328 
POPULAR SCIENCE RE7IEW. 
occurs by urari if such a dose has been taken as to paralyse the heart, or 
the muscles of respiration — otherwise the heart continues to perform its duty 
in a regular manner; and, even in case of inactivity of the respiratory 
muscles, the animal will be restored to life and health if artificial respiration 
is performed.” In reference to the African poison, which has not been so 
fully explained. Dr. Beigel remarks that it is a much more dangerous 
substance than the true urari. — Vide Journal of Anatomy and Physiology ^ 
(May). 
The Use of Tobacco in Strychnia Poisoning. — Unless we greatly mistake, 
the advisability of using tobacco infusion in cases of poisoning by strychnia 
was first suggested by the Rev. Samuel Haughton, of Dublin. However, 
the following case, recorded in Bouchardat’s Annuaire de Therapeutique for 
18G8, further illustrates the fact that tobacco is a valuable antidote to 
strychnia: — girl of eleven years swallowed about three grains of 
strychnia accidentally. Strong tetanic convulsions appeared after half an 
hour. At the third hour the convulsive attacks, resulting in opisthotonos, 
lasted one-and-a-half minutes, during which the chest was fixed, and suffo- 
cation impended. Emetics were tried without success, and then infusion 
of tobacco was repeatedly administered. During three hours she took, in 
sixteen doses, of an infusion of tobacco (gr. xlv. tobacco to about ^xxxv. 
boiling water). At the end of this time, i. e. about the seventh hour of 
poisoning, vomiting cfjpimenced, and recurred at intervals throughout the 
night, and part of the next day. The convulsions ceased after the first 
vomit, and did not return; and the patient was convalescent five days 
after the accident. M. Chevers is sure that this small quantity of tobacco 
would have acted before three hours if its toxic properties had not been 
neutralised at first by the condition of the nervous system induced by the 
strychnia.” 
Irritability of the Cardiac Terminations of the Vagus. — A Russian physio- 
logist, M. Suchtschinsky of Moscow, has published an important paper on 
this subject. The following are the conclusions which he draws from his 
researches : — “ 1. Section of both cervical sympathetics produces no change 
on the irritability of the cardiac terminations of the vagus. — 2. Complete 
removal of the influence of the cardiac motor nerves increases the irritability. 
— 3. During decided increase of blood-pressure in the left side of the heart, 
through closure by forceps of the ascending portion of the aorta, irritation 
of the vagus can no longer stop the heart’s action ; if, however, the coronary 
arteries be closed, irritation of the vagus can arrest the heart. — 4. Increase 
of blood-tension in the right side of the heart, by clamping the pulmonary 
artery, likewise annihilates for the time being the irritability of the vagus 
terminations. — 5. Diminished arterial tension, whether produced by bleed- 
ing or paralysis of vasomotor nerves, produces at first increased, afterwards 
diminished irritability. — 6. Insufficient supply of arterial blood to the mus- 
cular substance of the heart, in consequence of closure of the coronary arte- 
ries, increases the irritability; not, however, to such a remarkable degree as 
venous stagnation produced by closure of the three chief cardiac veins. — 
7. Insufficiently aerated blood greatly increases the irritability of the vagus, 
as Thiry, Cyon, and others have already shown. Hyperoxygenation of the 
blood often slightly diminishes the irritability of the vagus, but frequently 
also produces no change. — Vide Centralblattj 1868, p. 34, 
