Page:AJWall Indian Snake Poisons.djvu/43

28 means than paralysis, may yet cause in nerves a complete deadness to stimuli.

Experiment XI.

The right thigh of a frog (Rana tigrina) was tightly ligatured, so as to completely prevent circulation through the limb, the nerve being included. One cubic centimetre of a solution of strychnia, containing two centigrammes of strychnia, was injected into its dorsal sac.

18.53 P.M. Injection.

12.56 P.M. Tetanus.

1.10 P.M. Keflex action ceased.

1.23 P.M. Muscles of right leg infinitely sensitive. 1.25 P.M. Muscles of left (poisoned) leg contract with 0.75 volt.

1.39 P.M. Eight sciatic nerve infinitely sensitive, causes muscular contraction with less than 0.0001 volt.

1.45 P.M. Left sciatic nerve causes contraction with 15 volts.

Now, strychnia certainly does not kill by paralysis, and yet the difference between the poisoned and the non-poisoned sides, in regard to their nerves, was more marked than in cobra-poisoning. In another frog this difference was very pronounced before the strychnia had ceased to produce tetanus, so that it occurs long therefore exhaustion has taken place. The complete cessation of the vital functions through tetanus is the real cause