550 BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOlt ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 
papers which elicited a lengthy discussion on what were some interest¬ 
ing discoveries in relation to these genera of animals. 
“ f Contributions to the Theory of Cardiac Inhibition 3 formed the 
subject of a communication from Dr. Michael Foster. A series of expe¬ 
riments were detailed, illustrating the action of various degrees of in¬ 
tensity of the galvanic current upon the contraction of the heart, 
through the agency of the pneumogastric nerves. These experiments 
were chiefly confined to the snail, but the crab and other animals were 
likewise operated upon, with results proving the inhibitory action of 
the heart. 
“ ‘An Experimental Inquiry into the Mode of Death produced by 
Aconite,’ by Dr. E. R. Harvey, was next read. The author’s experi¬ 
ments, which were performed on dogs, rabbits, and frogs, went to prove 
that aconite acts first on the nerves and then on the muscles, killing by 
its action on the heart; the blood and urine were found normal. 
Fleming’s tincture was the preparation used. Amongst the various 
speakers was Sir Benjamin Brodie, who referred to his own experiments 
made many years back, in which he had used the expressed juice of 
aconite. It acted as a narcotic, and arrested respiration firstly; and he 
had no doubt that, if artificial respiration had been tried, the animal 
would have recovered, as in cases of poisoning by woorara. It seemed to 
him not improbable that different preparations of aconite produce 
various effects. Dr. Sharpey observed that, in some former experi¬ 
ments he had made with aconite, he obtained the same results as 
Dr. Harvey—namely, the action of the heart was stopped, and the irri¬ 
tability of the muscles was extinguished; the nerves, also, leading to 
the affected muscles were deprived of their excitability. 
“The subject of chloroform was brought before the Physiological 
Section, in a paper sent by Dr. Charles Kidd, ‘ On the Nature of Death 
by Chloroform.’ The author considered death to be the result of reflex 
action through the lungs, and not from cardiac syncope, as was sup¬ 
posed. He had tabulated 100 deaths from chloroform, and 25 from 
ether, in which it was shown, in regard to the former, that the fatal 
result had taken place chiefly from small doses before anaesthesia was 
established, and, curiously enough, when it was given for the most 
trivial operations, such as the removal of toe-nails, &c. Amongst a 
number of speakers who took part in the discussion on this paper, none 
seemed to agree as to the exact cause of death; that, Mr. Busk said, 
had yet to be determined by further experience. Some accidental cir¬ 
cumstance was looked upon as a cause, in which shock had much to do. 
Dr. Priestly related an instance in which the heart continued to beat for 
some time after respiration had ceased, thus favoring Dr. Kidd’s views. 
Dr. Rolleston, Mr. Busk, Dr. Graily Hewitt, Professor Corbett, and 
others, took part in the discussion. 
“ The subject of ‘ Deodorization of Sewage ’ was brought before the 
Chemical Section by Dr. Bird. 
“ The value of ‘ Systematized Exercise on the Expansion of the 
Chest ’ was satisfactorily proved by Mr. Archibald M'Laren, in a 
communication made to the Physiological Section. He has a gymnasium 
in connection with the university, and by systematised exercise has 
obtained two inches’ increase of expansion of the chest in every fresh¬ 
man three months after his arrival at Oxford. 
“The minute structure of the Lepadidae, a variety of the barnacle 
tribe, which infests the bottom of ships, was investigated by Mr. Garner, 
and many new facts about these animals were announced, particularly 
the discovery of true eyes. 
