52 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
Experiment IV: 
Time, 
h. min. 
Height of 
contract’ns 
in mm. 
Remarks. 
Gastrocnemius of frog prepared. Connection made with 
myograph. Stimulation by means of a Dubois-Reymond 
electrical apparatus, with the corresponding key. Cur¬ 
rent obtained at 15 c.c. between coils. 
2:30 
26 
2:35 
26 
2:40 
— 
Injected, hypodermatically, 0.0015 gramme of sparteine 
sulphate. 
2:48 
29 
2:50 
30 
2:53 
32 
2:58 
— 
Convulsive movements. 
3:05 
— 
Tetanic convulsions. 
3:12 
28 
3:15 
28 
3:20 
28 
3:28 
26 
Gave, hypodermatically, 0.0015 gramme more of drug. 
3:40 
24 
3:50 
24 
Tetanic convulsions. 
3:53 
22 
Convulsions continue. 
4:05 
24 
ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 
Although so asserted by some observers, I, myself, do not believe that 
sparteine exercises an} r important action on the brain. In fact, there is 
no direct proof, experimentally or clinicalty, to the effect that the agent 
acts as a narcotic. Its influence is exerted particularly on the lower 
nervous sj^stem, and it is to this that I shall chiefly direct my studies on 
this part of the subject. 
Reflex action. Moderate, and especially small doses of sparteine cause 
an increase of the reflexes. I studied this action in a large number of 
experiments. The following experiment is given as an illustration: 
Experiment. V: Frog, weight 28 grammes. Destroyed brain and waited 
for disappearance of shock; then tested the reflexes in the usual manner, 
that is, with acidulated water. Time was carefully measured by a regis¬ 
tering apparatus. 11:15 a. m., reflex action in 10 seconds. 11:20, same 
result. Injected at 11:22, hypodermatically, 0.001 gramme of sparteine 
sulphate. 11:30, reflex action in 3 seconds; 11:45, reflex action in 4 
seconds; convulsions; 11:55, reflex action in 8 seconds; 12:25, reflex 
action in 10 seconds; 12:45, reflex action in 20 seconds. 
Generally, in sparteine poisoning, motion is abolished before sensation. 
Again, this stimulation of the reflexes occurs after previous ligation of 
the peripheral blood-vessels, by which any influence of the drug on the 
