doses. 
A careful comparison of the results of previous experimenters 
shows that the minimum lethal dose varies from 0*06 to 0T grm. 
in rabbits. When such large doses are given at once, the narcotic 
stage is very ill defined or entirely absent, the tetanus supervening 
almost at once. 
The effects of small doses are seen in the accompanying Table. 
Action of Small Doses of Codeine on Rabbits. 
No. 
Weight of Rabbit 
in Grms. 
Dose in 
Grms. 
Dose per Kilo. Body| 
Weight. 
Effects. 
1 
1530 
0-005 
0-003 
No effect. 
2 
1445 
o-oi 
0-006 
Scarcely perceptible drowsiness. 
3 
1530 
0-02 
0-013 
Slight drowsiness, lasting 1J hour. Slight 
slowing of respiration. 
4 
1587 
0-02 
0-012 
Same as Experiment 3. 
5 
1304 
0-03 
0-023 
Very distinctly drowsy for over two hours. Sat 
up all the time; respiration unaltered. 
6 
1644 
0-03 
0-018 
Was drowsy for over two hours. Lay on belly ; 
pupils small ; respiration unaltered. 
VOL. XVII. 26/9/90 y 
