Page:First Footsteps in East Africa, 1894 - Volume 1.djvu/186

 140 First Footsteps in East Africa. hundred yards each side ; and legends say that one Misr, a Galla chief, when dying, ordered the place to be filled seven times with she-camels destined for his Ahan or funeral feast. This is the fourth stage upon the direct " 9. To a dog five grains were administered, but it was rejected by vomiting; this was again repeated on the following day, with the same result. On the same day four grains were inserted into a wound upon the same dog ; it produced violent effects in ten, and death in thirty-five minutes. " 10. To a sheep two grains in solution were given without any effect being produced. The post-mortem appearances observed were, absence of all traces of inflammation, collapse of the lungs, and distension of the cavities of the heart." Further experiments of the Somali arrow poisoned by R. Haines, M.B., assistant surgeon (from Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Bombay. No. 2, new series 1853-1854). " Having while at Ahmednuggur received from the secretary a small quantity of Somali arrow poison, alluded to by Mr. Vaughan in his notes on articles of the Materia Medica, and published in the last volume of the Society's Transactions, and called ' Wabie,' the following experiments were made with it : " September zyth. i. A small healthy rabbit was taken, and the skin over the hip being divided, a piece of the poisonous extract about the size of a corn of wheat was inserted into the cellular tissue beneath : thirty minutes afterwards, seems disinclined to move, breathing quicker, passed * * : one hour, again passed * * * followed by * * * ; has eaten a little : one hour and a half, appears quite to have recovered from his uneasiness, and has become as lively as before. (This rabbit was made use of three days afterwards for the third experiment.) " 2. A full-grown rabbit. Some of the poison being dissolved in water a portion of the solution corresponding to about fifteen grains was injected into an opening in the peritoneum, so large a quantity being used, in consequence of the apparent absence of effect in the former case: five minutes, he appears to be in pain, squeaking occasionally ; slight convulsive retractions of the head and neck begin to take place, passed a small quantity of * * : ten minutes, the spasms are becoming more frequent, but are neither violent nor prolonged, respiration scarcely preceptible ; he now fell