464 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
The authors find that the salts of conia and of methyl-conia very 
closely resemble each other in action and in poisonous activity. 
Their action agrees with the descriptions of the effects of conia by 
the more trustworthy of previous observers. Among the most 
obvious of the effects on rabbits were stiffness of the limbs, causing 
difficulty in moving about ; spasmodic starts ; distinct increase of 
reflex excitability; gradually increasing paralysis with diminution, 
and afterwards disappearance, of the increased reflex excitability ; 
and, finally, death by asphyxia. Shortly before death a few starts 
and feeble convulsions usually occurred, but these symptoms were 
apparently caused by the advancing asphyxia. 
The symptoms in frogs were mainly those of paralysis, and the 
authors confirm the observations of Kolliker and G-uttmann, that 
this paralysis in the case of ordinary conia is due to a curare-like 
action. They further find that methyl-conia also acts by paralysing 
the terminations of motor nerves. 
The salts of dimethyl-conia differ from those of conia and of 
methyl-conia in never directly producing convulsant effects or 
other symptoms of abnormal activity of the reflex function, and in 
being much less active as poisons. In rabbits and frogs, the symp- 
toms were invariably those of paralysis; and, in the latter animal, the 
authors have demonstrated that this paralysis is due to an action on 
the terminations of the motor nerves. 
The samples of conia which have been examined by the authors 
were found to contain very varying proportions of normal conia 
and of methyl-conia ; but as these two substances appear to be 
about equally active as poisons, it is probable that the very variable 
potency of commercial conia is due to its adulteration with a greater 
or less amount of water, and, possibly, also to the presence of 
varying quantities of ammonia.* 
* When the authors had nearly concluded their investigation on conia, 
they received a communication from MM. Jolyet and Cahours of Paris, inform- 
ing them that these physiologists were ready to publish a paper upon the 
relative action of the salts of conia, ethyl-conia, and diethyl-conium. In order 
to secure simultaneous publication, it was arrauged that the two papers should 
be communicated on the same day— the one to the Academy of Sciences of 
Paris, and the other to this Society. 
