374 poisons : their effects and detection. [§ 438. 
3rd injection. Great acceleration of heart beats. Immediately 
before death, when blood-pressure = 28 mm., the rhythm became regular. 
In the earlier part of this period vagus stimulation co-ordinated the 
action of the auricles and ventricles, temporarily raising the blood- 
pressure, but this effect was lost later. Splanchnic reaction was never 
entirely abolished. 
Artificial respiration prolonged life for over twenty minutes ; 0-01 
mgrm. per kilo, of atropine sulphate fully antagonised 0-09 mgrm. per 
kilo, of indaconitine. 
Bikhaconitine acts quite similarly, save that its action on the respira¬ 
tion is stronger than that of aconitine. 
Birds. —There is a discrepancy in the descriptions of the action of 
aconitine on birds. L. v. Praag thought the respiration and circulation 
but little affected at first; while Achscharumow witnessed in pigeons 
dyspnoea, dilatation of the pupils, vomiting, shivering, and paresis. It 
may be taken that the usual symptoms observed are some difficulty in 
breathing, a diminution of temperature, a loss of muscular power 
generally (but not constantly), dilatation of the pupils, and convulsions 
before death. 
Mammals. —The effects vary somewhat, according to the dose. Very 
large doses kill rabbits rapidly. They fall on their sides, are violently 
convulsed, and die in an asphyxiated condition ; but with smaller doses 
the phenomena first observed are generally to be referred to the respira-* 
tion. Thus, in an experiment on the horse, Dr Harley found that the 
subcutaneous administration of 0-6 mgrm. (0-01 grain) caused in a weakly 
colt some acceleration of the pulse and a partial paralysis of the dilator 
narium. Double the quantity given to the same animal some time 
after caused, in six hours and a half, some muscular weakness, and an 
evident respiratory trouble. The horse recovered in eighteen hours. 
2-7 mgrms. ( 2 V grain) given in the same way, after a long interval of 
time, caused, at the end of an hour, more pronounced symptoms ; the 
pulse, at the commencement 50, rose in an hour and a half to 68, then 
the respiration became audible and difficult. In an hour and three- 
quarters there were great restlessness and diminution of muscular power. 
Two hours after the injection the muscular weakness increased so much 
that the horse fell down ; he was also convulsed. After eight hours he 
began to improve. In another experiment, 32-4 mgrms. (J grain) killed 
a sturdy entire horse in two hours and twenty minutes, the symptoms 
commencing within the hour, and consisting of difficulty of breathing, 
irregularity of the heart’s action, and convulsions. 
The general picture of the effects of fatal, but not excessive, doses 
given to dogs, cats, rabbits, etc., resembles closely that already described. 
The heart’s action is at first slowed, then becomes quick and irregular ; 
there are dyspnoea, progressive paralysis of the muscular power, convul- 
