THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
VOL. XXXV. 
No.417. 
SEPTEMBER, 1862 . 
Fourth Series. 
No. 93. 
Communications and Cases. 
THE PRESENCE OF MORPHIA PREVENTS THE 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLOUR-TESTS OF 
STRYCHNIA. 
Dr. J. Reese, of Philadelphia, has by experiment shown 
that if morphia be present in the stomach in association 
with strychnia, the usual colour-tests fail to demonstrate the 
presence of the last-named agent. 
Three half-grown cats were experimented on by him. To 
the first he gave half a grain of strychnia. In eleven minutes 
it died in violent convulsions, and the poison was easily 
detected in the contents of the stomach on the following day. 
To the second, a quarter of a grain of strychnia, and the same 
quantity of morphia, were administered. The animal became 
much convulsed, and died in six minutes. Here it would 
appear that the toxication of strychnia was increased, although 
it and morphia maybe said to produce opposite physiological 
influence. Scarcely any recognisable evidence of the presence 
of strychnia could be afforded on analysis of the stomach's 
contents. To the third animal the one twentieth of a grain 
of strychnia, and the one tenth of a grain of morphia were 
given. Convulsions took place in about fifteen minutes, and 
death in half an hour. The stomach was examined by 
Staas' process, as in the other cases, but with a total failure 
to detect the poison by the colour-tests, although the bitter¬ 
ness of the extract, and its decided action in producing 
tetanic convulsions in a number of frogs, clearly established its 
presence. 
Mr. Horsley, writing on this important subject in the 
Chemical News, says : 
“It is very true, as stated by Dr. Reese, that morphia in excess has 
