638 
DE. T. L. BEUNTON AND ME. W. PTE ON THE ACTION 
of the stomach thus divided, before administering the poison. By this procedure the 
retching and vomiting were either completely prevented or very greatly diminished, the 
dyspnoea rendering it rather difficult to decide in some cases whether some convulsive 
movements were due to it or were movements of retching. The vomiting is therefore 
chiefly, and in all probability entirely, due to the action of the drug on the sensory 
nerves of the stomach itself, as the retching, if indeed really present, might be due to 
irritation conveyed to the medulla through the splanchnics after the vagi had been 
divided. 
Experiment XXIII. — March 6. 
General Symptoms after Injection, both Vagi having been previously divided. 
A cat weighing 3 lb. was chloroformed, and the vagi divided in the neck. In 
25 minutes after the operation it had recovered from the effects of the anaesthetic. Its 
respirations were 18 per minute. Three cub. centims. of a concentrated alcoholic solu- 
tion of alcoholic extract of casca were injected subcutaneously. Five minutes after- 
wards the cat had fallen over on its side. The respirations were still regular, 16 per 
minute. During the next hour, with one temporary disturbance, the animal remained 
quiet, still breathing quietly and slowly, with no symptoms of sickness and no dyspnoea. 
It remained on its side the whole time, except when roused. It then staggered a few 
steps, and again lay down. One hour after the first injection 2^ cub. centims. more 
were injected. For the next quarter of an hour the animal continued to breathe easily, 
but appeared weaker. At the end of that time there were some very slight convulsive 
movements, and then respiration ceased. On beginning artificial respiration one or two 
gasping inspirations occurred, and then entirely ceased one hour and fifteen minutes 
after the first injection. On post mortem examination the heart’s cavities were found 
distended. They did not contract on irritation or puncture. The lungs were bright 
scarlet, and contained a moderate amount of blood. The liver and kidneys were con- 
gested ; the stomach was pale ; the brain was normal. 
Experiment XXIV. — April 28. 
This experiment was in most points an exact repetition of Experiment XXIII., but 
the results were even more striking. A well-nourished cat was chloroformed, and both 
vagi were divided in the neck. When it had recovered from the chloroform a solution 
of *3 grm. of the alcoholic extract in 4 cub. centims. of alcohol was injected subcu- 
taneously. None of the ordinary symptoms of poisoning by the drug were produced. 
There was no dyspnoea and no vomiting, except at one time, an hour and fifteen minutes 
after the injection, when the animal either coughed or vomited up a small quantity 
of frothy mucus. When seen the next morning it was to all appearance well, and was 
killed, to prevent suffering being caused by the secondary effects of section of the vagi, 
which were found to be completely divided. 
