PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES. 
177 
became  gradually  slower  and  more  regular,  and  after  a  general  shiver  of 
the  whole  frame,  it,  at  the  end  of  70  minutes,  seemed  inclined  to  sleep. 
All  the  following  day  the  animal  was  in  a  sleepy  condition,  but  on  the  day- 
following  it  ate  freely  and  seemed  well.    A  similar  experiment  was  tried 
with  a  pigeon,  one-twentieth  of  a  grain  of  the  extract  was  placed  under 
the  skin  of  the  bird.  Its  effects  were  manifest  in  2  minutes  by  a  snapping 
of  the  bill  and  a  rapid  opening  and  closing  of  the  eyes,  as  if  striving  to 
clear  them  of  dust,  and  a  shaking  of  the  wings  and  whole  body.    In  5 
minutes  the  muscles  of  the  legs  were  paralyzed,  and  very  rapid  breathing, 
which  did  not  seem  to  fill  the  lungs.    In  8  minutes  the  wings  and  neck 
were  paralyzed,  and  at  the  end  of  10  minutes  the  bird  was  dead.  Open- 
ing the  body  at  once,  I  found  the  heart  still  beating  and  the  lungs  filled 
with  air.    Dr.  Christison  attributes  death  from  the  poison  mainly  to  pa- 
ralysis of  the  heart,  but  from  this  experiment  it  would  appear  that  death 
was  the  result  of  a  paralysis  of  the  whole  muscular  system,  involving  the 
respiratory  muscles,  and  that  the  heart  ceased  to  beat  only  when  venous 
blood  began  to  circulate  in  the  left  side  of  the  organ.    In  order  to  test 
the  more  direct  action  of  the  poison  upon  the  heart,  I  determined  to  in- 
ject it  into  the  vein  of  a  dog.    Having  a  small  portion  of  the  hydro- 
chlorate  of  physostigmia  dissolved  in  glycerin,  I  took  a  portion  of  the 
solution,  equivalent  to  £  of  a  grain  of  the  salt,  and  diluted  it  with  water 
until  it  would  flow  freely  from  a  syringe.    The  femoral  vein  of  a  dog, 
weighing  14£  lbs.,  was  opened  and  the  liquid  injected.  Respiration  ceased 
instantly.    The  muscles  became  perfectly  lax,  and  there  was  not  a  mo- 
tion or  the  slightest  evidence  of  pain.    Placing  my  hand  on  the  region 
of  the  heart  I  found  it  beating  tumultuously,  but  it  gradually  became  slower 
and  in  two  minutes  it  ceased  altogether.    The  tongue  and  mucus  mem- 
brane of  the  mouth  and  throat  became  quite  blue  as  filled  with  unaerated 
blood.    The  pupils  were  not  contracted.    Post  Mortem  examination 
showed  no  congestion  of  the  brain,  stomach  or  intestines,  which  were 
in  a  perfectly  natural  condition.    Both  sides  of  the  heart  were  full  of 
blood,  and  the  aorta,  down  to  the  bifurcation,  perfectly  empty.  The 
portal  system  was  tinged  with  blood,  and  the  inferior  vena  cava  was  dis- 
tended to  its  utmost  extent.    This  experiment  showed  that  the  heart  wa» 
not  immediately  paralyzed. 
Thinking  its  action  might  possibly  be  similar  to  that  of  woorari,  X 
tried  the  experiment,  so  successfully  performed  by  our  Professor  in  Phy- 
siology. Injecting  a  portion  of  the  solution  of  hydrochlorate  of  physos- 
tigmia into  the  femoral  vein  of  a  dog,. I  immediately  set  up  artificial 
respiration  by  introducing  the  nozzle  of  a  bellows  into  the  trachea  ;  the 
heart  continued  to  beat,  as  in  the  previous  experiment,  for  two  or  three 
minutes,  but  I  could  not  prolong  its  action  indefinitely  as  can  be  done  in 
cases  of  poison  by  woorari. 
From  the  experiments  I  have  tried  on  these  animals  it  would  seem  that 
12  . 
