364 
PREPARATIONS  OF  CONIUM,  ETC. 
I  experienced  on  the  11th,  after  siii  of  the  juice.  Three  hours 
after  taking  the  drug  the  symptoms  had  entirely  passed  off,  and 
I  felt  as  strong  and  active  as  I  ever  did. 
Dec.  17,  At  10.45  A.  M.— Took  ftvss  of  the  succus,  having 
previously  observed  the  pupils  and  the  pulse,  and  continued 
moving  about  in  a  small  room,  arranging  certain  matters.  I  had 
forgotten  the  conium  altogether,  but  was  suddenly  reminded  of  it 
by  the  occurrence  of  the  following  disorder  of  vision,  which  would, 
probably,  be  loosely  called  giddiness.  It  was  what  I  might  term 
voluntary  giddiness, — a  giddiness  within  my  own  control.  So  long 
as  my  eyes  were  fixed  upon  a  given  object,  the  definition  and  ca- 
pacity of  vision  for  the  minutest  objects  were  unimpaired ;  but  the 
instant  I  directed  my  eyes  to  another  object,  all  was  haze  and  con- 
fusion, and,  if  standing,  I  felt  giddy.  As  soon,  however,  as  the 
eyes  again  rested  upon  an  object,  the  confusion  of  vision  and 
sense  of  giddiness  instantly  disappeared.  It  was  clear  to  me 
that  the  adjusting  muscular  apparatus  of  the  eye  was  enfeebled 
and  its  contractions  so  sluggishly  performed,  that  they  could  no 
longer  keep  pace  with  those  of  the  external  muscles  of  the  eye. 
Three-quarters  of  an  hour  after  taking  the  conium  this  symptom 
suddenly  appeared.  At  11.45  (an  hour  after  the  dose)  it  was 
much  increased :  a  general  muscular  lethargy  affected  me ;  the 
eyelids  became  so  heavy  that  it  required  a  considerable  effort  to 
raise  them,  and  the  implication  of  the  third  nerve  was  still  further 
indicated  by  widely  dilated  pupils.  I  sat  down  to  make  these 
observations,  and  began  to  feel  so  oppressed  with  rapidly  in- 
creasing muscular  lethargy,  that  I  got  up  and  tried  to  shake  it 
off. 
At  12,  noon,  I  first  felt  weakness  in  my  legs,  and  then,  as  these 
symptoms  were  rapidly  increasing  and  my  vision  was  very  much 
puzzled,  I  felt  some  alarm ;  at  the  same  time  the  earliest  begin- 
ning of  the  sensations  of  squeamishness  and  faintness,  which 
tobacco  produces  on  those  unaccustomed  to  its  use,  came  on.  I 
sat  down  again  once  or  twice,  but  I  was  afraid  of  maintaining 
this  posture,  for  I  felt  that  it  would  so  much  encourage  the 
lethargy  that  it  might  get  the  better  of  me.  I  therefore  walked 
about  and  tested  the  muscular  power  of  my  legs.  At  this  time 
I  was  cold,  pale,  and  tottering.    The  pulse,  which  had  been  con- 
