xxxii Abbe fontana on the 
Having laid bare the fciatic nerve of a rabbit, I pafied under It 
a fine rag feveral times doubled, and put upon the nerve a little 
cotton well foaked in the American poifon, thickened to a 
fyrup. I covered the nerve with the lame rag, that the poifon. 
might not run over the opened mufcles of the animal, and fewed 
up the Ikin as ufuah After ten minutes the rabbit began to 
have convullions, and to totter ; it then fell with all the ligns 
accompanying the effects of the poifon, and died foon after. 
I repeated the fame experiment on another rabbit, and took 
care to wrap up the poifoned nerve with rags ftill better than be- 
fore. This fecond rabbit Ihewed no ligns of being affedled for ten 
hours, during which I obferved it ; but looking at it after two 
hours more, I found it had been dead a little while, as it was 
ftill warm. 
I fufpedted that the poifon applied to the nerve, which was 
conliderable in quantity, might at length have penetrated 
through the rags, and uniting with the humours of the parts cut, 
have extended its adtion to the mufcles and the adjacent parts. 
I was under the neceffity, therefore, of either diminilhing the 
quantity of poifon, or increaling the rags, to prevent any diffu- 
lion of the poifon through them : I adopted the latter as the 
more fecure way. 
I detached the fciatic nerve of a rabbit as ufual, and intro- 
duced below it a very fine rag, often doubled. I put the bit of 
cotton, well foaked in the poifon, on the nerve, and covered 
every thing well with the lappets of the rag. This rabbit lived 
twenty- four hours, and only Ihewed ligns of being ill in the laft 
hour, nor was there any reafon to think that it died of the effedts 
of the poifon. 
I prepared the fciatic nerve of another rabbit in the fame man- 
ner, covering it with the poifon and rags as before. This rabbit 
died forty hours after, without any fymptoms of being poifoned. 
I made the fame experiment on the fciatic nerve of three 
other rabbits, having taken all poffible care that the poifoned 
nerve fhould be well covered with rags, that there might not be 
any reafon to fufpedt the poifon might penetrate through them. 
One 
