on the Action of Poisons on the Animal System . -20$ 
'entirely ceased. During this time there was no appearance of 
returning sensibility. 
The circulation of the blood may be maintained in an animal 
from whom the brain has been removed for a considerable, 
but not for an unlimited time. We may conclude, that in the 
last of these experiments the animal did not recover, because 
the influence of the poison continued beyond the time during 
which the circulation may be maintained without the brain. 
III. On the Effects of Arsenic. 
When an animal is killed by arsenic taken internally, the 
stomach is found bearing marks of inflammation ; and it is a 
very general opinion, 1, that this inflammation is the cause of 
death: 2, that it is the consequence of the actual contact of 
the arsenic with the internal coat of the stomach. But in se- 
veral cases I have found the inflammation of the stomach so 
slight, that on a superficial examination it might have been 
easily overlooked ; and in most of my experiments with this 
poison death has taken place in too short a time for it to be 
considered as the result of inflammation : and hence we may 
conclude, that the first of these opinions is incorrect ; at least 
as a general proposition. 
Many circumstances conspire to show that the second of 
these opinions also is unfounded. 
In whatever way the poison is administered, the inflamma- 
tion is confined to the stomach and intestines ; I have never 
seen any appearance of it in the pharynx or oesophagus. 
Mr. Home informed me, that in an experiment made by 
Mr. Hunter and himself, in which arsenic was applied to a 
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