co co 
502 
ME. J. PBIESTLEY ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OE VANADIUM. 
to stir when touched or moved. Walks with difficulty. Lies down on 
stomach. Appears paralytic. Frequent twitches, especially of the hind 
h. m. legs and head. 
10. Breathes by jerks. Spasmodic twitches of limbs. 
15. Breathing not so rapid ; frequent convulsions of legs and head and of the 
whole body. 
Breathes in spasmodic gasps. Eyelids close only after repeated irritation of 
cornea. 
3 25. Breathes in gasps ; the convulsions have ceased. 
3 30. Breathing shorter and more rapid. Is not so quiet as before. Cornea seems 
rather more sensitive. Breathing less violent. 
3 40. Sensibility more perfect. Breathing rapid, but regular. Lies in normal 
position of health and not on its side as before. No convulsions have been 
noticed. 
3 45. Breathing regular ; attempts to move, but it is with difficulty, and a tendency 
to a return of the convulsive symptoms. 
4 0. Breathing slight ; occasional twitches. 
4 15. Tries to move; the convulsive twitchings seem to be returning in strength. 
5 0. Breathing irregular and at lengthened intervals. 
On lifting the animal on to a table its fore and hind limbs became convulsed. 
After lying for about 5 minutes, breathing at long intervals in feeble gasps, 
it died. 
Post mortem Examination. 
The blood coagulated normally. 
The right heart distended. Ventricles contractile on irritation. 
Liver apparently normal. 
Stomach distended with food ; exhibited punctiform, hasmorrhagic extrava- 
sations on the internal surface, chiefly at the vertebral aspect and cardiac end. 
Duodenum normal. 
Rectum perhaps slightly congested. 
Blood taken from left ventricle diluted with water and placed before the 
slit of a spectroscope exhibited the normal oxyhsemoglobin bands. After 
standing two days the blood solution still appeared quite normal. On adding 
some of Stokes’s reagent the band of reduced, or oxygen-free, haemoglobin 
appeared, and was again replaced by the two oxyhsemoglobin lines on shaking 
up the solution with air. 
This experiment shows that 100 milligrammes (about) of V 2 0 5 produced death in 
2 hours 35 minutes ; that symptoms appeared within 35 minutes of the time of injection ; 
that the symptoms of poisoning were quiescence, paralysis, alternating with convulsions 
of the limbs and head ; spasmodic respirations, the inspirations being shallow and rapid 
