AmAirii;i87h7!rm"}       Notes  on  the  Joyote  of  Mexico.  149 
tion  of  joyote-seeds.  One  hour  after  it  had  difficult  respiration,  con- 
vulsions in  the  ears  and  head  ;  afterwards,  the  respiration  tardy  and 
entirely  diaphragmatic,  had  no  strength  to  hold  its  head  up  nor  to  stand 
on  its  feet  \  in  another  quarter  of  an  hour  it  died  in  a  comatose  state. 
The  convulsion  proceeded  from  the  want  of  muscular  strength. 
Another  rabbit  was  injected  with  alcohol  alone,  in  about  double  the 
•quantity  used  before,  but  only  showed  an  intoxicated  state,  and 
recovered  in  an  hour.  A  similar  experiment  with  another  rabbit  caused 
prostration  ;  the  animal  could  not  stand  on  its  feet,  and  laid  on  its  belly, 
without  being  able  to  stand  or  to  walk,  even  after  being  pricked  ;  an 
hour  after  it  began  to  recover. 
On  the  13th  of  June,  another  rabbit  was  sub-cutaneously  injected 
with  the  active  principle  of  the  joyote.  An  hour  after  its  head  trembled, 
wanted  to  keep  it  up,  but  could  not  unless  laid  against  something  ; 
when  raised,  the  convulsion  ceased.  Five  minutes  after  it  laid  down, 
keeping  quiet  for  awhile,  afterwards  convulsions  in  the  ears  and  upper 
jaw  took  place,  occasionally  also  in  the  fore  feet ;  died  ten  days  after, 
grunting  and  with  difficult  and  diaphragmatic  respiration. 
On  the  22d  of  July,  ten  centigrams  of  the  active  principle  of  the 
joyote  were  sub-cutaneously  injected  to  a  large  rabbit  ;  died  in  an  hour  ; 
no  symptom  observed,  On  the  same  day,  and  at  the  same  hour,  a 
half  ounce  of  the  oil,  extracted  with  ether,  was  given  to  another  large 
rabbit.  Forty-eight  hours  afterwards  it  was  alive,  did  not  present  any 
remarkable  symptom,  and  had  appetite. 
A  large  rabbit  was  made  to  swallow  seven  grams  of  the  oil  of  joyote 
July  23d.  Twenty-four  hours  after  nothing  had  happened  to  it  ;  it 
had  eaten,  but  died  in  twenty-four  hours  more  of  traumatism. 
Two  grams  of  the  aqueous  extract  of  joyote  were  applied  under  the 
skin  of  a  large  rabbit,  and  afterwards  dissolved  ;  death  occurred  in  two 
hours  y  no  symptoms  observed. 
From  these  experiments  the  following  conclusions  are  deduced  : 
1st.  That  the  active  principle  of  th^  seed  of  joyote  is  a  violent  poison 
tor  rabbits  ;  that  the  oil  extracted  from  the  same  seeds,  though  not 
poisonous  for  those  animals,  there  are  some  satisfactory  explanations  to 
prove  its  toxic  properties.  2d.  That  it  produces  the  same  as  on  pigeons 
— a  muscular  debility,  passing  into  a  general  paralysis,  invading  the 
respiratory  muscles,  and  lastly  into  slow  axphyxia  and  coma. 
On  the  20th  of  June,  a  small  adult  dog  was  injected  on  one  side  of 
