me. j. peiestley on the physiological action of vanadium. 515 
h. m. 
10 45. Symptoms as before in general; weaker. Respiration 12 in 10 seconds. 
Region about anus moist as before. Temperature 34° C. 
12 35. As before. Moves spontaneously. 
1 0. I bad left tbe laboratory for balf an hour. On returning at this hour I found 
the rabbit lying on the floor at some distance from its box, quite dead and 
stiff, with fore and hind legs spread out forwards and backwards respectively, 
as if it had had stretching-convulsions. The rabbit was certainly too weak 
to leap out of its box on to the table and thence to the floor; it must 
therefore have been projected from its box, which was narrow and 18 inches 
high, on to the floor during the death-struggles. 
Post mortem Examination. 
Heart is not acting : filled with venous blood. Stomach not very full ; 
contents of the usual green colour. Mucous membrane intensely and exten- 
sively congested, except at the pyloric end. A few spots of extravasation. 
Intestine everywhere more or less congested, filled with a greyish mucus ; 
the vermiform appendage filled with much dark, fluid, and very faecal matter. 
The mucous membrane of the intestine exhibits everywhere numerous, but 
not thickly set, large, thickened spots (-J inch in diameter and less), with a 
yellow centre and intensely red periphery, which do not seem to be confined 
to any border in particular. 
Kidney seems normal. 
Lungs not congested. 
Liver firm, greyish internally, and, so far as can be made out, very 
slightly fatty. 
From this experiment we gather that the effects of large doses of sodium vanadate 
per cesophageum resemble those of small doses when subcutaneously injected. Respira- 
tion becomes rapid and shallow at first, but quickly falls again to the normal. At the 
same time the temperature falls about 1° C., and never again attains its previous height. 
Convulsions occurred only once, at the beginning of the experiment. The stretching-out 
of the hind legs may have been due to imperfect paralysis, but at no time was paralysis 
complete. Death must have been accompanied by severe convulsive struggles, and was 
preceded by great weakness and depression of temperature. The great alimentary con- 
gestion and the presence in quantities of viscid intestinal contents indicate the. chief 
action of the poison. Death occurred in 13 hours after injection. 
Exp. XXXII.— June 10, 1875. 
Rabbit. — Weight 2720 grms. 
Dose 3 cub. centims. of the 5 per cent, solution (150 milligrammes 
V 2 0 5 ), injected per rectum. 
4 b 2 
