in which Death is produced by vegetable Poisons. 183 
The including the termination of the thoracic duct in a -liga- 
ture does not prevent spirits, when taken into the stomach, 
from producing their usual effects on the nervous system, but 
subsequent observations, which Mr. Home has already com- 
municated to this Society, have shewn that no conclusion can 
be drawn from, this experiment. 
That a poison may affect a distant organ, through the me- 
dium of the nerves, without entering the circulation, is proved 
by the well-known circumstance of solution of the extract of 
Belladonna, when applied to the tunica conjunctiva of the eye, 
occasioning dilatation of the pupil of the same eye, though no 
other part of the system is affected. 
It has been formerly supposed by Dr. Mead and other 
physiologists, that a poison may produce death by acting on 
the extremities ©f the nerves of the stomach and intestines, 
without being absorbed into the circulation. That it should 
by these means be capable of affecting the brain is not to be 
wondered at, when we consider the numerous and various 
sympathies betv/een this organ and the alimentary canal, 
evidently independent of any other communication than the 
nerves. 
Experiments with the Essential Oil of Bitter Almonds * 
Experiment 5. One drop of the essential oil of bitter almonds 
was applied to the tongue of a young cat. She was instantly 
seized with violent convulsions ; then lay on one side motionless, 
insensible, breathing in a hurried manner; the respirations 
* The essential oil of bitter almonds does not appear to differ from the essential oil 
of laurel. I was furnished with a quantity of it, first by my friend Mr. Wi ti. i a m 
Brande, and afterwards by Mr, Cooke of Southampton-street. 
A a q 
