220 Mr . Brodie's Observations and Experiments 
nued to diminish in strength and frequency, and ultimately 
ceased. I shall detail one of these experiments, as it serves to 
illustrate the double action of this poison on the nervous and 
vascular systems. 
Experiment 7. Some muriate of barytes was applied to a 
wound in the side of a rabbit. The usual symptoms took 
place, and at the end of an hour the animal was apparently 
dead ; but the heart still continued to contract. He was placed 
in a temperature of 8o°, and a tube being introduced into the 
nostril, the lungs were artificially inflated about thirty-six times 
in a minute. 
When the artificial respiration had been maintained for four 
minutes he appeared to be recovering ; he breathed voluntarily 
one hundred times in a minute, and shewed signs of sensibi- 
lity. The artificial respiration was discontinued. The volun- 
tary respiration continued about nine minutes, when it had 
ceased, and the animal was again apparently dead ; but the 
pulse continued strong and frequent. The lungs were again 
artificially inflated. At the end of four minutes the animal 
once more breathed voluntarily one hundred times in a minute, 
and repeatedly moved his limbs and eye-lids. The pulse 
became slower and more feeble. 
In a few minutes the voluntary respiration again ceased, and 
the artificial respiration was resumed. The pulse had fallen 
to one hundred, and was feeble. The animal again breathed 
voluntarily; but he ceased to do so at the end of five minutes. 
The lungs were inflated as before ; but he did not give any 
sign of life, nor was the pulse felt afterwards. On opening the 
thorax, the heart was found to have entirely ceased acting. 
A probe having been introduced into the spinal marrow, it 
